What you need to know


Humans are collecting more data than ever. Some figures show that 90% of all the data ever collected was collected in the last two years and it’s constantly increasing. There has never been a time when data literacy was more important.

Still, a Forrester study commissioned by Tableau concluded that data literacy has not kept pace with the tremendous expansion of data collection. No matter what job you have, you could do it better by using data, so improving data literacy should be a goal on everyone’s list for 2025.

What is data literacy?

At its core, data literacy is the ability to understand and work with data. The higher one’s level of data literacy, the better they are at analyzing and making decisions based on data. The Forrester study defines it as “possessing the skills necessary to understand, explore, use, make decisions with and communicate using data.”

Why is data literacy important for marketers?

Mark Twain once said, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.” He correctly calls out the incredible persuasive power of data but, at the same time, laments how it can be misused — intentionally or unintentionally. 

Throughout my career, I’ve witnessed people accidentally draw improper conclusions from analyses and sometimes purposefully manipulate analyses to further their agenda. Consider the old four-square car buying technique where the salesperson purposefully confuses the customer by changing four metrics several times to ensure they maximize the price you pay for the car.

There’s no business more data literate than a casino where every game is structured so that, over time, the house always wins. Even if you’re only a consumer of analyses, you need to have a level of data literacy sufficient to ask the right questions and be aware of common traps.

For employers, the Forrester study calls out employee retention as a key reason for improving data literacy in your organization.

  • Almost 80% of employees said they’d be more likely to stay at a company that trains them in the data skills they need.
  • Unfortunately, less than half of employees in the study said they were offered such training at their company even though 70% of employees need to use data heavily in their roles.

When combined with the benefits organizations found with high data literacy, which included “increased innovation, greater customer experience, better decision making, reduced costs and increased revenue,” there’s no question that data literacy has a place in your company.

It’s important to recognize the symptoms of data illiteracy that result when we fail to build our data skills. Forrester identified these as:

  • Slow decision-making.
  • Inability to make accurate decisions.
  • Lack of innovation.
  • Decreased productivity.
  • Inability to execute fundamental job functions/tasks.
  • Failure to perform against competition.
  • Not meeting department objectives.
  • Risk of losing employees.
  • Failure to respond to disruptors competing for customers.
  • Poor customer experience.
  • Poor employer brand reputation.

If these sound close to home, improving your organization’s data literacy is urgent.

Dig deeper: How to promote data literacy in your marketing team

How does one build data literacy?

Online courses and self-study

If you’re just starting out, online training content is one of the easiest ways to build data literacy. There are many courses available, each catering to different learning styles. For someone needing general, high-level data literacy, these are great places to start.

Instructor-led and classroom training

For a more structured learning experience, classroom-style training with an instructor can be highly effective. Many universities now offer degrees and certificates in data analysis and related topics for someone looking for more advanced or in-depth training.

Customized training for organizations

Companies looking to improve employee data literacy may benefit from consultant-led training sessions tailored to their specific needs. Unlike general, theory-based courses, customized training focuses on practical, job-relevant skills, making it more engaging and immediately actionable. This enhances learning outcomes and serves as a valuable team-building activity.

Learning through practice

Many people become data literate simply by working more with data. A great way to start is by tracking something seemingly simple, like personal spending, in a spreadsheet. While downloading a bank statement is easy, deciding how to categorize expenses requires critical thinking. 

What actions will you take based on this data? If your goal is to reduce discretionary spending, you’ll need to define what qualifies. Does having friends over for dinner count as entertainment (discretionary) or meals (required)? What will you do with the money you save: take a vacation or invest it? At your current savings rate, how long will it take to afford that vacation?

Even something as simple as tracking your spending forces you to consider key data literacy concepts without realizing it.

Data literacy is key to improving performance in virtually any field in 2025. With more data available than ever, the ability to work with it is as important as diet and exercise for overall well-being. There’s no better time than now to start or continue your journey to becoming data literate.

Dig deeper: Data literacy — The key to correcting the C-suite trust deficit

Contributing authors are invited to create content for MarTech and are chosen for their expertise and contribution to the martech community. Our contributors work under the oversight of the editorial staff and contributions are checked for quality and relevance to our readers. The opinions they express are their own.



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