A number of months ago, I challenged myself to outreach to influencers in Big Data and get a quote for the audience at Seattle Interactive. I have been fascinated by the topic recently and I needed to show people at a show how good and bad outreach could be. I wanted to learn things about outreach and Big Data to share.
The presentation was a great success. I got a great response to the outreach lessons I taught but also to the big data lessons. I got a few more quotes after my session, so I wanted to take some time to review my thoughts on these quotes and thank the people that helped me out.
First, my slides:
Snuggie Guy
There was a gentleman that mentioned on Twitter that conferences were cold, so to get his attention, I sent him a giftcard for a snuggie on Amazon. By the time I spoke, I had not heard from him, but I did after the conference and this was his answer to the question “What is the one piece of advice you’d give someone just getting into using big data at their company?”
Foster a culture of curiosity about data within your company. Think beyond using data just to answer specific, BI-oriented questions about the past. Instead, set up a data science team within the company, and give them the tools, resources and freedom to *explore* the data you have. You’ll be surprised at what insights they’ll discover about your business, your customers … and even the future. And if you can empower them to create data apps that can be delivered to decision makers through the organization, you might find you have the power to transform the way you do business through data.
David Smith, Revolutionary Analytics
I love the thought “foster a culture of curiosity.” What I take away from this is that companies should be looking to the future and allow their people to drive the future based on data. Thank you so much David!
Competitive Advantages
Another gentleman, Jeff Kelly, answered me after the session but had a great insight about how big data is the secret to your competitive advantage. I talk to companies all the time about their competitive advantage because without one, SEO doesn’t work too well. Big Data is a big driver in finding your company’s niche.
There is no vertical market or knowledge-worker that won’t be impacted by Big Data. Whether you’re a marketer at an online retailer, an analyst at a financial services firm, or a supply chain manager at a manufacturer, deriving insightful, actionable insights from Big Data to set and support both tactical and strategic objectives is now a requirement, not an option, in order to remain competitive. Make no mistake, Big Data is the new definitive source of competitive advantage across all industries.
Thank Yous
The Experts – These were the kind people that took time out of their day to answer my pleas. I want to thank everyone else on that list, even those not mentioned here. I am sorry if I harassed you, or my question was too broad. I am still learning and I intend on following you all for some time.
- David Smith, Revolution Analytics
- Jeff Kelly, Silicon Angle and Wikibon
- Klint Finley, Silicon Angle
- Kristen Nicole, Silicon Angle
- Christian Verstraete, HP
- James Taylor
- Dion Hinchcliffe, Dachis Group
- Gregory Piatetsky, KDNuggets
- Stephen DeAngelis, Enterra
Shutterstock – For the use of a great photo of friends. I used it to make my point that friendships are not made overnight, unless there is drinking involved.
