Data can be a vital tool for companies in the digital age, but it’s not always used efficiently. These three things can help make sure you are doing so:
Always be collecting
This could be through a third-party system or a system of your own. It should be able to give you accurate and reliable results to use for interpretation over any period of time. The system should also give you extensive data from a wide variety of your customers to gain the best marketing insights possible. In this digital age, knowledge comes in the form of data.
Know how to interpret the data
Once you obtain the data, the next step is interpreting the numbers and statistics into something you can use. The specific use is highly dependent on your needs. For marketing purposes, for example, the focus will be on the patterns of customer behaviors and purchasing trends. This can help to decide when to put out certain campaigns and which channels work best for each topic or target audience. Once you have decided how to portray the data based on your needs, decisions can be made.
Use data in decision making
You could have all the data in the world, but if you don't use it properly to inform your decision-making process, it is nearly useless. Each form of marketing is unique in the way that data can be used to influence it.
Direct Mail
Here are ways to utilize your data through personalizing your direct mail service.
Online
One of the best tools to receive from your customers are their purchasing habits and patterns. This helps not only with planning what you’re going to market next but when and more importantly to who. Knowing this information can increase your efficiency if information is targeted to people you know have interest in the matter. This can be through email campaigns or altering online ads to be specific to geographic area.
In-store
The easiest way to get customers engaged in your physical branches is to give them stimulating visuals. Taking it a step further would be giving them pieces they can interact with. These can be on a variety of surfaces, after all, the writing doesn’t always have to be on the wall. Of course, the biggest concern is the customer and employee interactions, but while they are waiting, give them something to keep them intrigued. Another piece of data to take interest in is to know what customers engage with online so you don’t try as hard to market the same services in store. Instead, promote what isn’t available as an online service or processes that are more efficient in person.
Multichannel marketing can be a versatile and personalized way to reach your target audience. Based on data and results you have produced, you can make sure customers are getting exactly what they need at the end of the day.
By Jenna Doege, Marketing Intern