Why Data Is Not A List
There is an old adage that says essentially that knowledge is power. That’s never been truer, and in the world of business today, the more knowledge that a company has on its side the better off it is. However, it’s important to remember that knowledge isn’t always fully understood – and more often than not, marketing professionals don’t really have as much info as they assume.
Do You Have A List, Or Do You Have Data?
Let’s break it down to its simplest terms. For many, generating potential marketing leads is nothing more than having a list of names or email addresses. And while that may seem like enough – after all, an email address provides you with a wonderful way to contact potential clients or customers – the reality is that you don’t really have any knowledge. You just have a data.
That’s where real, hard data comes into play. Think about this. Instead of just having a list with names and email, what would happen if you had serious info like:
- Ages
- Income levels
- Personal interests
- FICO scores
- Location
- Homeowner status
Those are just a few examples of the kind of data that can become invaluable to a business today. Consider how you can use that info to your advantage by tailoring specific emails for certain age groups or for homeowners in particular. It becomes clear quickly that there’s a big different between having a list and having data, and the latter is much more important.
More importantly, what if these people were known to have affinity with a branded list?
What if they were move and were more likely to open and read marketing messages because of their affinity with a brand?
When prospecting, it’s important to make sure you’re renting a list that has affinity to a brand. You will not success by sending out blind emails to people who have never subscribed to receive these communications and have not relationship with the sender of these messages.
Data is like raw sugar. Branded email lists are like refined sugar. They’ve been improved upon with a targeted audience who has affinity to a brand and agrees with a philosophy (politics, religion, health, finance, etc.). that will lend itself to providing your marketing campaign with higher results.
Don’t be fooled into buying “lists” with no affinity to a brand or data that you’re expected to mail from your servers. These are common mistakes that will waste your money, time and cause setbacks to any marketing campaign.
Getting The Data You Need
Once you’re well entrenched in a successful marketing campaign, you’ll want to do your part to ensure the people on your “house” file are better known to you. You can tailor your marketing campaigns accordingly in order to yield the results you need.
Here are a few tips to help you increase the success of house mailings:
- Use short questionnaires for those signing up for loyalty programs, email lists, or any other contact portals you provide. Make answers optional, but be sure to ask the questions.
- Think about what it is you need to know and try to get the info. Does a particular bit of data matter to your company or marketing plan? If so, think about surveys or questionnaires.
- Ask, ask, ask! Simply put, asking those who are expressing interest in your business for a bit of info isn’t something that’s going to send them running for the hills. Use surveys, questionnaires, or other forms to ask for info. It could give you more info than you think.
If you take the time to really get some information, you could transform your company’s ability to seek out the right leads in a big way. It’s time and effort well spent.
Most importantly, keep testing, and when it works, test something else!