Large font data: A shorthand model for fast answers and sticky stories

As mentioned in my August 9 post, Not your accomplishments, your story, I keep a list of the most clarifying questions I’ve asked and been asked during marketing and strategy interviews. Questions that reveal insights, ideas, and the person behind the profile. I occasionally answer (or re-answer) some of those questions for myself. 

Today I’ll unpack a favorite you might also find helpful.  

Q: What market-driven data point is fascinating to you? 

This is a request for a headline number, or what I commonly refer to as LARGE FONT DATA. It communicates to the reader, listener, or viewer a simple request: If you take away one piece of information from my story, make it this. I want this to stick. 

Large font data does not need to be one data point, though for the sake of audience retention, it’s best to include no more than three. You just need to have one.  

If a candidate gazes upward for divine inspiration, then I’m concerned. If I don’t have an informed number on a critical topic, then I’m even more concerned.  

First the big numbers

I advise companies on how to grow revenue and earn customer love, so when I see a data point like ‘61% of CMOs lack the in-house capabilities to deliver on their strategy,’ I consider the source and write it down. (source: Gartner). To me, 61% is a valid number that will lead to other indicators of where help may be welcome. In my business model, it’s worth a large font.  

Additional examples of large font data include market share, market growth, latent demand, pace of adoption, customer satisfaction, cost/per metrics, and many others.

The key is to have a large font number for your space, regardless of what your space might be. 

Then the opportunities

Large font data cannot exist in isolation. It must be supported by facts that accrue value to the original point. Otherwise it’s a random number.

For example, if just 39% of CMOs have the in-house capabilities they need, what do they need most and where are they likely to find it? This is where we connect the data dots. In the same report, I learned which categories are the highest priority (analytics, customer experience, and martech). It’s like following breadcrumbs.

While one valid data source is good, more are better. By cross-checking additional reports, I learned how few marketers (42% of B2C and 41% of B2B) have a documented content strategy and that quality is the number one contributor to content success (source: semrush). This is all transpiring within the context of a 90% reinvestment rate in content channels (source: hubspot). 

Considering the role of content in capitalizing on analytics, customer experience, and martech, it’s a short walk from one large font data point to supporting points that are nearly as large. To opportunities that are win-win.  

Based upon the example above, many CMOs are under-optimizing their content strategy and as a result missing chances to achieve their highest priorities. It’s a talking point that’s tangible and relevant to my business. I could use large font data to share this takeaway in under twenty seconds and another twenty to spark a follow-up conversation. 

You should be able to do the same with yours. 

Large font data is an entry point for stories 

If you’re going to identify openings and tell a story that sticks, then you’re going to need large font data. The more surprising your data and the better you’re able to layer it, the more likely you’ll grab your audience’s attention. And the more attention you grab, the more credible and energetic your conversations will be. 

Tip: Think large and repeat. 

More soon.