BIG DATAcreates bigDECISIONSfor B2B Marketers

Big Data Creates Big Decisions for B2B Marketers

1. Start with a MapThe true power of big data lies in superior targeting – systematically reaching the contacts most likely to lead to a sale and filtering out the rest to achieve the biggest return to your marketing dollar. This seems simple, but the point of big data often gets lost when faced with a deluge of new information.

When making decisions about the products to select, you need to push aside the clutter and focus on what’s really important to your bottom line. Whether you are looking to improve your marketing efficiency, identify new prospects or retain current customers, having a clear understanding of your goal is the first step in choosing among the data options available to you.

2. Quality Data Keeps You On CourseB2B marketing is all about relationships. It is hard to start them when your contact lists are outdated or inaccurate. The business world moves fast – 70% of business data changes each year. Nothing can slow your marketing down more than data riddled with inaccuracies.

There are many ways to make sure your data is accurate. Crosschecking contacts against multiple lists is one way, but even then you might be getting last months’ information. From a B2B perspective, constant telephone verification, combined with other quality measures has proven to be the most effective way to ensure quality.

Big Data for B2B Comes of AgeBusinesses are increasingly turning to big data solutions for their B2B marketing. Vast amounts of information are available to be licensed or purchased from a growing number of sources, including data collected on the web and smart phone applications. More data about your target audiences has been produced in the last two years then all previous years combined.

In response, the number of new data products geared toward these marketers have mushroomed. In this new complex landscape, choices matter. With all the clear benefits that big data can provide comes a challenge: How can you make smart decisions when faced with this deluge of new options? A solid plan can make the difference between using big data to boost your marketing ROI and wasting time dealing with a vast tangle of information.

Successfully navigating the options available requires a clear understanding of the B2B data fundamentals. In this whitepaper we delve into some of the most important things to consider when addressing your data marketing challenges. With a clear understanding of what’s important, you’ll be ready to get the right tools to power high ROI marketing.

Ask yourself: Am I just

being offered more contacts,

or am I also getting the step-

by-step guidance, proven

strategies and cutting edge

tools necessary to focus your

marketing efforts?

Big Data Creates Big Decisions for B2B Marketers

The best data providers employ large numbers of professional data compilers, working from a state-of-the-art call center, to verify the data they use. They vet everything from company names, mailing addresses, emails and phone numbers, to firmographics and lines of business. Such attention to detail turns raw data into quality data, and ensures you will rarely get a return to sender, email bounce, or disconnected line.

3. Identify the Right BusinessesGetting your message out efficiently means contacting the right businesses at the right time. The data products you use should provide direct access to a wealth of information and allow you to easily filter out the contacts that you don’t need.

Data on new businesses in your geographical area or in your targeted industry is particularly valuable – filling your prospect pipeline with fresh leads. If regularly revised and verified, this data can give you the intelligence necessary to power highly successful campaigns.

The best data providers go further, however. Tapping the power of co-operative databases can leverage the strategy and insights of key players in your vertical market. These services help to identify the most responsive customers.

4. Get Ahold of the Right PeopleMost B2B sales involve multiple decision makers. Getting your message to the right people is crucial. To do so, you’ll need accurate information on your target business’ managers and key employees, and their position in the buying process purchase habits.

Where Does All that Information Come from? There are hundreds of good sources of information

out there. The more sources you can access, the

more confident you can be in its accuracy. These

can include:

• Thousands of telephone directories

• Government agencies

• Public corporate filings

• Web research

• Utility information

• Tourism directories

• Much more

Getting your message out efficiently means contacting the right businesses at the right time.

Big Data Creates Big Decisions for B2B Marketers

Use your time wisely: Email marketing can generate

returns of 40:1!*

5. Go Forth with Targeted, Personalized CampaignsSuccessful multichannel B2B marketing requires access to rich databases that incorporate email, telemarketing and postal addresses. However, fine-tuning your list of prospects to enable precise targeting is just as important.

The best resources provide you with a rich set of options to enable you to select for the variables that define your target audience – by geography, job title, area of interest, company size and products specified for purchase. The deeper the demographic and firmagraphic selections available, the more precisely you can deliver personalized messages to a specific segment of your audience.

Make sure that email is not the missing link in your multichannel campaign. Email continues to be a growing factor in B2B marketing. Email append is therefore an important service to invest in – optimizing your campaigns and reducing waste. Getting access to an extensive email database that contains 100% matches to your postal addresses can be the difference between success and failure for your multichannel campaign.

6. Measure Impact and ImproveA big benefit of big data is the ability to accurately measure impact in terms of ROI. It also allows you to dig into the results and provide insights based on who’s responding and what messages are working.

Look for platforms and services that provide easy ways to monitor results and adjust your mailing lists accordingly. This is an area where easy access to assistance from data professionals counts. They will help you determine how to measure results accurately, and what your response should be to boost your bottom line. If you aren’t getting personal service, your provider is falling short.

Conclusion: Be Prepared and Choose WiselyNot all big data products are created equal. The benefits of big data to B2B are becoming apparent, but limited marketing budgets mean you have to be smart and selective. Set clear goals, use quality data, partner with companies that are easy to work with and provide great service and avoid data distractions when filling your B2B data needs.

*Source: Direct Marketing Association

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About Infogroup Targeting Solutions

Infogroup Targeting Solutions empowers business, consumer and nonprofit marketing professionals to engage with their most valuable prospects and generate revenue through our innovative list management, list brokerage and insert media services. For more information on our data-driven solutions, visit www.infogrouplistservices.com or contact us at 1.800.223.2194.