Did you know that marketing campaigns and sales performance depend very much on the quality of the data they are using? Having up to date information about who your customers and prospects are means that you can accurately learn from campaigns, optimise them and make better decisions for the future of the company. Today we will be diving deep into the power of a hygienic database and what it can do for your businesses success.
How to Know if Data Cleansing is Right for You?
If your company is compiling a lot of data that is being used to target customers via a marketing or sales technique then you may need help from a data specialist. With increasing regulations in GDPR being enforced, it makes perfect sense that businesses should evaluate their databases to avoid legal complications.
What is Database Cleansing?
Database cleansing encompasses several facets. The task usually involves standardising data entry, formatting, amending incomplete or inaccurate data, appending new contacts information, duplicating contacts and removing irrelevant or outdated contacts.
Why Must Businesses Never Overlook Data Cleansing?
The main purpose of data cleansing is to improve the quality of the businesses database so that it provides you with the best information to make decisions and execute campaigns. When you have up to date information the business can have a complete, accurate view of its customer/client base. Having an outdated database decreases the chances of valuable conversions, impedes decision making and results in a dive in the performance of campaigns. For example, an organisation that has over 10,000 contacts but only has 2,000 that are relevant, would not be wise to make future decisions based on the feedback of the 8,000. It would be better to focus your efforts elsewhere and hone in on engaged targets.
The Benefits of Data Cleansing
1. Improved Targeting & Customer Base
By cleansing your database, you remove all the useless data and acquire a greater understanding of your ideal customers. This information will then help marketing teams create material that is far more relevant to the contacts that are interested in the business. As a result, you should see the conversions and revenue shoot up and a more personal approach to messaging can take place.
2. Improved ROI and Saving Costs
A cleaner database means that you can now save money and time by not wasting efforts on contacts that are outdated and irrelevant. This clearer picture of your prospects should improve ROI immediately and set the business up for success over time.
3. Positive Brand Representation
The reputation of your business is paramount if it is to stand out from the rest of the competition. If your communication is haphazard and out of date then your business is at risk of being seen as spam. This can be detrimental to the business and tarnish its good name. Having a clean database reduces this risk as the business benefits from relevant contacts to send messages to.
How to Devise a Data Cleansing Strategy?
The starting point of any data cleaning strategy is to always examine your database and identify any issues yourself. Ensure that your team takes the time to meticulously identify and fix the small issues such as miss spellings, the year of submission and organisation type etc.
Step two is to conduct a thorough audit of your data and plan each process that is required for your organisation. Each business is different so mapping out an internal process for the data collection and usage for your contacts will be essential. Remember that this is a time-consuming activity and will require a skilled eye.
To conclude, data cleansing is a highly valuable and important process that can bring a lot of value to an organisation. We hope that this article has helped shed some light on the mystery behind data cleansing and why it is important for any organisation relying on data for sales.