Home topics small-business-resources sales-and-marketing Cloud Digital Digital Cloud Small data: The evolution of engagement Guest Author May 11, 2015 The explosion of social media channels over the past five years has forever changed the way companies communicate with customers. Marketers watched as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and more recently Tumblr, Instagram and Snapchat enjoyed being the ‘New kid on the block’, gained early adoption and then mass following. The way different segments of customers engage with and use these respective social media platforms has now matured and changed. As a very basic example, teenagers are most likely to use Snapchat, while women over 30 would be more inclined to connect via Facebook. Customers are also more empowered than ever before and have moved from passive observers to regular content contributors and influencers. The proliferation of channels available to connect with consumers and the ability to access rich data about them creates huge opportunities for marketers to engage and create brand loyalty. The term ‘Big Data’ has become a much overused buzzword recently and is generally referencing little more than good, old fashioned targeted marketing. In other words, companies are merely segmenting databases and creating demographic generalisations about those segments, before marketing to these audiences en masse. However, the focus is now shifting to ‘small data’, or targeted marketing campaigns based on individuals. This could include selecting specific coloured backgrounds a user likes or offering a percentage discount rather than dollars off, based on that particular individual’s purchasing history. Interestingly, many customers