“There are lies, damned lies, and statistics.”
— Mark Twain
As Mark Twain implies, there is an unavoidable fact about data. It isn’t always complete and sometimes, unintentionally or otherwise, not even close to the truth.
Data is a story that cannot be told with data
In today’s world of constant data flow, people are not only cautious about data, we are becoming numb to it. The incredible volume of information and ‘insight’ is increasingly becoming white noise, noise that your audience is tuning out.
Most data is internal language
Organizations make many, if not most of their decisions based on data, a sound practice for sure. Where organizations fail in their communications is not recognizing the need for internal and external language. Customers, partners, and the general public each view a company’s data points through their own lens, creating multiple, and sometimes conflicting perspectives.
People yearn for authentic, human connection
Thanks to our always-on technology, there is now so much data that it requires artificial intelligence to wade through it all. The result is we are now using technology to interpret technology. In fact, most people on the planet are now viewed as a number first, before their individuality. Be it a credit agency, a marketing company, a brand or a government, we are often now just a statistic, part of a demographic. Your audience knows this, so don’t let your marketing and communications make them feel it too.
Saying you are authentic doesn’t make you authentic
To get beyond the data, today many brands and organizations try to speak to their clients as individuals. They use words like ‘authentic’ or phrases like ‘human connection’, to the point where it is almost meaningless. Unless you’re a non-profit (and maybe not even then), don’t say things that imply you are in the business of making a better world. It’s overused jargon and few people believe it anymore.
You are what you do, not what you say — so say what you do
Authenticity doesn’t need to explain itself. It simply is. Every brand or organization has a story to tell but often, the way they tell it fails to resonate. This usually happens when they lean into numbers but not the why behind them. In the end, you have to earn your story at every stage of your organization’s journey.
Don’t let the numbers get in the way of a good story
What was true in Mark Twain’s day is even more true today. Your story is so much more than data points, so don’t let numbers get in the way of your story.