Businesses are being forced to shift their marketing strategy to adapt to changing consumer behaviour. Consumers today interact with brands across several different channels on many different devices. This is why your data is more important than ever.
Companies that use data to drive their decisions are likely to be more successful in the long run. For companies to remain relevant and credible with their customers, they need to create unique experiences throughout the buyer’s journey.
Too much data can be just as much of a problem as too little data if you don’t know how to handle it. If your data isn’t properly organised, you’re going to spend your precious time and resources sorting through it, instead of utilising it.
Having a wealth of knowledge is a huge advantage, but if you don’t know how to apply certain pieces of information, the data is pretty useless.
A business can’t afford to ignore their marketing team
We’re in the midst of a transformational time for marketers. It’s time to stop referring to marketing teams as ‘the colouring-in department’. They contribute much more to a business than the typical job to “make it pretty”.
You need to know who your customers are, what their needs and desires are, and you need to be able to tell them what your business can provide. It’s all about reaching the right people, with the right message, at the right time.
This is where your marketing team can help.
Marketing goes way beyond simply letting people know about a product. Marketing data can help you build a solid knowledge of your customers and competitors. This can help you with coming up with new product ideas and effective new ways of increasing sales.
Marketers were traditionally communications and campaign-focused. Now, their role is more complex, and data is their best friend.
This means they aren’t only marketing communications experts, they should also be user experience experts, too. They have the knowledge to understand the ins and outs of the whole customer journey, and what makes your customers really tick.
A data-driven business is a customer-centric business
The consumer has more power than ever, and they’re sat firmly in the driver’s seat. Their demands and expectations have increased, with a strong preference for brands that they trust. They want to engage with brands who know what they need and when they need it.
As a business, this means that you face a whole new set of challenges.
Being customer-centric is not just about offering great customer service, it means providing a valuable experience throughout the buyer’s journey. It’s a strategy that’s based on putting your customer first, and at the core of your business.
With more businesses putting customers at the core of their strategies, no one is better placed to understand how to build a customer-centric strategy than marketers are.
Disregarding a marketer’s input is a huge mistake. Marketing data can be used to drive improvement, decisions and lead generation. With the help of your marketing teams, you can build a 360-degree view of your contacts. This is essential if you want to give them an experience they’ll remember.
Personalisation is important if you want to stay relevant. The more data you have for each of your contacts, the better the experience you can offer them. From simply using their first name on your emails to sending them tailored offers and discounts, in-depth marketing data can really make a difference.
Personalising every customer’s journey drives longer-lasting relationships, improved customer experiences, greater loyalty, and ultimately more sales.
Manage your data better with marketing automation
Today’s marketers are under constant pressure to do more with less – to increase sales and productivity with fewer resources and less time.
Luckily, marketers also have marketing automation to support their efforts.
Marketing automation software can help you collect valuable data about your contacts.
A marketing automation platform can help you manage your lead process and identify who your hottest leads are – and who needs further nurturing. The most advanced marketing automation platforms are far more than support tools, they are actually changing the marketer’s role by streamlining – or even removing – their tedious, everyday tasks.
Want to know more about what marketing automation can do for your business? Book a demo of the Wired Plus platform.
