Big Data Help or Hype Viewpoint careers advice blog

Big Data â€" Help or Hype Top 3 tips for people who actually have to do stuff with data I’ve just realised I’ve been suffering from dataphobia. I think I got a bit overwhelmed with the possibilities that I should be exploring and with the complexity of integrated sources, taxonomy, cubes, analysis, sharing, firewalls, privacy, anonymising, searching, storage and surfacing â€" aarggh! OK so a lot of organisations are investing in it, in fact 47% in North America according to Gartner “Big data investment continues to be led by North America, with 47 percent of organisations reporting investment, up from 37.8 percent in 2013,” says Nick Heudecker, research director, Gartner. Of course, my organisation is no exception. The Innovation and Tech teams at Hays are running pilot projects and investigating options on a daily basis and the possibilities are really exciting. In the meantime, I have got a brand to build and customers to service! In reality, as marketers we all know what needs to be done, and Big Data is really just another set of potential tools to help us do it, but it isn’t mandatory and won’t fix everything â€" plus it will take some time for most of us to work it into business as usual. So in the meantime, here are my top 3 tips for success without big data: Don’t underestimate what you already have You’ve got data and there’s lots of information in it. What makes data most useful is when it is current. Maybe the simplest thing you can do is work on updating your existing information â€" “Hi, it’s been a while since we spoke, how are things?” type of message. Is bigger really better? If you already have customers, ask them what they like. What they think. What is useful and what’s not. You don’t have to ask millions, most trends can be surfaced by talking to a few and you could always try asking them to help you develop your products or services. People are often glad to be involved, and if not, record that fact so you don’t hassle them again. Hire people who are inquisitive Listening takes more effort than talking, so make sure you employ people who are genuinely interested in what customers have to say as that sort of behaviour not only gives you great data but also builds old-fashioned relationships. Of course there is absolutely a place for big data and I have been incredibly impressed with some of the people and products that are embracing the possibilities.  Im  just keen to make sure the simple but effective ways of doing things don’t get left behind….! Follow Jacky Carter on LinkedIn Join our LinkedIn Group Join our LinkedIn Group to share your thoughts and stay up-to-date with the latest on business, employment and recruitment news in the IT industry. Join our Group