Data-Driven Decisions is a new limited-series marketing podcast presented by Convince & Convert and shared with our Social Pros listeners. How can data help marketing and sales teams achieve their goals? A common mistake some marketers make is not being clear on those goals in the first place. This can lead to marketers and sales teams trying out lots of different tactics in an effort to drive results. But there is a smarter way – using data to build a goal-oriented mindset from the get-go. Start with Marketing Goals, Not Tactics In this episode, Tessa Barron, Senior Vice President of Marketing at ON24, talks about why marketers should shift their focus from traditional marketing tactics to a goal-oriented approach. Tessa explains how marketers often fall into the trap of continuously using new tactics without clear objectives and how harnessing the right data can transform a strategy. Tessa discusses the importance of identifying key signals that indicate buyer readiness, using webinars and events to gather valuable first-party data and using that to create actionable insights that align marketing with sales. We also hear Tessa explain why marketers should create scorecards, identify the metrics that matter most, and improve conversion rates by leaning on data to drive decision-making.  In This Episode 1:54 – A shift to goal-oriented marketing 6:22 – Leveraging webinars and other tactics for collecting customer data 11:11 – The importance of asking customers the right questions and using those answers 14:41 – Aligning marketing and sales to achieve conversion goals 18:58 – Testing, iterating, and improving conversion rates 26:49 – Why pipeline is a “lagging indicator” 31:32 – Why brand awareness is a leading indicator 33:51 – Using metrics that matter Quotes: “Starting with the goal first, and then the last step is determining the tactic that can really help marketers make the shift.” “What aspect about a buyer makes them more likely to convert to an opportunity than not? By knowing that, you can start to set traps. You can start to create different interactions that will help uncover that.” “There is no database on the planet, no third-party resource that can give you that kind of qualitative information that really makes a difference when we talk about improving conversion rates to pipeline and ultimately revenue.” Resources: Connect with Tessa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tessa-barron/   Purchase the book at koganpage.com/datadrivenpersonalization (use code CCData20 for 20% off and free shipping in the UK and US) and sign up for more content at convinceandconvert.com.