I'm in a data analytics program at University of Berkeley. Why you may ask? First, data analytics isn't data science, which requires a Ph.D. Data analytics is not only essential for content but now with the advancements of A.I., it's critical to know what, where, and how A.I. is being used within the field of the ROI of content and UX.
In big companies, a content designer/strategist/manager won't be the one analyzing the data. However, what the analysis reveals informs the direction, scope, and roadmap of content. In order to process that information, you need to know enough to better do your own job so that you can optimize your own contribution to the team. This goes for anything else which involves intense interdepartment and collaborative work: engineering, product management, senior leadership.
Anyone from any department, or even outside the company, can be a stakeholder. Often there will be an SME to go to so you don't have to be the expert. But you need to know your corner thoroughly and how and when to go to the SME with an informed understanding.
Codeless.io has a terrific blog that breaks this down. Although it focuses on content marketing, parts of it relate directly to other aspects of content within enterprise. Excerpt:
Content has always been and remains the cornerstone of a website’s success. Even if your site looks impressive with features like 3D visuals and AR displays, if your blog posts and social media content aren’t good, your conversions will suffer.
Advertising won’t help much either without good content. Your website should offer real value to attract users and convince them to stay. Otherwise, you’ll spend money and achieve no results.
The challenging part is that creating content that appeals to users isn’t easy. Monitoring the latest trends or even spying on your competitors will only get you so far. To create content that appeals to customers, you need to use data analytics...
By leveraging insights from data analysis, you can get a complete picture of your customer profiles. You’ll understand your audience better, know what they like, and create content that resonates with them.
Another vital aspect of data analytics is that it equips you with the tools to measure the success of your content marketing efforts. With this knowledge, you can focus on optimizing the pieces that need attention first and then fine-tune the rest.