In a world where we have various means of collecting and analyzing data, it’s essential to have the means to present that information in a concise and easy-to-understand manner. Data visualization is the answer to this question. In marketing, where data is king and vital to securing funds for ad campaigns, this domain is fast becoming the go-to method of passing information to management and even customers. This article will explore the definition of the term, its use, types, and tools that can aid marketers in preparing for their visual presentations.
What is Data Visualization?
It’s the graphical representation of data. The human eyes process images faster than any other means of communication—processing images 60,000 times faster than text-only presentation. So it isn’t surprising that it’s a favorite for marketers and other dispensers of information since it’s such a concise and easily digestible form of sharing information.
Data visualization for marketers is vital since the modern-day person prefers to consume short, summarized information in bits rather than large volumes of text or numbers.
Why is Data Visualization Important?
The next question should be why is data visualization important? To answer it, we will look at the uses of data visualization.
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Reveals Trends and Patterns
Visualizing raw data allows us to make meaningful connections between variables. The relationship between information sets gives birth to patterns or trends, which can help marketers make informed decisions or take advantage of business opportunities.
An example is looking at data for a website you own. You may want information like the pages with the most views or what day of the week you have the most traffic. Such insights can help with developing plans to take advantage of the trend.
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Breaks down Complex Data
Numbers can be mentally tasking to look at, especially when there is a lot of data you want to pass across to the stakeholders. Visualization helps to simplify and summarize complex data into easily digestible information. Humans are visual creatures, and since 93% of our communication is with our eyes, it only makes sense to visualize your data.
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Adds Creativity and Life to your Presentation
Storytelling is as old as our species, and a good story will always capture and keep your audience. The visual representation of data is a creative way to distribute information, as using it adds to your storytelling skills. As a marketer, you want to sell your story out, so visualization helps you capture the essence of storytelling in the modern day. An example is infographics, which concentrate on using unique elements to tell a story. Visualizing your data makes it easy to pass your information.
Types of Data Visualization
There are different ways to visualize information sets. It’s best to know what type of visualizing tool to use, so you can capture the information you wish you convey to your stakeholders. This section will look at some methods to visualize our information set accurately.
- Bar chat
- Pie chart
- Column charts
- Line charts
- Infographics
- Funnel Charts
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Bar Chart
We use them for breaking down items. Bar charts focus on breaking one element into subsections within the bar chart. An example is showing the total marketing cost and breaking that entire bar into different sections to identify the makeup.
So, if marketing costs $50,000, social media can be 50%, with media like television and radio taking 30% and billboards at 20% completing the distribution.
Source: financetrain.com
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Pie Chart
We use pie charts to show different sections of a whole. It’s a circle divided into distinct portions, reflecting the data they represent. The sum of the subsections should give the total value of the pie.
They are great for presenting data like total sales broken into regions. If the total sales are $850,000, then the total sum of sales in every region should be $850,000.
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Column Charts
Column charts are rectangular bars that help to compare different values over time. Column charts display a value or values and show them side by side over time.
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Line Charts
They are typically used to show trends over some time. A line chart is easy to follow and comprehend because it is a line that follows a simple plotting on the y and x-axes. It can be a single data set, like only sales, or can be used to identify relationships between two data sets, like sales and marketing cost.
Source: Best Excel Tutorial: “A line chart comparing three separate data sets.”
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Infographics
Infographics use a variety of information to communicate a message. An infographic card comes with elements, such as charts, diagrams, images, texts, and icons. The viewers can get all information at a glance, and this is an incredible visualization for storytelling. See below for an example of an infographic card.
Source: whatagraph.com”An Infographic card with concise information.”
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Funnel Charts
Funnel charts display processes, usually when breaking down sales. It can be used for other activities and is not limited to the sales funnel. It shows how one can get from point A, the massive portion, to point D or E, the minuscule portions. The funnel gets smaller as it descends to a new point.
These are some ways we can visualize data to its viewers for their comprehension.
Tips on How to Visualize Data
When preparing to visualize any information set, there are some rules to follow to maximize its effects. This section will highlight some of those rules.
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Identify Your Objective
The first activity is to ask what goal you aim to achieve with the visualized data. To answer this question, you need to identify your audience and the information they need. Do this to avoid overloading your audience, and concentrate on providing one or two actionable data that will suffice. We favor presenting actionable data because it helps the decision-making process.
A graph on the revenue per location over an 18-month period for a branch that has outperformed regularly can signal management to investigate and possibly adapt their sales tactics. The same information would be useless if discussing cost-cutting methods to improve profits.
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Collect Accurate Data
After figuring out the objective, the next step is collecting information from credible sources. If someone internally generated the data, vetting the authenticity of the information is a must. The last thing you want is to present unproven data, especially if it’s supporting your narrative.
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Use the Right Data Visualization
We can visualize data in many ways, but choosing a suitable method helps to convene the information well and seamlessly.
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Properly Label Your Visuals
There is nothing as frustrating as a graph, line chart, or other visual content without context clues. Labels, color keys, and other annotations give your dataset meaning. The purpose of having these context elements on your visualized data set is, so you can communicate the well-structured information. To ensure your visualization is passing the correct information, make sure to:
- Label your axes
- Give your project a title
- Add color keys or graph titles
- Use annotation to highlight vital points
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Remove Unnecessary Clusters
As you design your data for presentation, ask yourself if the design adds extra information to your visualized data set. Having too many design elements on your data visuals can distract, or worse, confuse, your readers.
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Avoid Distorting the Data
Distorting data to prove a point isn’t a surprising move. Some may poorly label their data, and so the information is distorted. To prevent distortions while preparing visuals, note the following tips:
- Start your vertical axis at 0
- Be consistent with the spacing between variables. For example, if you are using a difference of five, e.g., 5, 10, and 15, as your standard form of numbering, don’t change that in the middle of the graph. E.g. 5, 10, 15, 25, 50. Stay consistent with your chosen order.
- Add labels for clarity.
- Use the right color shade. Lighter shades mean less density, and darker shades show high density.
Source: Data Pine: “An example of a correct data set and a distorted one by its side.”
Data Visualization Tools
Data visualization has made our lives easier. The ability to communicate complex numbers and text into simple pictures, diagrams, and graphs has seen us save time and, honestly, our eyes. To build these data visualizations effortlessly, you need the right tools, and in this section, we will look at some of them.
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Venngage
Venngage is a professional infographic maker. They help bring your information and text to life using elements like charts, diagrams, icons, and animated objects. The tool gives access to professionally designed templates to work with, so you can insert your data there. They are great for storytelling and bringing your data to life.
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Tableau
One of the oldest and most popular visualization tools out there, it is user-friendly and easy to learn and implement. It has a unique feature called data blending, which allows you to collect info from multiple sources to produce more comprehensive visualized data. It also allows you to collaborate with others.
Conclusion
In conclusion, marketing data visualization is an effective way of communication and a tool every marketer should use. It can make a presentation go from good to brilliant, capturing the attention of your stakeholders. Make sure to include the techniques and tools described here in your next professional endeavors.
