5 Steps to get the most out of your Data

Working with a new data & lead list vendor is challenging. Who do you trust? How do I make sure they know what I need? It is frustrating to know there are perhaps millions of potential customers right at your fingertips but no way to know for sure that your investment is going to go well.

There are many things you can do to ensure a successful data purchase and marketing campaign, but it really comes down to 5 steps or considerations you must take before pulling the trigger;

1. Work Backwards.

The marketing database is the last thing you need – you must have everything else ready to go before you buy your list. Data is fresh and is very perishable. Many companies start looking for data before they even have a really solid marketing piece or email creative or telemarketing script perfected. I have had clients buy data and then not use it for over a month – so I always ask first and you should too, when will this campaign go live – buy data as one of the last items to make sure it’s as fresh as possible.

2. Don’t Let anyone Sell you data.

The databases out there are ubiquitous… there are only a few actual compilers and the rest of the companies out there are simply brokers. Some are good brokers like growdata.com that actually go find options and present them and others simply use their ‘hook up’ to get you the cheapest data which by all measures may not even be cleaned properly or updated. Like any large purchase, you need to avoid salespeople and really focus on the product and why it is a good fit. Work with companies that actually consult with you about your business and care to see it grow and succeed.

3. Multi-channel cross marketing is more critical than ever.

Never buy a list and just send a postcard or letter out or just call on it… always do two or more ‘actions’ with data you purchase for prospecting. The reason is simple – if you buy a postal mailing list and you don’t also cross market on social media or email or telemarketing, you are only using a product one way that you could use up to 4 different ways. Only 15% of the population does not use the internet on a regular basis so that is something to consider.

4. Test more than one database or lead list source before going ‘big’

Because data performance varies based on many factors, testing is imperative. There is a process to testing with direct marketing. It is the same whether you are doing postal mail, email, telemarketing or social media marketing – testing matters. To test properly, you need to try various data sets on the same creative. The same mail piece and or email needs to be used with different databases at the same time in order to truly test results or lead effectiveness. If your KPI shows variance and the only difference was the list provided, you have a solid test. Testing small allows you to find hidden data gems and then you can expand and go big with your marketing.

5. There is no such thing as PERFECT – The Grass is always greener on the other side.

Many advertisers get to a point of success and push the limits by trying to fix a broken record. The irony is that the larger and more successful your marketing efforts, the more hands off you should become as it succeeds in maxing out the potential of the marketing channel. That is why cross-promotion is important because once you optimize your postal mail – further testing and tinkering can actually reduce results… instead focus on perfecting another channel that the data can be used to find customers and enjoy the results of your efforts.