Today’s customers are highly aware and leverage the Internet to scour information. Sirius Decisions estimates that B2B buyers are already 70 percent through the buying process before they contact the vendor. To retain customers in such a fluid environment marked by fleeting customer loyalties, marketers need to nurture valuable relationships with prospects. So, how do […]
The importance of cleaning up your marketing database can never be understated. Failure to do so may result in total waste of the marketing effort and the associated time and investment. Cleaning up dirty data can be a nightmare, depending on how much time and effort you have already invested in it. The following methodology can help: […]
Customer Lifecycle Marketing, Customer Relationship Management
Why Dirty Data is the Death of a Marketer
Today’s marketers face unprecedented challenges in adjusting to those posed by new media and changing buyer habits. Marketers respond to these challenges by trying to overcome the barriers posed by business processes, resources, and technology, but usually ignore the challenges pertaining to data. They focus on planning projects, aligning team goals, developing content, training staff, […]
Customer Lifecycle Marketing, Customer Scoring, Lead Nurturing
Lead Quality Matters More Than Lead Quantity
An evolved marketplace presents a challenging environment for marketers. An increase in competitive pressures corresponds with an increasing number of bad sales leads. Bad sales leads are the direct result of the sourced leads not being a fit for the organizations, or having expectations different from what the organization can deliver. The responsibility is on […]
Generating leads counts for nothing if leads do not convert to revenue. The responsibility is on marketers to drive them to convert. This is very important in today’s competitive world where marketers are hard pressed to deliver more results with fewer resources. Forrester Research estimates that 47 percent of B2B marketers close fewer than 4 […]
More is not always a good thing. For instance, more leads than the sales force can manage can result in overworked or harried marketers, unable to engage with anyone properly or focus on what they are doing. In these cases, the solution is obviously prioritization, or following up on leads that seem most promising. This […]
Big data or large and complex data sets are an integral part of marketing. Marketers frequently use them when gathering and scoring leads. Big data provides more accurate results for the derivation of trends and analysis and provide the results in a more comprehensive manner than separate smaller sets of data. However, it also poses […]
Customer Lifecycle Marketing, Customer Relationship Management
How Lifecycle Marketing Solutions Bring Success in Troubled Times
The CMO Council estimates that only 15% of all companies plan to increase their marketing budget this year. At the same time, 21% of companies plan to scale back their marketing budgets. The reason is obviously the troubled economy, and a hypercompetitive business environment where companies are hard-pressed to generate more revenue. While it is […]
Web analytics has come a long way with the emergence of marketing automation. But analytics is an exercise in futility unless the data makes sense and is put to good use. The challenge is to identify crucial information from all of the mass data available and apply it to increase engagement and move the customers […]
Customer Lifecycle Marketing, Customer Relationship Management
How to Get the Most Out of Agile Data Management
With marketers and brand managers realizing the potential benefits of agile data management, the race is on to implement such practices across the board. Although the concept is simple enough, implementing it is easier said than done. The mistake many managers make is being obsessed with the technicalities of the concept. Agile data management is […]