So where do we get the data we need to personalize our communications with our customers?   Well, there are a lot of places we can get data.  Some of it is great and helps us to better serve our customers, and other data leads to wasteful spending and spam.  The real question is how do we get GOOD data?  How do we get data that helps us understand our customers and their needs?

     In the previous part of this series, we discussed using data we already have.  We (should) have data about every customer.  Aside from name, address and email, we should also know about their buying habits.  What do they order? How often do they order?  Within what time frame do they need their order filled?  The basic customer data that is collected will differ with every business.  A national Donut franchise will have very different data than a local law firm.  How you compile and use that data will also differ. 

     For the purposes of this article, let’s assume we are starting at square one.  We are looking to acquire customers and data regarding potential customers.  How do we do it?  There is no single way, or even a best way, but there are ways.  Here is one suggestion.  For this scenario, let’s assume that you have no data and are starting a data capturing campaign.  (In future posts we will look at alternate approaches, but for now we are casting a wide net).

     STEP 1:  GET A LIST– First look at a set of very basic demographic data into which your customers, or potential customers, fit.  Of course, you did your market research and have this information available, right?  The target audience for almost every business will differ.  Characteristics like geography, age, gender and countless others will help you pinpoint the right audience, deliver the right message and obtain the best data  for your specific campaign.  Doing your research, and knowing who you plan to target is a key to success.  We will assume you have done your homework and know the data about the demographic you want to target.  With this information, you or your marking services provider can obtain a list of prospects that meets those needs.  There are many, many list brokers out there, and some are better than others.  Some due diligence here will serve you well.  Once you have purchased the list, you will use it to create and send your message, whether by printed material, email or if you want to be even more effective, a combination of both. 

     STEP 2:  CREATE A COMPELLING, PERSONALIZED MESSAGE – Now that you have your data in the form of  a thorough list of your target audience, you will want to personalize your offering to them.  Remember, every person in your audience is unique.  Treat them that way.  Whether you are using ink on paper, email or both to communicate with your audience, personalized message get read more often and are thus, more effective.   Use their name in your message.  Use variable graphics and variable data to personalize the message to each recipient.  Add a personal URL or a QR Code to bring people to their own page on your website.  Your goal here is to engage your potential customer.  Simply stated, personalization has been shown to improve your ROI. 

     STEP 3:  HAVE AN APPEALING CALL TO ACTION – Now that you targeted your audience and delivered to them a timely and relevant personalized message, you want to get them to do something.  Perhaps you would like them to supply an email address, register for a webinar or complete a survey, but you definitely want them to opt-in to future communications from you.  To achieve this you must grab your reader’s attention immediately and let them know the benefits of what you are offering.  Use strong headings like:  John, the information in this message can help your company wallop the competition.  Or:  Don’t miss your chance to be among the first to receive an industry-changing information.  While the call to action must be compelling, it must also be true or you will lose your credibility. 

     STEP 4:  CAPTURE AND USE THE DATA – Make it easy for the reader to provide the data.  And make it easy for you to maintain and use that data.  There is a lot of software that can automate this.  Many hosting companies will provide this service to you as part of your hosting package.  However, data security and privacy are important to keep your customer’s trust and to comply with an ever growing body of law (check back here next week for a post on that very subject). Still, after the effort to obtain the data, you want to use it to better know your customers and of course, use in subsequent campaigns.  Analyzing your data is another great way to use the information you captured.  Was your research correct?  Were your respondents who you thought they would be?  While the data you just obtained is a great start for ongoing marketing campaigns, it also can help you target even more customers interested in your products and services.  However, that is a subject for another post.

     None of this has to be rocket science, but it does require time and attention.  And the more complex the campaign, the more time and effort it will take to execute properly.  If you too are busy running a company or department, you can have the bulk of this work done by a marketing service provider.  They can help with everything from obtaining to analyzing your current customer data, procuring a targeted prospect list, crafting and designing your personalized messages and call to action and analyzing the new data for even more effective future campaigns.   

THE TAKE_AWAY:

STEP 1:  GET A CURRENT, TARGETED LIST

STEP 2:  CREATE A COMPELLING, PERSONALIZED MESSAGE

STEP 3:  HAVE AN APPEALING CALL TO ACTION

STEP 4:  CAPTURE, ANALYZE AND USE THE DATA    

     If you have any thoughts about this topic, please share them  Your input is alway welcome. Let’s share experiences.  All of us together are smarter than any one of us alone. 

Until Next Time, John

Let’s take a look at some different types of data that you probably already have and can use to enhance your communication efforts today. There are many ways to capture data, including buying lists that match your desired customer demographic (more on that in the next post).  However, buying a list is not always financially feasible, nor is it always necessary.  You could be sitting on a gold mine of data that you already own free and clear. Data you can use immediately to further your targeted, personalized communication campaigns.  In this article, we will look at two types of data you probably possess in one form or another right now.

TRANSACTIONAL DATA:  This is simply the data that you obtain as a result of doing business with a customer.  The data each business has will vary depending on the nature of the business.  Still, every business will have some kind of transactional data they can start using today.  It could be as simple as a list of names and addresses where you sent an invoice.  It could be a list of email address you have on record as a result of a series ebay transactions.  It could be a massive and highly complex, cross-referenced database like the one Amazon.com uses.  The point is that the regular, daily transactions of your business, you can find a wealth of information that will help you pinpoint your target audience and personalize your messaging to them.  Of course, the better the data, the more option you have with how to use that information.  By maintaining good transactional data, you will know who is buying from you, when they are buying, what they are buying and how they are buying (online, retail, etc…).  That is really valuable stuff.  You can use that information to identify new leads, drive new sales and improve customer loyalty, satisfaction and retention.  What if you have not had any transactions and thus have no transitional data?  Don’t worry, we have a solution for that too.  Moreover, it is simple and can be acted on immediately.

EXISTING PROSPECT DATA:  Unless you are a start-up (and perhaps even then), you probably have a sizable list of prospects – even if you never refer to it that way.  The form of this data could be anything from a detailed CRM database with information about when you met or acquired the prospect, how you met them, their business needs, purchasing time frame, etc…  Such systems can remind you where you meet the person (was it at a conference or did they sign up for your electronic newsletter?), what efforts have you made to market to them (are they receiving your email newsletter?) and what has the result of those efforts been?  Again, the more detail you have the better.  However, your prospect list could also be a stack of business cards that you have collected over the years.  It could be your Linkedin network or the membership roster of your local Chamber of Commerce.  Just remember that the more up-to-date your data, the more effective your communications will be.  Timely data allows you to create relevant messaging and the more relevant your messaging, the better your results.  Whatever your prospect data looks like, make use of it to find new leads, heat up cold leads and close more business.

THE TAKE-AWAY: Every organization, whether a one-person company or a business giant has some type of existing data they can use to help make their marketing and communication efforts more effective.  Marketing that is more effective means more goods sold or services rendered, and hopefully, an even better bottom line.  Remember, the better job you do maintaining your data, the more effective it will be in your communication efforts.

In the next article, the last in our three part series, we will look at what to with that data once you have it.

What data do you have that you can use today to make your communications even more effective?  Let’s share experiences.  All of us together are smarter than any one of us alone.

Until Next Time, John

Welcome to the first part in our three part series about data and its use in effective, personalized marketing.

I talk a lot (what did you expect, I’m a lawyer). But let me be more contextual: I talk a lot about marketing and communications strategy. There is a lot that goes into a comprehensive communication strategy and all of it important. Yet in reality, success in our marketing and communication efforts comes down to one item that is far more critical than any other. Data.

In our customer-centric, interactive universe, it is just a simple fact that in order to communicate with customers (or any other audience) effectively, you need good data. Data, and the information gleaned from thoroughly analyzing data are the Holy Grail of targeted marketing. It allows you to construct your message in such a way that it is more relevant to the recipient and thus, more likely to be read and acted upon. If your message is one of a hundred or so received by your target, it had better be relevant to them or it will simply not get a second look. And you need to know more than just name and address, regardless of whether the message is delivered by direct mail, email, TransPromo communications, Morse Code or smoke signals. The days of sending out mail to “Addressee” or “Current Resident” and expecting it to end up anywhere but the recycle bin are long gone. However, targeted communications full of rich, relevant graphics, timely information and personalized messaging will almost always get a second look. And that gets you more business.

THE TAKE-AWAY: You must know that your audience expects you to know them, and if you want to communicate with them, you had better get to know them. Personalization is an effective strategy for your business and your customers and prospects will appreciate the effort.

I hope that you are now at least convinced that you need data and you need to target your audience and personalize their experience. Communicating with your customers and prospects on a one-to-one basis will help build relationships, enhance your brand and make your messages stand out from the many others that are seen every day. But now we face another set of questions: where is all this data supposed to come from? In what form should the data be? How do I use my data to create relevant, personal messages for my target audience? And most importantly, what is the payback for this effort?

There are answers to all of these questions and the good news is that it does not have to be a costly or time-consuming process. However, you will have to wait for the next post where the subject of data acquisition will be discussed. In the meantime, please leave your comments about any data issues you have experienced or any personalized communications you found to be effective. Let’s share experiences. All of us together are smarter than any one of us alone.

Until Next Time, John