Database your face off

Simply put, a marketing database has the power to make or break a business. Why? Because if you leverage it correctly, you have all the sales and marketing data and insights you could possibly need to run successful campaigns that convert leads to sales.

And conversely, if you don’t invest in your database, you don’t have any of this vital data, and you’re simply batting blind, trying different random tactics to see what works. Perhaps you’re wondering why your email bounce rate has increased, why you aren’t seeing conversions and why your marketing budget seems to be disappearing into the ether despite a regular programme of marketing emails, direct mailing and other outbound activities. It’s probably because your database isn’t working for you.

Modern marketing means smart marketing. If you can build a comprehensive, segmented and intelligent database that is filled with current, correct data, you’ve got the makings of a successful marketing strategy.

A solid database will allow you to deliver highly tailored, personalised and relevant communications to the right audience. Yes, it takes more work up front, but doesn’t everything worthwhile?

If you’re serious about increasing your ROI, you need to be serious about building a comprehensive, powerful marketing database. And once you’ve got that database, you also need to be serious about sharing it with your sales colleagues, to unlock real benefits for the entire business.

The good news is that today’s platforms and technologies make it easier than ever to build powerful business databases that are accurate, and comprehensive but also extremely easy to interrogate and organise.