Data scientists and marketing storytellers tend to live in their own little bubbles, with no chance of one popping the other. But is it time for those bubbles to merge? Data storytelling is trending hot, and for good reason: with more companies and end users relying on data to make decisions, it’s essential to have a realistic understanding of what the data is saying.

Data is no longer a tool used solely by data scientists and tech enthusiasts. But without a background in data, many users may struggle to understand what the data means and how to apply it. That’s where data storytelling comes in. Let’s explore.

What is Data Storytelling?

Data storytelling is the process of turning data into a narrative to make it easier for non-data users to understand and learn from it. This process combines visual imagery (e.g., graphs, charts, maps) with spelled-out insights.

 Data storytelling has become increasingly popular in recent years because it can quickly convey complex information in an engaging way. Users don’t have to guess what the data is telling them or why it matters. By helping readers interpret what they’re seeing, data stories can provide insights into trends or patterns that may be difficult to recognize at first glance.

The Building Blocks of Data Storytelling

Effective data storytelling requires three main components:

● Data: It all starts with information. Having accurate, up-to-date data enables data users to shine a spotlight on information via visuals and narrative. This means being able to pull data from multiple channels to ensure no key information has been left out. The more complete the picture, the more context you have for your storytelling.

● Visuals: What’s a good story without pictures? People tend to soak in more information from pictures than they do reading. In fact, one study by 3M found that we process images 60,000x faster than text and can even process multiple images at once. Data visualization tools make this process easy: simply feed the data and watch it transform into compelling imagery that makes it easy to spot trends and patterns.

● Narrative: Your story comes from combining the data and visuals. This is where you give your visuals importance. You can point out your findings, note any changes in KPIs or metrics since the last reporting, and explain why certain data points are important. Most importantly, you can end your story with a call to action or a plan to act on what the data has told you.

Data stories only exist when all three parts are present. Simply turning data into visuals isn’t enough to help end users understand what it means and what to do next, even if they know how to read a chart.

How Data Storytelling Can Benefit Marketing Outcomes

Despite going digital, many marketers say they still struggle to use data effectively. Data storytelling helps to fill some of the gaps left behind by data overload, siloes, and inefficient systems. Here’s how it supports better marketing outcomes:

Data Becomes More Useful

What good is data if you can’t make heads or tails of it? Marketers use data but aren’t data experts. But by turning information into stories, data suddenly becomes a language they can speak. They can apply what they learn to learn more about their target audience, create better content, and drive better outcomes.

Data Creates Original Stories

There’s a lot of content out there around just about every topic, and a lot of it sounds repetitive. As more marketers create content, the harder it becomes to differentiate yourself from competing content. Enter data — the source of original storytelling.

Data provides an easy way to collect and create original stories that other companies don’t have access to. This is a great way to introduce topics in new ways and stand out from lookalike content.

Data Puts ROI into Perspective

Whether you’re calculating the ROI of your promotional products or measuring a recent social media campaign, using data helps you demonstrate the results of your efforts. It puts ROI into perspective by showing a clear before-and-after snapshot of your campaign.  Easily convince stakeholders and decision-makers that your efforts have paid off.

Data Enhances Credibility

For any story to be greater than fiction, it needs some basis in reality. Anchoring any story to data automatically gives you a credibility boost, especially if that data came from your own sources. It shows you can back up what you’re saying and gives your message staying power.

These Benefits Extend to Your Entire Company

Marketing isn’t the only department that benefits from data storytelling. As IT, accounting, and operations must prove their successes in the company, pitch new ideas, and achieve KPIs, they can rely on data to provide the anchor.

It all starts with having the right tech foundation to collect the right data in a consistent and reliable manner. Explore our business IT solutions to learn more. Beyond our IT solutions, we provide business services and solutions for every facet of your workplace: Breakroom solutions, print and marketing services, promotional solutions and unique promotional products, and innovative facility services and solutions.​