This is the fourth post in our Unexpected data-driven companies series. In our previous post, we found out how Diamond Candles use data to validate their intuition. Next company up is citysocializer, a subscription based social network for meeting new people through events in your area.
Launched in 2007, London-based citysocializer is on a mission to bring people together through its event discovery platform. Fuelled by a £1.6m Series A funding round, citysocializer has now expanded beyond London to the US and also some major European cities.
Kristine Tsiknaki, Marketing Manager at citysocializer, told us about how they put their community at the heart of their decision-making process and how data leads the way.
Catering to the community through data
With people eagerly searching for events and wanting to get out there and meet new people, citysocializer’s community grew quickly. Data became increasingly important and by monitoring daily, weekly and monthly statistics, citysocializer could plan key events as well as product updates around their users. In short: Give them what they needed exactly when they needed it.
‘The community that we have created over the years is one of the main forces that drive us and we want to know everything we can, so we can improve the citysocializer experience.’
By analysing trends in user behaviour, such as looking at what exactly drives members back to the site and how they use the site, citysocializer can for example figure out the best time to put on special events to either welcome or reward their members. This way they can make sure that what they do have the highest possible impact in their efforts of creating a positive user experience not only with the right actions, but also at the right time.
Tsiknaki states, ‘While we have a pretty good feeling as to what will or will not work for our community, every decision we make is always backed up with real data.’
Everyday data in everyday communication
Like most startups, citysocializer strongly believes in a company culture that promotes access to whatever data you may need in order to do your job. Each team member has their own set of tasks and responsibilities around the data and they know exactly how that data corresponds to the goals of the company. This makes communication and sharing key pieces of information with the rest of the team extremely important.
‘Every morning we have our daily standup, we let everyone know what we’re working on and have a look at the latest data.’
Citysocializer thinks everyone needs to have constant access to the data. Why? When you’re working in a fast paced environment, where daily changes can make a big impact, you have to be able to get your hands on the data you need at any given time. The smallest, most unexpected thing, can sometimes make or break the day. Here’s an example for you:
Often, citysocializer can spot spikes in their traffic, but instead of patting themselves on the shoulder and continuing on with their day, they immediately look into where that traffic is coming from. Once they know, they can send out campaigns tailored specifically to the identified segments right away. These campaigns feature special offers and events that are extremely relevant to them at that specific point in time.
The lesson here being that by spotting a trend in your data, and looking into the reason behind that trend, there can be an infinity of opportunities to get to know your users better, improve their experience or even find out something about your own product. So don’t overlook the changes in your numbers, because small data can have big impact.
Liked this article? Check out previous posts in the series:
