The Marketing Data Order of Opperations Framework: Why Your Organization Needs This NOW
Does your organization struggle with how to efficiently collect, process, and act on its data (in a reliable way that makes sense to everyone?) We consistently run into this with clients large and small. That’s ok, it’s what we do. For those of you who do not want to work with us, we put the D.O.O. out into the world, <download here. The Data Order of Operations (D.O.O.) Framework is our operating system, designed to provide a structured roadmap for data management, consistent alignment, & ongoing insights. In order to properly use the DOO, you need to understand our Rules of Engagement that guide its implementation. These rules ensure that your data & your people are aligned with your business goals and that you avoid common pitfalls along the way. SUPER IMPORTANT: Think of the Rules of Engagement as the principles that ensure you’re not just collecting and analyzing data for the sake of it, but actually using it to take meaningful action. What is the D.O.O. Framework? Now that we’ve covered the Rules of Engagement, it’s time to dive into the Data Order of Operations (D.O.O.) Framework itself. The D.O.O. Framework is a systematic approach to managing what you need to do next! This makes sure that businesses extract actionable insights at every stage. It provides a clear roadmap for how data should be collected, processed, and utilized, allowing organizations to make informed decisions quickly and efficiently. The D.O.O. consists of 10 key steps, each of which builds upon the previous one. 1. Conversion Tracking: The Must Have Nothing else matters if you don’t have conversion tracking in place. Conversion tracking allows you to measure the success of your marketing efforts by sending the outcome (conversion) to all platforms. You upgrade your conversion tracking over time. This could involve moving from basic browser-based tracking to more advanced server-side tracking, which is more accurate and less susceptible to issues like ad blockers. (privacy compliant… obviously) 2. Tag Management System: Simplifying Data Collection Once conversion tracking is in place, the next step is to implement a Tag Management System (TMS). A TMS, such as Google Tag Manager, simplifies the process of adding and managing tracking tags on your website. Instead of hard-coding each tracking pixel manually (which can be error-prone and time-consuming), a TMS allows you to manage all your tracking tags from a single interface. This makes it easier to add new tags, modify existing ones, and ensure that all your tracking is consistent across platforms. 3. Planning: Defining Your Intention With conversion tracking and a TMS in place, it’s time to create a better plan. Without a clear objective, it’s impossible to know whether your data is telling you what you need to know. If you’re running a lead generation campaign, your goal might be to break even on lead acquisition costs and generate a profit through follow-up sales. By defining this goal upfront, you can measure your success and adjust your campaigns accordingly. Explicitly Say: 4. Behavioral Tracking: Understanding User Interactions This involves tracking how users interact with your website or app, including actions like clicks, scrolls, and custom interactions. This is for when you plan (Step #3) doesn’t work. What do you do now? For example, if you’re an e-commerce store, you might want to track how far users scroll down a product page, which buttons they click, and how long they spend on the checkout page. This data can provide valuable insights into where users are dropping off in the buying process and help you identify areas for optimization. 5. Visualizing Data: Creating Actionable Insights Visualizing your data is where most people start & fail. Your By Questions need to be simple to start: Break you plan down by Start there & Level up. A simple visualization might show how many leads you’re generating each day, broken down by source (e.g., Google Ads, Facebook Ads, organic search). This allows you to quickly see which channels are performing best and allocate your budget accordingly. 6. First-Party Data & Blended Metrics: Owning Your Data First-party data— is data that you collect directly from your customers (e.g., through website, media platforms, CRMs, interactions or purchase history). Owning your first-party data is crucial for long-term success, especially as websites & browsers start discarding your data sooner and sooner. By centralizing your first-party data in a data warehouse (such as Google BigQuery), you can calculate important metrics & have them trended over your entire business, like customer lifetime value (CLV), aMER. This allows you to make more informed decisions about where to invest your marketing budget. 7. Data Sharing: Put your data to work (Technical Term: Reverse ETL) Reverse ETL (Extract, Transform, Load). This involves taking the data stored in your warehouse and sending it back to your marketing platforms for activation. You can programmatically create custom audience in Facebook Ads based on a list of high-value customers from your CRM. This allows you to target your ads more effectively and increase your return on investment (ROI). or Programmatically create lead or low engaged audiences where they are in your audience until they are not. Reverse ETL is a powerful way to activate your first-party data and ensure that your marketing efforts are as targeted and efficient as possible. 8. Knowing Costs In Realtime: Understanding Profitability As your data infrastructure matures, it’s important to start incorporating cost data into your analysis. This includes not just ad spend, but also the cost of goods sold (COGS), fees, and capital expenditures (CapEx). Example:Let’s say you’re running a high ticket coaching business. By factoring in the cost of goods sold and Ad spend, and cost to fulfil, you can calculate your contribution margin—the amount of profit you’re making on each sale after accounting for all costs. Avoid the company that doubles its revenue & ends up losing money because they didn’t account for rising costs. Understanding your true profitability is critical for making informed business decisions. 9. Forecasting: Planning for the Future This