From Data to Deals - How to Connect Data Points into Actionable Patterns (Part 2)

 By: Laura Gutierrez, Director of Referral Partnerships, JD Supra 

In the first article of this series, we covered how to contextualize content data—understanding where it comes from, how to segment it, when to pull it, and which data points matter most for business development. But here's the reality: even the most valuable individual data point (contact information) rarely tells you enough to warrant action.

The real power of analytics comes from mapping: connecting data points across platforms and over time to see patterns that reveal genuine prospect interest. This is where analytics move from interesting to genuinely powerful.

It’s somewhat difficult to explain in the abstract, so let’s go through an example that illustrates the concept. (This assumes that you’re not using technology that aggregates data for you.)

The basic scenario: Your firm sends out a quarterly newsletter dedicated to a niche topic.

Before we dive into mapping, let's establish the context for our example scenario.

Context Considerations

First, put the marketing and data into context by asking yourself some questions. And note, these are questions you can ask yourself before publishing anything: thinking through these aspects can add value to the results.

• Is the list targeted? Open rates don’t have much value if it’s the wrong audience.
• How did the audience subscribe? Click rates mean more when the audience was interested enough to subscribe themselves vs being automatically added to a list.
• How did they receive the email? Email marketing tools are generally used to mass blast, and that’s fine. Depending on the size of your list and how important the topic is to your internal folks, forwarding the designed email with a short message to a specific client about how it impacts them specifically is so much more effective than a mass blast with generalized information
• What content is included in the email? Most newsletters include a text teaser with a link to the full piece of content on their website. Click rates could be high because of curiosity, not relevance. If you’ve got the full content contained within the email and the user still clicked, there’s a higher likelihood that it resonated for them.
• Where are users directed? If it’s to your website, consider conversions or landing pages with a specific call to action (like a form). I used to direct users to the article’s JD Supra version for higher-value data points.

Approaching the Data Analysis

Let’s get more specific and strategic on the scenario so we can walk through how to map it.

Your firm sends out a quarterly newsletter dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion in large corporate workplaces. The email contains the entirety of the quarterly articles with links to the JD Supra version and the author biographies on your firm's website. It’s sent to a curated list of current firm clients and individuals who opt in directly via the firm’s website and email signatures. Since it’s a business development priority for your Labor & Employment group, your attorneys are producing more thought leadership on the same or similar subjects that you’re doing paid campaigns on LinkedIn with the newsletter content.

Here’s one way of approaching the data analysis for this scenario:

• Review data monthly, quarterly, and yearly. Monthly reviews may help you shape what you put in the quarterly newsletter. Give the email at least a week before you look at data.
• Pair data with internal strategy. Make sure you know (1) who your important clients are in this audience, specifically companies where you don’t already do this work, and (2) prospective companies that fit your target profile. Specific contacts aren’t necessary.
• Be clear on whether there are demographics at play. Maybe your attorneys are only licensed to do this work in Minnesota, or they’ve noticed a pattern of DE&I programs being rolled out in a specific industry.
• Extract data from email newsletters, JD Supra reader analytics, and LinkedIn campaigns. Include anecdotal evidence specific to content performance: direct outreach that mentions the content, new LinkedIn connections made after someone engaged with a post, etc.
• Benchmark data points: benchmarking means establishing baseline metrics (average click rate, typical readership numbers) so you can identify meaningful changes over time.
• Document! Particularly when you first start tracking over time. Data points may pop in and out of relevance, so keep your raw data spreadsheets and have a notes document where you record your unedited thoughts/observations.

Connecting the Data Points

Once you’ve got your data points, pay attention to where they intersect or lead. As above, this is just one way to go about mapping.

Start with key targets. Look for key individual contacts and company names in your email marketing tool and JD Supra reader statistics.

• Email: filter by clicks so you’re not searching contacts who didn’t perform an action; note which CTA they clicked (article link vs attorney bio, which has more weight in this scenario). Of those contacts, which ones have multiple opens, clicks, or forwards?
• JD Supra: filter content by relevant DE&I articles, check readership. Do those target company names or contacts appear? What about their colleagues? Are they reading content related to DE&I or a topic that fits into a different firm practice group?
• LinkedIn: review the campaign’s data to see if these targets appear.

Gather anecdotal evidence. Chances are that if you have practice group initiatives, you’re having regular group meetings. Make it a habit to ask about interactions when specific content goes out: did you forward the quarterly email to anyone, and did you get a response? Did a key target connect with you on LinkedIn? Did you post the article(s) on your LinkedIn profile, and did you see any engagement or an increase in engagement (likes, comments, shares)?

Check for patterns (or the absence of them): patterns are easier to spot across time, which is why I recommend saving raw data. Increases in click rates over time are a good sign that the content is resonating, for example. Look for industries, job titles, and company and individual names you don’t already have on your key targets. Is the content performing well on one platform over another? Which delivery method produces the most wanted result?

Understand the journey: the next steps someone takes after consuming your content and/or the direct results. Some journeys are obvious–content > email open > bio click > direct outreach. Attorney’s LinkedIn post > post engagement > direct outreach. Email open > JD Supra reads > direct outreach. Others aren’t as clear, or take time to see. For example, a company you weren’t targeting appears several times in your reader data > company contact subscribes to your quarterly newsletter > contact interacts with your newsletter over time > attorney plans direct contact on LinkedIn.

The Power of Mapping: An Example

Let's see how this plays out with our real scenario:

One of our key industries is retail. Upon our Q3 review, I've recorded Company A, a national retailer, for the third quarterly review this year. They were not on our initial target list, but they've appeared on our JD Supra reader analytics, email newsletter subscriber list, and in our LinkedIn ad results.

Here's what the mapped data reveals:

• Q1: One anonymous read of a DE&I article on JD Supra from Company A (no name included).
• Q2: Jane Doe (Senior Employment Counsel at Company A) read four of our six DE&I articles on JD Supra and subsequently subscribed to our newsletter in April.
• Q3: Jane forwards our Q3 newsletter three times; two HR department colleagues subscribe to the newsletter.
• Across nine articles over three quarters: 100 total views of our DE&I articles from Company A; three individual names who appear to have decision-making authority.

Mapped data tells a story that isolated metrics can't. Jane Doe's name from a single JD Supra read would never warrant outreach. But when you connect that read to email subscriptions, newsletter forwards, colleague involvement, and consistent LinkedIn engagement over three quarters, you've identified a pattern of organizational interest worth acting on.

Now that you've identified and mapped these patterns, the final step is packaging this intelligence in a way that motivates your lawyers to act. In the next article, we'll explore how to translate data patterns into compelling, actionable outreach opportunities.