If you want to double the value of your marketing data, there are four key processes you will want to optimize: 1) capturing leads and prospect data, 2) coding effectively, 3) cleaning and organizing your data, and 4) connecting with prospects regularly. Within this overall framework, your selling cycle, marketing strategy and marketing processes should guide every step in your marketing data management process.
- What kinds of leads should you target?
- What do you need to know about those leads?
- What will you do with leads after you generate them? email newsletters? direct mail campaigns? telemarketing?
- What systems and software will you be using to manage the data?
Each marketing decision significantly impacts the data fields you will need to successfully implement your marketing plan. If you take a little time to understand what information your sales and marketing team will need throughout the prospecting and selling cycles, the marketing data management system you develop will be much more effective.