Data has never been more accessible. In a world where there are now endless ways to acquire and store data—and burgeoning technologies that can process it rapidly and with tremendous accuracy—it’s fair to say that marketing campaigns have all the ingredients for success right at their fingertips.
But who makes the software that allows data implementation to happen? Data or software engineers play an important role in the analytic processes that marketers and many other professionals rely on every day.
In this article, we take an in-depth look at how engineers play a role in marketing.
What Kind of Engineers Participate in Marketing Campaigns?
The two primary types of engineers that might be relevant to this context are data engineers and software engineers.
- Software engineers: Software engineers basically develop the blueprints for large software projects. Their job may involve some programming and coding, but their primary job is essentially to create a clear and precise plan that developers can then follow to make the program itself.
- Data engineers: Data engineers perform responsibilities similar to those of the software engineer but with a specific focus on designing data platforms. The work they do helps collect, store, and process large data sets.
Combined, these professionals play an important role not just in marketing, but in any business that relies on complicated software or data solutions.
Where do Software/Data Engineers Work?
It’s a good question with a frustrating answer. How does “it depends,” sound? Most businesses do not require a full-time software or data engineer, but some do. In certain cases, these professionals may work in-house for one company with constant developmental needs.
Other times, they may work as full-time employees for firms that hire out software solutions to big businesses. In these cases, the engineer may apply their skills towards the goals of many businesses, but ultimately at the behest of a single employer.
Still, other engineers work for themselves as freelance contractors. In this case, they are performing essentially the same responsibilities as the engineer who works for a firm, but they have the added benefit of working for themselves and running a small business.
It’s a good line of work to be in right now. As digital technology continues to play an increasingly large role in professional life, engineers who know how to make important software solutions work are in high demand.
Marketing Specific Applications
Marketing has always been data-driven. In the past, data-driven insights developed slowly as marketers applied an approach not so different from throwing things against the wall to see what works.
Things are different now. For one thing, the mediums through which marketers can apply their trade are much more flexible. Where once a marketing team would have to develop campaigns around mediums like television or newsprint—where campaigns could not be quickly revised—now they can change directions immediately.
Marketers developing a social media campaign, for example, will know almost immediately if their efforts are not being received the way they expected. Why? Because they have access to data solutions developed by engineers.
Most marketing firms do not have full-time engineers on their staff, but they certainly benefit from their efforts.
What Else Influences the World of Marketing?
Vast access to data. Now, almost everything that we do produces a record. Information just waiting to be processed for bankable insights. Social media applications. Virtual transactions. Physical activities.
Internet of Things devices, for example, make it easier to manage your fitness, use basic household items, and even monitor your health. These devices, which connect directly to the internet via Bluetooth, are very convenient. They are also major data-takers.
In the earlier days of the internet, people were mildly panicked at the thought of just how much information their online activity left behind. Many still worry about the privacy implications of the data age.
These concerns are valid, sure. What major business organization hasn’t had a data breach? But there are two things to keep in mind:
- The vast majority of this information is anonymous and
- An equally vast portion of it is unprocessed.
If an information set sits forever unexamined in a database, does it make a sound? Perhaps this question keeps software/data engineers up at night because their job is essentially to provide a solution to that problem.
Their work makes information usable. The insights that marketing professionals— and people working in other industries— receive have nothing to do with Jimmy and his preferences. Data processing delivers actionable insights, but are generally non-specific to individuals.
The public benefits from better products, better marketing, and better customer experience, and professionals have an increasingly robust set of tools that make their jobs easier. It’s a win-win situation that is only possible through the efforts of talented engineers.
