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Doctor, doctor, how can I use data to drive my marketing strategy?

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In a recent study by digital marketing research firm Econsultancy, 53% of UK marketers stated that data-driven marketing was their number one priority for 2016.

So what does this actually mean?

Well, at first glance 53% might not seem overwhelming, but in actual fact the remaining 47% also prioritised data-based areas such as mobile, customer experience and cross-channel marketing.

The truth is, EVERY marketing activity you do this year will be driven by data, and if it’s not then you probably shouldn’t be doing it.

The importance of data

Data is scary isn’t it? It’s bandied around as a marketing “buzz word” and a fairly new phenomenon.

In actual fact, all it means is that you are using knowledge about your audience to maximise your marketing efforts.

This isn’t anything new. It’s just that now, as marketers, we have an abundance of technology at our fingertips to make these processes easier than ever before.

Using data to drive your marketing strategy is now about moving from manual to automated processes, but the premise remains the same: find out who your customers are and what they like, and use it to your advantage.

The customer experience

But like any double-edged sword, with simplicity comes complexity.

The technology out there is vast and varied. Researching what tools to use and which processes to put in place is more important than ever.

Let’s take customer experience for example. How do you deliver a seamless customer contact strategy across multiple platforms?

How do you align e-mail and social media engagement with customer service interactions and product usage? Collecting and tracking data right from the get go will enable you to provide your customers with timely and relevant content when they need it, and how they want it.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, act as a single repository for managing all of your company’s relationships and interactions with both existing and prospective customers.

A market leader

Salesforce is the current market leader, with 18% of businesses choosing the CRM giant over the competition.

Their meteoric rise can be attributed to the variety and compatibility of their offering. From managing sales pipelines and products to tracking every interaction with your contacts, Salesforce can be used alongside a wide range of apps, plugins and platforms including email automation and customer scoring tools.

So how can you use email to contact your existing and prospective customers in a targeted way? Marketo is an example of an automation platform (compatible with Salesforce) which triggers email sends based on behaviour.

This could be used in a variety of ways, from onboarding communications which are sent at set touchpoints of your customer’s life cycle, to creating an algorithm based on multiple platform interactions to engage with prospects. For example, ‘We miss you’ and ‘Recommended for you’ style communications.

Using email automation is also an excellent way of retargeting leads who are dropping off the radar at crucial points in the conversion funnel.

Knowing your customer

Along these lines, understanding how customers are using your product is gold dust.

Using data to continuously optimise your user journeys is essential, and could save you time and money in the long run.

Web analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of website performance data for the purposes of understanding user behaviour and optimising website efficiency.

In total, 95% of marketers use some form of analytics platform, and 92% use Google as their preferred tool.

By understanding how and when your customers are accessing your products, you’ll start to build a clear picture of who your customers are, and what’s important to them.

While analytics in itself can be beneficial in revealing how users behave within a specific environment, marketing attribution helps you to identify patterns and trends across all marketing channels.

By using both simultaneously, you’re left with the complete picture of your audience’s online behaviour. It’s this combined data which will influence your marketing investment and support in developing and maintaining a viable budget.

The next steps

So, you’ve laid the foundations to collect vital information about your audience and you’re engaging with them effectively. What’s next?

As consumers get savvier, customer sentiment or ‘Voice of the customer’ is becoming ever more important, and there are a plethora of tools out there to help.

Just make sure you don’t fall into the trap of setting out processes to collect customer feedback, and then thinking you’re done.

According to technology research firm Gartner, 95% of companies collect customer feedback, yet only 10% use the feedback to improve, and only 5% tell customers what they are doing in response to what they heard.

Knowing your products’ Net Promoter Score (how likely a friend or colleague would be to recommend you) and surveying your customers to death means nothing if you’re not willing to listen, act and share.

Listen to what your customers are saying, Act on their feedback and share back to them what you are going to do (or have done) to improve their experience.

By putting a few simple processes in place to understand your audience, and then acting on this information, you’re using data to drive your marketing strategy.

Good luck!

Here at City Road Media, we have been successfully converting audiences into buyers through dynamic marketing solutions since 2008. We work closely with our clients as their marketing partner to seamlessly plan, execute and measure every step of the campaign process from strategy, data and design through to delivery and analysis. We offer a flexible combination of email, digital, advertising, direct mail, inserts, outdoor, radio and TV.

In today’s climate, it can be tough to cut through the noise and make an impact. We know what sticks, and we’re constantly adapting to ensure we guide our clients on the most responsive approach. As a smart and nimble agency we consider our strengths to be our people, experience and passion for helping our clients to achieve long-term success.

To learn more, visit cityroadmedia.co.uk or call us on +44 (0)207 502 8220

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