We live in a world driven by data. For example, companies can use user data to better understand their target groups.
However, very few succeed in exploiting the full potential of these opportunities.
Learn how you can use marketing automation and customer intelligence to leverage data to create tailored customer experiences.
According to businesspally survey, Within just 24 hours, 700 megabytes of data are created per person, a total of around 2.5 trillion bytes a day worldwide.
Users order in the online shop, fill out data forms and click through newsletter content – all this data helps companies to better understand their target group.
By combining marketing automation and customer intelligence, the full potential of such data can be exploited and a 360-degree view of the (potential) customer can be gained, chaktty said
On this basis, companies can create even better customer experiences across all touchpoints.
Customer intelligence is a promising approach to get a 360-degree view of the customer from the data.
Marketing automation plays a key role here: Thanks to integrated personalization and tracking options, marketing and sales communication can not only be automated, but also tracked.
In this way, companies receive valuable information so that they can get to know their customers even better and offer them tailor-made positive experiences.
A decisive competitive advantage when it comes to not only satisfying customers, but really to inspire.
The prerequisite for this, however, is that companies collect the data from customers and prospects correctly and in compliance with the law.
The following five tips show how to do this:
Understand the customer journey
With their behavior, B2B customers are increasingly determining the relationship with companies.
As a rule, they make a purchase decision by obtaining detailed information in advance via various channels – without contacting sales directly.
In order to still get a picture of this unknown potential customer, companies have to access the data that the customer consciously or unconsciously leaves behind at the individual touchpoints.
Not least for data protection reasons, it is important to pay attention to which data really must or may be collected.
When registering for a newsletter, the e-mail address is sufficient in terms of data economy and earmarking.
Asking about interests or purchase intentions here is not only questionable from a legal point of view, but can also lead to to scare off the (potential) customers.
In addition, the company should ask itself: What do I want to do with the data obtained?
Onlly relevant data provides an insightful 360-degree view of each individual customer, enabling companies to create better customer experiences.
Collect relevant data
Depending on the contact points at which (potential) customers come into contact with a company, it is advisable to use exactly these touchpoints as a data source.
For example, your own website or online shop are contact points at which data can be collected.
Equally suitable are e-mails and newsletters, which also reveal information about the recipient through click and opening behavior:
- Which topics interest him?
- Does he only read comprehensive articles in a newsletter or does he download concrete use cases or guidelines for action?
- Has he perhaps already requested a product sample or a demo version?
Through professional tracking of behavioral and personal data, which must be entered when downloading additional content, for example,
Network systems
In order not only to collect relevant data efficiently, but also to get a 360-degree view of each individual customer and prospect, it is necessary to integrate systems.
In the area of social media, these are so-called monitoring tools.
Tracking tools are ideal for websites or online shops. Click, opening or reading behavior can be recorded with the help of marketing automation systems.
Not to be forgotten are the customer data that companies usually store in a CRMsystem or in other databases, including call notes, order information, contract data or customer inquiries (complaints, etc.).
The systems can synchronize the collected data via interfaces and merge them in one place – for example in the CRM system.
Bundled together, the many different pieces of information result in a comprehensive view of the individual.
From this center, the data can also be made available again in the other systems, for example for automated mailing campaigns.
An integrated system landscape with bidirectional data flows is of great advantage here – in line with the best-of-breed or platform approach .
Pay attention to data quality
Anyone who collects, bundles and reuses data at different touchpoints should also keep an eye on the data quality.
Data is only of high quality if it is error-free, complete, up-to-date, valid, secure and available, according to Techpally.
Validity is important in that only data that is suitable for the intended purpose is of value to the company.
An example: Click and opening rates are valid, for example, to check interest in a topic or product.
Personal data such as age or gender, on the other hand, would be less useful in this case.
It should also be noted that incorrect – that is, incomplete or outdated data can have a negative impact.
Inappropriate product recommendations, for example due to incorrect gender assignment, can lead to customer frustration.
Amodern marketing automation solution offers the possibility of collecting data, creating cleaned profiles and then playing out personalized campaigns.
Ultimately, a solid database is always the prerequisite for better customer experiences
Consider data protection
In all efforts to collect the right data and to ensure its quality, companies should not forget to take current data protection regulations for personal data into account.
This is data that provides insight into personality, including name, date of birth, email and IP address, ownership characteristics, order history, etc.
It is therefore mandatory for companies to comply with applicable data protection regulations when collecting data.
In plain language this means: You may only collect data if the person concerned is informed about the purpose and type of data collection or processing and has demonstrably and voluntarily given their permission to do so.
This also applies to tracking user behavior using marketing automation software.
However, such a consent process can be optimally supported by an automated double opt-in procedure and should also comply with the data security requirements of the applicable laws.
An ISO 27001 certificate is an important seal of quality for a marketing automation solution
