Every prediction for the coming year involves a certain amount of speculation, but the most accurate assessments also have something else: high-quality data. Data makes the difference between blue-sky guesswork and a meaningful forecast. That’s true for marketers seeking insight into their audiences, too – if you don’t have the data, you’re relying on hope.
Based on our own data, here’s where we believe data enhancement is headed this year. Knowing what’s in store will help you define the course of your own data management strategy, leaving you better prepared for the year ahead.
Data Enrichment Gets Richer
The scope of what marketers can learn about their prospects is already large and is set to grow in the near future. Leads leave digital footprints with every comparison, site visit, and buying decision they make, but these signs weren’t always accessible or legible. Today’s data enhancement incorporates information from a wider array of sources, including everything from social media to sales histories, to give you far greater detail about a lead’s trajectory through digital space. With more data, you have more knowledge of your leads.
It’s Easier to Separate Signals from Noise
There’s no such thing as too much data, but only if the data’s accurate; otherwise, it’s just static. Verification processes are improving every year, and 2018 is no exception. You can expect higher quality from your data hygiene processes this year. You’ll also have far finer control over data thresholds, allowing you to decide what’s relevant and what isn’t based on real-time analytics of your campaign results.
Marketing Automation Gets Smarter
In its infancy, marketing automation software had to rely heavily on human intervention to help it decide how to handle certain data. The system lacked enough of an executive function to handle unexpected data without constant oversight. That’s changed now, and marketing automation platforms are smarter than ever. They instantly recognize errors and self-correct where possible. If the system still finds anomalous data that it can’t resolve, it flags potential errors automatically. Expect data enhancement to become more sophisticated in its ability to spot and correct errors.
Sales Data Partners Up
Isolated databases are tiny portholes offering a limited view of your audience. An integrated database that syncs with your CRM, sales histories, and customer service files is a floor-to-ceiling window giving you an unobstructed view of your market. The fusion of sales and marketing into a unified whole will have a dramatic impact on data enhancement by putting information in a broader context. Instead of disparate facts about a prospect, you’ll be working together to create a nuanced, informative portrait of that potential buyer.
Data Security Tightens
Data has value, and anything with value is at risk of being stolen. To protect buyers, legislation and technology are joining up to ensure better data security. For B2B businesses, this means tightening data hygiene practices and maintaining a well-kept prospect database. Good data translates into high email deliverability rates, and high deliverability is a sign of trustworthiness to email service providers. Data quality will play an increasingly important role in consumer trust, so keep data integrity high in 2018.
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