Many large organisations have the data to pull off sophisticated marketing strategies, but only if they avoid the common pitfalls that limit the potential. In this episode I interview Tejas Manohar on the huge – and typically unexploited – potential for data-driven marketing and personalisation. Tejas is co-founder and co-CEO of Hightouch. Hightouch is a reverse ETL platform that helps organisations synch their data warehouses with business facing tools and technology. Their products are used by big name corporations like Warner Music, Chime, Spotify, NBA, and PetSmart. In this wide-ranging conversation Tejas and I discuss: What a reverse ETL platform is and why we need itWhy Tejas is bullish on turning data warehouses into marketing enginesThe key steps marketers should take to implement personalization effectively using existing company data and platformsThe pitfalls and common mistakes businesses make in data-driven personalisation and how to avoid these, and much more.Tejas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tejasmanohar/ Tejas on Twitter (or is it X?): https://twitter.com/tejasmanohar

“Being an entrepreneur is basically like going from one crisis to the next”. Those are the words of Michael Kingston, co-founder and CEO of Seeda. At a point in his career when Michael was thriving, he took the daunting plunge from successful executive to entrepreneur and start-up founder. Most people would be too scared to take such an enormous risk; however, this step has been Michael's key toward work-life satisfaction. Three years later, Michael and his co-founders have built Seeda, an AI-assisted marketing analytics product, purpose-built for Shopify-based eCommerce platforms. Seeda helps marketers make sense of the enormous amount of data coming at them from numerous sources and use it to optimise their marketing activities. Whether it’s SEO, email marketing or digital advertising, marketers are often stuck with a heavy burden of technical9 implementation and optimisation. Seeda’s product is the “AI analyst” that helps the world’s 5 million Shopify stores figure it all out, without needing to be a technology or analytics expert. If you’re curious about start-up life or are thinking about starting your own business, then this episode is for you! In this episode we discuss: How Michael gradually but surely made the shift from employee to entrepreneurHow Michael figured out what he wanted to work on as an entrepreneurHow Seeda’s “AI analyst” is a potential game-changer for Shopify-based businesses wanting more out of their marketing effortsThe scaled data architecture that allows small businesses to take advantage of data practices normally reserved for large corporatesMichael’s advice for anyone wanting to start their own business, and much more.Michael on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-kingston-35707217/ Check out Seeda: https://www.seeda.io/  

If you’re anything like me, you have a love/hate relationship with marketing. Marketing can be delightful, obnoxious or somewhere in-between, depending on content and context. Most of us remember an ad from our youth that has given us a life-long emotional connection to a brand or product. Most of us also remember that obnoxious sales call or email campaign that made us swear never to buy from the offending company again. In this episode of Leaders of Analytics, you will learn from Ikechi Okoronkwo why data-driven marketers have a leg-up when it comes to designing and executing impactful campaigns that hit the right audiences and create delight. Ikechi is Executive Director, Managing Partner and Head of Business Intelligence & Analytics at Mindshare. Mindshare is a global media and marketing agency, and part of global marketing powerhouse GroupM. Listen to this episode to learn: What Ikechi sees as the biggest opportunities in data-driven marketingWhat kinds of analytics to invest in to optimise the impact of your marketing effortsWhat kinds of data is needed to take advantage of these opportunities, and how to collect itHow Ikechi and colleagues use data and analytics to distinguish between rational and emotional reactions to advertisingHow to drive a culture of experimentation and measurement among colleagues and stakeholders who are more creatively than analytically minded, and much more.Ikechi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ikechi-okoronkwo-0318579/