How do you connect with a moving target? That’s the essential question sellers and marketers have tried to answer for ages, and only recently has data enhancement started to provide it. You need to know who you’re targeting, where they’re headed, and critically, how quickly they’re moving – all of which data enrichment can help you figure out.
Far from being a static collection of information, modern data enhancement is a dynamic process that lets you be where your leads need you at just the right time.
Who’s That Lead?
When you know who your leads are, you’re able to make your marketing message more relevant to them. Prospects themselves are great primary sources of data, but data drifts over time. The lead who subscribed for your newsletter three years ago may have moved, changed job titles, gotten a promotion, or undergone other major changes to fundamental contact data. That’s where data enrichment comes in, allowing you to update records with current data so you know as much as possible about who your leads are and how to reach them.
What Are Their Goals?
Your leads have a problem. You have the solution. The tricky part is that not all leads have the same problem to solve, so your job is to offer them the appropriate solution. Let data tell the story of your prospects’ goals through behavioral and contextual information you collect. Third-party data enhancement can also help you pinpoint what your leads are looking for by showing you more about their histories. If you already know, for example, that a lead has bought an earlier version of your product and is now looking for information about the latest version, you can be fairly confident that the goal here is to upgrade.
The Right Message at the Right Time
Once you’ve gotten to know your lead’s goals, you’re ready to learn more about where he or she is on the buying journey. Understanding the lead life cycle is essential to timely marketing. A lead who’s just becoming aware of a problem and drifting toward the top of your funnel needs introductory content and brand familiarity. One who’s gone farther along the buying journey is ready to get into deeper detail about your offer with white papers and spec sheets that help build the case for a purchase.
You might discover that a lead isn’t ready to buy; that’s fine too. It’s what nurture programs are designed to address. Your knowledge about your lead and where he or she is in the decision-making process sends each prospect down the right nurture stream to get closer to sales readiness.
Dynamic data enhancement adds to your understanding of leads over time. With a better understanding of your leads’ past and a clear view of their present decision-making state, you’re ready to become a part of their future.
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