Data-Driven Processes
I grew up in a family of nerds. While I grew up focused on learning (and becoming, if possible) French, music, money, and boys, the majority of my family were immersed in numbers, data, computers, and what we now call STEM. Although I’ll never admit it at the family Thanksgiving table, a lot of it sunk in. So, while I was working hard on being cool, numbers, data, and statistics became a safe space for me. I’ve learned that you can use these things to more completely tell your story, prove your point, appeal to your target audience, compel people into action, and drive your company’s processes.
Think about your internal processes and why you do those things; how do they benefit your company? For example, when I was running my own business, I spent every Monday morning working on my financials and social media tracking and planning. The processes I had for my financials were vital; that time was well spent showing my cash flow and how my business was growing. It also showed trends in client services on the rise (or falling) and where spending needed to be curtailed or increased, etc.
BUT, the time I was spending on my social media processes netted out to a big, fat, “No ma’am…you have better things to do!” How did I figure this out? Easy, I was spending 2-3 hours each week tracking the analytics of all my company social media accounts and measuring that against clients, services, leads and income generated. What the data showed me was that prospective clients liked being able to find me on social media, but it was never the deciding factor in hiring me for a project or booking me for an engagement.
I began using that 2-3 hours of time developing new processes to help streamline the creation of new services, workshops, digital assets and finding new marketing avenues that would result in higher client engagement/activation and increased revenue.
This is a simplified example. Your company likely has processes for numerous business activities; some you may not even think about most days.
Here’s What You Can Do
- Make a list of all the processes you have.
- Jot down why you do each thing.
- What is the benefit you intend to realize?
- What data can you collect that will help you understand if this process is benefiting you the way you intended?
- Be strategic with your analysis.
- Is there a way to improve your process so that your business yields greater benefit?
- Should you adopt an entirely new process?
- Is the data telling you that this process is no longer needed?
I’ve seen far too many people get stuck in a process rut, doing the same things repeatedly simply because it’s become routine, more of a habit than an intentional business growth process.
- Let the numbers guide you and tell your story.
- Set aside time – maybe once a quarter – to analyze your data and adjust your processes accordingly.
- If you need assistance, reach out!
- If you find it challenging to analyze your processes, determine key data points, or strategize process improvement strategies, we’re here for you.
Book a 1:1 no-cost consultation with a Launch Loudoun team member or simply reach out to ask to be put on my schedule.