Clean, organized, and well maintained data leads to positive results - increased engagement, improved sales, and streamlined business processes to name a few. Acquiring and maintaining a healthy database may seem like an overwhelming task when first getting started. But, really it doesn’t have to be. Let’s debunk some myths about data quality techniques.
More Data = Better Data
As with most things in life, more is not necessarily better. Chocolate is good. Eating a 5lb bag of M&Ms isn’t. It makes more sense to hone in on the type of information you need, what is most important to your organization, and focus on acquiring useful information not all information. The type of data you need is specific to your business but includes both specific aspects of your campaigns and 3rd party data which could help give you a broader view of where you stand within the industry as a whole.
Preserving Data Quality Is Pricey
While certain tools may be expensive, investing in maintaining your data will save you time and money in the long haul. If you don’t take the necessary steps to preserve the integrity of your data now, this decision will undoubtedly negatively impact your credibility and ultimately your bottom line in the months and years ahead.
The Need To Start Fresh
You most definitely do not have to scrap your current data and start over. There’s this weird phrase about ‘not throwing the baby out with the bath water’ (did that actually happen?). Don’t do that with your data either. With the right tools and know how, you can clean up your current data, and also incorporate new data to further enhance your marketing efforts.
The IT Department Should Handle All Data
While there definitely should be collaboration, Marketing and Sales along with IT should all be active participants with acquiring, analyzing, and maintaining the safety of the data. Sales team members will play an important role in identifying what information is most helpful in making the sale, Marketing creates campaigns, targets, and analyzes data, and IT takes the steps to make sure personal information is kept safe.
You Need The Perfect Data Analyst
In a perfect world you’d find someone with a marketing, mathematical, statistical background who understands the ins and outs of your business and its goals. But really, if the data can be organized (with dashboards or automatic reports) that you can review, understand, and make educated decisions on future campaigns, you will be just fine.
Start small, focus on the data that will have the largest impact on your business, and move forward from there. If you need help figuring those details out, Measured Results Marketing is here to help. Call us at 571-606-3106 or send an email and let’s discuss your data issues. And remember, one step toward data cleansing is one large step toward more sales!
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