Partner Content
Nothing improves the prospects of conversion like good data. It is the fertiliser that makes new business bloom. Tells you who to target. Where. When. And with what.
Data is essential in any good marketing decision and should inform all account-based marketing (ABM) and demand generation strategy, to drive pipeline and revenue.
But, and there’s always a but.
To make the right data-driven decisions, you need the right data. The wrong info leads to the wrong turns. Ruins opportunities. Wastes time. Pollutes processes.
It cuts both ways.
Whether you’re implementing ABM strategies, traditional demand gen, or your AMB and demand gen are converging, the challenge remains the same. So, how do you invest in the right data to ensure you reach the right buyers, on the right channels, at the right time, and with the right message?
To guarantee a clean, automated and connected Precision Demand Marketing approach there are three data pitfalls you must avoid.
The devil can be in the data.
Pitfall 1: Dirty Data will do you wrong
For data to really pay off for ABM and demand gen campaigns, it needs to be clean, compliant and standardised, otherwise, it may fail to upload, or create extra work when it does, leading to lost opportunities and extra legwork, sapping speed-to-lead times, and reducing ROI.
Personalisation has become the norm, not a special touch. So, if you don’t have the right data on where an account and/or buyers are in their journey, what channels they’re on, or their contact info, you’re basically dialling the wrong number. And it’s more complex than that. Buyers aren’t fish in a barrel waiting for any old lure. They’re fragmented across various channels, and increasingly hard to track.
With an ABM strategy focussing on just a few high-value accounts, the best-laid plans easily come unstuck, with the smallest of data glitches. Marketers can be put at risk of targeting out-of-market accounts; wasting time, and budget, on the wrong leads.
Worst yet, outdated data, that’s failed to capture organisation change, could add embarrassment to the mix and see you targeting the wrong person, or account entirely.
Doh!
Email marketing is the simplest example of where bad data can prove fatal. It doesn’t matter how perfect the pitch is. How personal. If it bounces back every minute you’ve spent, and your team invested, is wasted.
Pitfall 2: The wrangle of doing it manual
To market at scale, with speed and precision, marketers must automate. B2B marketers uploading, scrubbing or de-duping data in spreadsheets aren’t saving money on tech, they’re wasting it. It's time-consuming, expensive and highly inefficient - like choosing to send letters, over emails - and hours invested in data entry are hours subtracted from opportunities to fine-tune campaigns, sharpen strategy, and reach out to buyers in relevant and engaging ways.
Pitfall 3: Making moves based on siloed views
B2B buyers are bouncing all over the place, consuming content across multiple channels, on and off-line, so siloed data, incomplete, can misinform. To make the right moves, marketers need a birds-eye-view of the buyer and their journey, to see them at every stage of the journey, so they know exactly when to disembark for conversion.
(According to a report by Demand Gen Report, 42% of marketers struggle with siloed data)
Siloed data leaves marketers with an incomplete puzzle, a disconnected buyer experience, and an inability to pinpoint high-value accounts. Data quality - as rich and full as possible - is essential to measure performance and understand the cross-channel impact and avoid the snags the unconnected, out-of-context analytics present.
Bad data undermines analytics. Makes it unreliable. Problematic. And makes it impossible to optimise your campaigns, improve your strategies, and determine the next best action.
Precision in data analytics is the only choice
Compliant, connected, quality data isn’t a nice-to-have option, it is the only one. Without it, you’re guessing, you're missing, and you're not getting a return on investment.
The Integrate Demand Acceleration Platform (DAP) is paracetamol for data headaches and an optimisation engine. If the data isn’t good, DAP won’t let it in. Standardisation, governance, compliance? They’re all taken care of. And it allows marketers to engage buyers at all stages of the journey, so they never get off it. DAP makes buyers feel like they’re in control because it allows marketers to give them what they want before they even know they need it.
With the only certainty right now being more financial uncertainty, marketers need to demand more of their data; harness it to ensure the right outcomes.
Dirty data isn’t an occupational hazard marketers need to tolerate. Not anymore. Just like they don’t need to do things manually. It doesn’t save time, and it certainly doesn’t make money. It makes no sense.
It’s time to take control of your data. Do it right. Stay on the right track. And get the right returns. It’s that simple. Book a demo today.