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Why do you need quality data?
Ask any marketer, and they will tell you that good data is essential to the success of your marketing and outreach. With it, you can run campaigns of impressive scale and efficiency; without it, your team can become bogged down in a quagmire of frustrating dead-ends. It is the first link in the chain that connects you with your customers, and is one of the most important elements in any campaign.
You’d think, then, that businesses would place great emphasis on obtaining the best data possible. The smart ones do, but many more believe that data is data and that there is no need to improve upon what has already worked.
In the past, such an approach might have worked, and businesses might have gotten away with using data that was just okay. But times are changing, and today good enough just isn’t… well, good enough! Increasingly stiff competition is driving innovation across all industries, and more and more businesses are starting to realise the advantages of enhanced data. Smarketing, predictive analytics, and big data are not just buzzwords. They are the innovations behind many of the efficiencies that are redefining what marketing can do for business growth. And if you don’t use them, you can be sure that your competition will.
“Smarketing, predictive analytics, and big data are not just buzzwords. They are the innovations behind many of the efficiencies that are redefining what marketing can do for business growth.”
How good is your data?
To determine whether your data serves your purposes, consider the following factors: your marketing and sales goals; the contents of your database when it was first created; and the length of time that has passed since you last cleaned it.
Data requirements vary from campaign to campaign, and the data that was sufficient for your last project might not be suitable for your current campaign. At the start of every campaign, you need to determine what kind of data you already have and what needs to be added. Sometimes you only need to supplement what you have with some additional information. At other times you might need a whole new database.
There is also the problem of aging data. The average database degrades at a rate of 30% a year, and a database that you bought two years ago might be completely useless. Test a sample of your database for accuracy. If much of it is out-of-date, it’s time for new data.
“At the start of every campaign, you need to determine what kind of data you already have and what needs to be added.”
Cleansed data VS purchased data
You’ve just discovered that you have a higher chance of matching the numbers in your database to a winning lottery number than using them to reach a customer. It’s time for new data. Now you have to decide whether you are going to clean what you have or buy a new database. Bear in mind that a new database, though more expensive, could be a better investment in the long run.
A bespoke database wouldn’t only contain more accurate information; it would also contain information that can ensure greater message relevancy and engagement. When deciding whether to buy or clean, look not only at what data would have to be updated, but also at what information would have to be added to make it most useful.
“Bear in mind that a new database, though more expensive, could be a better investment in the long run.”
Clean up your data
Maybe your database originally contained the right information, but it hasn’t been touched in years and is now outdated. To transform it back into a useful asset, you need to update the old and inaccurate information, delete any duplicates, and fill in any gaps. This can be done by matching it with live, up-to-date databases, verifying the data via telephone, and using DNS email verification.
These techniques can be applied to a whole database or a single section, according to your goals and the current state of your database. It would be a good idea to ask both your marketing and sales team to provide input, as they are in the best position to tell you what kind of data you need.
What are your options if you need new data?
Maybe that old database just isn’t salvageable, and it’s time for a new one. There are hundreds of data options on the market, and you should verify that the supplier you choose provides data compliant with GDPR and international data laws.
Purchasing data
You might be tempted to purchase a cheaper generic list, but this approach can give you a false impression of your market coverage, and result in calls and emails to people who aren't interested in the information you're sending. This wastes your time and money, and damages your brand image.
Creating a custom database
A custom database, on the other hand, helps you target the companies and contacts that are most likely to benefit from your outreach. Such data allows for more accurate segmentation of your audiences, and enables a degree of message relevancy that just isn’t possible with a generic database. The higher engagement rates for both email and phone campaigns have the largest impact on your ROI, but there are other aspects of a bespoke database that contribute to a better bottom line.
Custom databases tend to be smaller, and are therefore cheaper and easier to manage. Some say it’s a case of doing more with less. But that’s not true. It’s doing more with more. A custom database includes more of the information that you really need and less of that you don’t. It’s an approach to data that ensures maximum efficiency, the greatest ROI, and the fastest growth.
“A custom database includes more of the information that you really need and less of that you don’t.”
Enrich your data
Let’s assume that your data isn’t bad. It’s gotten you results in the past, but it’s no great shakes either. Now your sales team tells you they would like a few extra specifics for the sake of touchpoints, and your marketing team wants additional details to help identify trends. The solution is to supplement your existing data with the fields that would enhance your knowledge of your prospects and clients.
But you are not limited to the standard details such as:
- • Turnover
- • SIC code
- • Number of employees
- • Head office location.
A good data provider should be able to provide almost any information. The best will be those that run their own call centres and know what information would best serve their customers
"A good data provider should be able to provide almost any information.”
How do you get better results from enhanced data?
B2B marketing has changed drastically in the last two decades. Today’s buyers have less time for irrelevant messages, and they are more easily irritated by ads and communications that are of no interest to them. To be successful, marketers and salespeople have to ensure that their messages are highly relevant. That means two things: better data, and the integration of internal teams.
CEOs have long seen a need to align separate teams for greater efficiency, but it has only been put into practice over the last few years. Smarketing, as one example, is an operational strategy that drives greater ROI by getting sales and marketing to work together as one data-driven, sales-focused marketing machine. It ensures that the two teams collaborate to create a more complete picture of their clients and prospects, thus ensuring greater relevancy, increased engagement, and ultimately higher ROI. And it only works when you have quality data.
“To be successful, marketers have to ensure that their messages are highly relevant.”
How can GCL improve your data?
It doesn’t matter what the state of your data is. GCL has a product or service to turn your database into a valuable sales-generating asset. We focus on giving our clients solutions that will ensure the greatest possible ROI on their most important marketing asset, whether that is through data cleaning, data enhancement, a new bespoke database, or a data management service.
With over 30 years’ experience in unscripted telemarketing, we understand just how important it is to have accurate and relevant data, and our products and services are designed to ensure that our client’s marketing efforts are given the best possible support. We keep a large internal database that is continuously updated with data from carefully selected partners, and use our 50-seat call centre to tele-verify all data every six to twelve months to ensure accuracy.
Our data partners are chosen both for coverage and integrity, and are amongst the most credible in the UK and Europe. By maintaining a close relationship with them, we are able to improve our services in two ways: we ensure the best prices and data for our clients, and we ensure that their data is 100% safe. GDPR and international data laws can be complicated, and by partnering only with credible providers, we are able to ensure that our data and the methods with which it is collected are completely compliant with GDPR and international data laws and are 100% safe.
