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Creating a data-informed culture is no longer a strategic nice-to-have. In this article, George Firican shares seven actionable steps that help marketing teams build sustainable, data-driven habits from the inside out.
As pressure grows on CMOs and marketing teams to deliver sustainable ROI, fostering a culture of data-informed decisions is no longer optional. It is a foundation for marketing maturity, operational speed and consistent performance.
In our recent Data Leaders webinar, we had the pleasure of welcoming George Firican, a globally recognized voice on data innovation and founder of LightsOnData. When asked what it takes to embed data into the way organizations operate, George offered a simple but powerful answer.
“Data-informed cultures get formed when leadership sets the vision, resources are being allocated to support it, and the employees feel empowered to act on data.”
Below, we break down his 7-step checklist for building that kind of culture inside marketing teams.
Nothing shapes culture more than leadership. For data-informed decisions to stick, executives must actively champion them. That means prioritizing data in meetings, setting expectations, and allocating the time and budget needed to support adoption.
Misalignment often begins with language. If one team tracks "leads" differently from another, confusion is inevitable. Define a shared data language just like you would your ICP or ROI model. When teams agree on what terms mean and how metrics are calculated, collaboration becomes easier and reporting becomes actionable.
Access is everything. Data tools should be intuitive and accessible across functions. When platforms like Accutics help streamline campaign tracking and performance insight, it removes friction and signals that data-driven work is supported—not siloed or outsourced.
Data-informed habits grow faster when they are rewarded. Celebrate individuals and teams who use data to guide decisions and hit targets. This can be through formal incentives or small gestures like recognition in internal newsletters. The result is a culture where using data is seen as a growth opportunity, not extra work.
Education needs to be ongoing, hands-on and connected to real outcomes. Create champions within teams to guide peers, support onboarding and ensure alignment with leadership vision. Empower them to tell the story of how data helped make better choices, win customers or avoid waste.
Data wins deserve a spotlight. Whether it is a campaign optimized through proper tracking or a new insight that led to a strategic pivot, take time to highlight what worked. This reinforces data as a performance enabler and inspires teams to keep going.
Sharing internal progress externally adds purpose and accountability. Use case studies, team posts or social updates to show how your organization is using data to drive decisions. It sends a clear message both inside and out—this is what we value and this is how we work.
You can watch the full conversation with George Firican in our Data Leaders webinar or explore how Accutics helps marketing teams build structured, data-informed workflows at scale. And if you are looking for inspiration on what it means to live and breathe data in marketing, follow George and his podcast LightsOnData on LinkedIn or YouTube.
A data-informed culture is one where decisions are guided by accurate and accessible data, supported by leadership, and embedded into daily marketing practices across teams.
Leadership sets the tone and vision. When executives prioritize data use and back it with resources and actions, it empowers teams to follow their lead.
Just like aligning on an ideal customer profile, marketing teams should define and document naming conventions, metrics and tracking structures that everyone understands and uses consistently.
User-friendly platforms like Accutics help marketers tag campaigns, access data easily and interpret performance with clarity, enabling smarter decisions at every level.
Adoption improves when teams are trained, recognized and rewarded for using data in their work. Celebrating wins and sharing success stories reinforces the value of these behaviors.