Connecting strategy, systems and story: Designing a practical marcom analytics program

As expectations around measurement continue to grow, many communications and marketing teams are asking similar questions: What are the metrics that matter, and how do we avoid getting lost in the weeds? How can we drive insights that consider the data and the contextual expertise of the teams doing the work? How do we effectively elevate the impact of our marcom work for leadership? Building an effective marketing and communications analytics program requires more than dashboards; it requires intentional alignment between strategy, systems and the people doing the work. At the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the Office of Communications and Marketing has spent the past three years building a brand marketing and communications analytics program designed to meet those requirements, while incrementally building the technical infrastructure that supports it. The result is not just reporting, but a sustainable foundation that allows marketing and communications efforts to be evaluated, refined and clearly articulated. This session will provide a high-level look at UT's approach to building a marketing analytics program from the ground up. You will gain practical insight into how strategy, technical implementation and collaboration intersect to create a scalable approach to analytics. The presentation focuses on strategy and structure rather than technical deep dives and is accessible to communications leaders, digital strategists and analytics professionals.