April 24, 2014
Data, the hot little word that has the potential to impact your business’ growth — and ironically, its the hardest to control. Ask yourself: Do you honestly know the state of your data? How has your database evolved over time as customer channels multiplied?
It’s time to stop avoiding it. The longer you avoid addressing your data, the more time you expose yourself to the risk that your competitors will get in front of your customers first. Don’t miss another opportunity for engagement and relevant communication, that will deepen customer trust and spending.
Research shows that up to 25% of B2B customer data becomes inaccurate within one year. It can seem overwhelming, but the longer you wait to clean your data, the dirtier it gets. Do not delay any longer. Begin small, and get a grasp on the state of your data with these four steps:
- Maintain Field Completeness.
As a marketer, what fields are important to you? Perhaps they are industry, function, or company size. What about your sales team? Most likely, they care primarily about someone’s title, phone number, or company revenue. Sales and marketing need a plan to align their goals. The first step to conquering your data is to identify what fields are important to your company, and then track the accuracy and completeness of those fields. Hold your entire organization accountable for increasing the completeness and accuracy of your key data points over time.
