Why a Customer Data Platform (CDP) Needs DAP to Master Marketing Precision

Partner Content

B2B marketing used to be a bit of a guessing game.  

Copy of They Ask You Answer

One-size-fits-all.  

Every customer largely had the same experience, regardless of job title or stage in the buyer’s journey. Personalisation? That was an assumption.  

There was no science. So, it was hit-and-miss.  

Marketers didn’t have the time, or tech, to target. Offer a bespoke experience to hook an account and retain for conversion.  

So, as the market got clued up on the digital ecosystem - fast-tracked by covid, because cyberspace was the only thing open - previous marketing attempts started feeling stale. Jarred like out-of-date pick-up lines. (Product research went solely digital in 2020; online shopping surged 43%). 

Today’s buyers are digital natives. Spoon-fed on seamless, same-day B2C services, they find the B2B experience underwhelming. Impersonal. Very, pre-pandemic. They’re not being heard, known or understood, just manoeuvred to a sales funnel - like a grocery item at checkout - then asked to commit to a face-to-face sales meeting. The digital natives aren’t still social distancing, but where’s the incentive to meet up when they can scan a spec sheet in their own time? DM a chatbot from public transport. (57% of customers prefer to engage through digital channels - Salesforce State of the Connected Consumer 5th edition) 

But delivering a bespoke digital experience to B2B buyers is far more complicated than Bezos beaming over Beats by Dre earbuds with same-day delivery.  

B2B marketers aren’t dealing with lone customers one click away from adding something to their basket. It's buying groups. A dozen or more people, with a dozen or more different opinions, preferences; needs.  

Shrinking budgets. 

They’re sensitive. Need the right content at the right time. And the incubation period can last a year. Or more. The sales cycle is slow.  

So, how can marketers deliver that B2C-level experience in B2B given the B2B variables? 

With their tools.  

Introducing the Customer Data Platform  

A customer data platform (CDP) performs due diligence. Collects and aggregates data from many sources, to create a unified customer profile, so users know exactly who they’re dealing with, and allows them to execute against it.   

CDPs direct marketers on when best to interact; what to offer. And speeds-up delivery to analytics and engagement tools, creating a near real-time ability to customise the omnichannel customer journey. 

So, why are companies choosing CDPs? 

The pandemic prevented in-person sales meetings and events, forcing B2B marketers to find new ways to manage buying cycles. Lockdowns lifted, but new customer habits were cemented and customers continued direct interactions with brands on digital channels. And not just one channel. They’re browsing wherever takes their fancy - bouncing between channels and tools - and they expect brands to keep up. And if they’re not being properly engaged - if the interactions seem generic, impersonal - they may well mosey on to another brand.  

In its State of the Connected Consumer 5th Edition research early this year, Salesforce found: 

  • 73% of customers expect companies to understand their unique needs and expectations 
  • 71% switched brands at least once as priorities, lifestyles, or financial situations changed 
  • 57% prefer to engage through digital channels
  • 53% expect personalised offers

In short, CDPs equip marketers with an arsenal of intel, to know them better. To elevate service through personalisation - satisfying new expectations. Target them more effectively. Keep them. Convert them.  

According to a recent Polaris study, the global customer data platform market is expected to grow 35% by 2030, largely due to the need for businesses to improve customer satisfaction, which it tied to a better shopping experience.  

What are CDPs capable of?  

More than ever, marketers need a trusted, first-party source of customer data, as evolving data privacy regulations edge us towards a third-party, cookie-free future.  

A CDP unlocks better targeting through your marketing technology stack. By consolidating data across your systems, marketers gain:  

  • An understanding of each buyer’s journey
  • Data points to enable predictive modelling
  • More accurate audience segmentation
  • Increased marketing efficiency
  • Improved data hygiene

What can’t they do? Crunching the numbers on CDPs  

The only certainty, right now, is more economic uncertainty. Companies will probably restructure. Some jobs will be lost. You’ll likely have less budget but be expected to do more with it. So you’ll need to be precise. Make smart investments. Be intentional with every touch. 

Not all CDPs are created equal. The functionality varies, meaning marketers can be left with a platform that doesn’t fully deliver or needs add-on at additional expense.  

As a single source of truth, CDPs provide significant value, but their ability to help marketers deliver a cohesive buyer experience hinges upon the cleanliness and breadth of data it contains, and its integrated systems. 

While a CDP can help you access your potential customer’s data once they are on your site - it can’t act on it, turn it into marketing insights and activities.  

To put your data to work to drive better conversion and a predictable funnel, you need to: 

  • Identify known and unknown buyers across channels. Connect your demand data, channels, and campaigns to reach your buyers where they are. 
  • Drive ROI by extending ABM and demand strategy investments across marketing channels. Understand which cohort of accounts is interesting, where they are opting in, and in response to what content. 
  • Use reliable data to reach the right buyers and accounts at the right time. Ensure data is valid, compliant, and 100% marketable to reach your target buyers and accounts. 
  • Build optimised audiences. Ensure data is consistent when it comes to the governance engine and send the data back to the CDP to allow it to build accurate audiences, to activate first-party ad channels. 
  • Forecast predictable pipeline. Activate, govern and measure marketing campaigns across demand channels. Make real-time adjustments, optimise performance, and maximise impact. 

Mastering Marketing Precision: Different technology is required 

Connecting interactions with buyers, buying groups, and accounts to support your digital demand strategy requires more than a CDP can deliver.  

Precision demand marketing requires technology like the Integrate Demand Acceleration Platform (DAP). 

Integrate’s DAP connects marketing channels, processes, and tools to create an efficient demand engine. Allows users to specify what data is most important for the 

B2B buying process validates and standardises data before it has a chance to corrupt systems, and provides deep performance insights. Most importantly, it allows marketers to engage buyers at all stages of the journey, so they don’t get off it: 

  • Content syndication to attract new buyers just starting to research.
  • Webinars and display advertising to help buyers through their decision-making process. 
  • Insight into individual account members & activities showing when they are ready to buy.
  • Visibility into channel performance throughout the buyer’s journey.

The result is a buyer-driven, omnichannel approach that drives more revenue at scale. 

At a time when buyers are demanding more and are increasingly difficult to reach, let alone convert, DAP gives marketers the flexibility to meet their every need, and even anticipate it before they make it

Visit our Platform Page to find out more and schedule a demo today