This article was written by Greg Kihlström for CustomerThink. Read the full article here.

As marketing becomes more data-driven, collaboration between marketing and data teams becomes more and more essential for building effective strategies. Yet, a gap often exists: marketers may lack the data literacy needed to fully engage with their data-focused colleagues. Thus, by embracing data literacy, marketers can bridge this gap, align on shared goals, and improve team impact—the trifecta of data-driven collaboration. Let’s explore how a solid understanding of data allows marketers to actively contribute to data goals, enhance cross-functional teamwork, and maximize overall impact.

Building a Shared Data Language

In any collaborative setting, a shared language is essential. For marketing and data teams to work together effectively, both must understand the basic language of data. This isn’t about turning marketers into data scientists but rather giving them enough knowledge to interpret data-driven insights accurately and engage in meaningful discussions with data experts.

Let’s consider a hypothetical example: when a marketing and data team meet to discuss campaign performance, terms like “attribution model,” “data pipeline,” or “sampling error” may come up. A data-literate marketer understands these terms well enough to ask insightful questions, provide relevant feedback, and help shape strategies based on shared understanding.

How can you enable this to work better? Consider developing a glossary of commonly used data terms that both teams can reference. Building this shared vocabulary promotes clarity and reduces misunderstandings that can arise from differing levels of familiarity with data concepts.

When both marketing and data teams speak a common language, communication flows more smoothly, resulting in better alignment on goals, faster problem-solving, and stronger collaboration overall.

This article was written by Greg Kihlström for CustomerThink. Read the full article here.