The Importance of data cleansing & appending: How to do it

Data cleansing & appending are both invaluable processes that save companies time and precious marketing dollars. There are many data cleansing tools out there such as software programs that are designed to fix missing data, remove duplicate information and amend poorly formatted data. Data cleansing softwares achieve this in a short amount of time.

There are other steps companies can take to ensure data cleansing & appending is always a priority:

Enter data accurately

This may sound obvious, but clean data starts at the input stage. When inaccurate data is entered into the database, you are setting up problems down the road.

Calculate costs

According to certain estimates, up to 30% of B2B data is outdated within a year. This means 30% of direct marketing strategies will fail or be wasted. Or put it another way, 30% of your budget will be wasted on unclean data. Wouldn’t it be better if you spent that figure on data cleansing & appending.

Skip over recently used data

Sometimes the entire database does not require cleansing. If you have recently contacted a portion of your database, you can assume it is updated. Keep your focus on data that was not used or contacted recently.

Cleanse data closer to the action date

B2B data can expire fairly quickly, so do not bother cleaning it 12 months prior to being used. It is always advisable to cleanse date closer to the action date. You just have to ensure that you have resources to carry this out. If cleansing using manpower, on average a single person can cleanse up to 60 records each day using telemarketing to confirm data particulars.

Ping emails

Checking whether an email address is “active” is an excellent way to figure out if it needs attention. This does not require an email campaign, rather there are tools that automatically ping email addresses. If an address comes back as “invalid”, you should concentrate your time and limited budget on fixing this data.

Use LinkedIn

On LinkedIn, certain tools are available that will inform you if any of your connections updates their positions. Job-Change-Notifier is one such tool that will send you an email if a job change occurs. This is an excellent way to stay on top of your contacts, especially if they move to a different company or have a new position in the company.

CTPS Check

It makes good cleansing sense to check your B2B data against a CTPS register. It contains telephone information of companies who have requested to not receive sales calls. This will save you marketing bucks and time if you do not contact companies who are unlikely to respond.

Telemarketing

Telemarketing is by far the best tool to use for data cleansing and appending. A telemarketer is able to elicit more substantive and complete answers than an email mailer. For example, an undelivered email will not be able to tell you if the executive has left the company or was replaced by someone else.

Investing in data cleansing & appending tools can save you time, money and valuable human effort.

HOW TO INCREASE DATA PROVISION AND LEAD GENERATION IN ORDER TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS?

If you have aggressive growth goals for your business this year, then it is vital to funnel your marketing budget towards improved methods for data provision and lead generation. The following information will inform readers how increase sales leads and achieve business growth:

Begin planning for next year TODAY!

Don’t wait until January of next year in order to think up a plan for the new year. Start today! Think of ways to improve your data provision and lead generation tactics. Will your business benefit from website redesign, a revival of blogs, or do you need a better marketing plan?

According to an old adage, “failing to plan is planning to fail”. The earlier you begin planning out your strategies, the higher the likelihood will be of you achieving those sales goals.

Closely examine what is working well this year

Examine previous year’s data with a fine toothed comb. Look at the CRM system, website/business analytics packages that were used and all accounts to get to the bottom of what worked and what wasn’t as effective. Hubspot is an excellent platform to measure ROI of various marketing methods you used. You may have to alter, move or scale your budget back from ineffective marketing strategies and invest more money into avenues that are more effective. If your marketing strategy was very disappointing, then you need to shake things up in a major way.

Hire fresh talent to charge of marketing

If you do not already have a “marketing in charge” person, then perhaps that can be your new investment for the up coming new year. Let’s face it, most business owners have a million things to do and when things get busy such payroll, meetings, management supervision etc. When things get very busy, it’s the marketing stuff that gets neglected. Hiring an individual to take over the responsibility of marketing and consequently data provisionand lead generation will mean that your marketing is not neglected and your goals for business growth in the new year will be reached! It’s all a matter of hiring the right person with the right skills for the job!

Step away from “campaign mentality”

Stop looking at your business’s marketing strategies as campaigns. Successful marketing strategies involve consistent action, otherwise you will end up facing unpredictable periods of quiet and busy times. Having this up and down cycle will make scalable growth and forecasting a major challenge, not to mention hamper your data provision and lead generation efforts. Most B2B marketing techniques require regular and consistent monitoring in order to achieve success.

Don’t wait until tomorrow, to start thinking about tomorrow. To get ahead of the game, start thinking about tomorrow’s sales strategies, today! By following some of the tips mentioned above, your business can greatly improve its sales figures.The bottom line for increasing sales in the new year is to implement, monitor and adjust your b2b marketing strategies so that your business can achieve better data provision and lead generation.

8 Strategies That Will Maximize B2C Data Provision And Lead Generation

Do you want to take your business on the road to success? But don’t know how to get more leads which in turn means more sales and profit? Then you must look for effective b2c data provision and lead generation. But it is not easy to know which strategy will actually work for you?

If you are stuck for ideas when it comes to improving your b2c data provision and lead generation strategies? The following methods were some of the tactics used by successful sales teams:

Client Referrals

You can increase the chances of a client providing a referral to your business or company by implementing a referral-rewards system program. This will result in a higher lead conversion rate. You can start by making referrals a part of your regular prospecting activity.

Professionals of Influence                                                                                          

These are individuals in your business niche who may or may not work with the same target clients as you, but in a different manner. For example, a funeral director may refer a client to a financial planning professional and vice versa. In this different referral system, you can rely on each other as resources. Professionals of influence also need to be managed and cultivated on a constant basis.

Webinars

This is an extremely cost-effective method because it dramatically reduces expenses that are typically associated with procuring new clients. In a webinar, invites are electronically mailed out and are inexpensive, particularly if you already have access to a b2c data provision and lead generation list. Prospects are more willing to take part in webinars than to face-to-face meetings. In order for this to be successful, the webinar topic and presentation must be informative and related to your business niche. It cannot be an overt sales pitch.

Telemarketing Firm or Person

Most sales firms will agree that time spent talking or meeting with prospective clients is the most profitable. Hiring an external telemarketing service or using an internal one will allows sales teams to maintain focus on selling. They should have experience with prospecting and in particular be familiar with your business’s nuances.

Radio/Television

A well-managed radio or television campaign can raise prospective clients’ ideas about your brand’s value. When you project positive perception and recognition of your service or product, it can significantly boost b2c data provision and lead generation conversion rates.

Direct Mail

Even though this is more expensive than email campaigns, when a prospect replies to your direct mail piece, he or she is genuinely in need of your service or product. Pursuing a direct mail with a follow up call is also productive.

Trade Shows

Trade shows tend to draw in large crowds, especially those who may not have exposure to your brand. To boost conversion rates, devise a contest to get people to actively engage participants. By hosting a trade show, prospects have the opportunity to engage with your brand face-to-face. When conducting follow up calls afterwards, you are more likely to be successful.

Cold Calling

This is perhaps the least favorite of all the methods mentioned, but it is also the most unappreciated. To succeed in cold calling, your team needs outstanding preparation, an ability to establish rapport, a talent for imparting valuable information and closing a sale.

If you’re thinking about revamping your b2c data provision and lead generation strategies, consider the above mentioned methods. 

7 Tips to Succeed in B2C Data Provision And Lead Generation

B2B lead generation receives most of the attention, but what about B2C? Companies that face consumer also require a method of attaining a consistent flow of quality leads in order to maintain growth. Unlike B2B marketers who time their disposal, B2C marketers have very little time to build a rapport with the prospects.

What are some unique ways of acquiring customers? The following tips will help you succeed in your B2C data provision and lead generationcampaign:

1. Prove your interest with an email

It is a waste of time and money to pursue prospects who are not interested in your service or products. If a potential customer joins your email list, follow up with a message indicating your confirmation, and then request them to click another link or take another step. People who do this willingly are more easily engaged and probably more interested in your business. If a lead does not respond to multiple confirmation messages, then they may not provide much value.

2. Responsive design

Digital marketing is currently mobile. Previously, companies provided experiences via a mobile by creating a different website. This approach is not effective. Google gives priority to website load speed. Providing redirection to a mobile website may increase time and incur a penalty. In addition, there are many mobile screen sizes out there which you need to account for. A shopper may visit your site a few times before making a purchase, therefore their experience needs to be similar across all devices. A responsive design is the best way to optimize your site because it can accommodate many if not all devices which is very important for B2C data provision and lead generation.

3. Provide a strong incentive

Loyal customers are a great source for obtaining new leads. Create a special offer and they will feel encouraged to refer more people to your business. This deepens your loyalty with your current customers and creates opportunities to engage new prospects, which is critical for B2C data provision and lead generation.

4. Have patience with leads

Marketers should be on top of keeping their lists current. The same goes with dealing with new prospects who do not purchase immediately. If that prospect has taken time out to subscribe, then there is still an opportunity there to make them a buyer.

5. Stick to best practices with email marketing

When you ask a lead to sign up for your email list, it ensures that they will engage with you at some time. You should also allow leads to unsubscribe or leave your email list when they wish to. Otherwise you are at risk of being put on their spam list.

6. Stick to marketing basics

Since digital marketing is very fragmented, reaching the right customers is very difficult. Marketers should continually monitor the effectiveness of their campaigns to ensure that their content is relevant to their target group.

7. Retention and loyalty should be the focus

It is easy to get caught up in acquiring new customers, but it is as important to retain and build loyalty with existing customers. The number of loyal customers you have will determine the number of prospects you draw in. In addition, it is more expensive to acquire a new customer than to retain an old one. Customers who are engaged provide a great word-of-mouth promotion and can help with acquiring new leads.

How To Use LinkedIn To Gain Leverage In Your B2B Data Provision Campaign

If you are still not convinced by how LinkedIn can help you gain qualified leads then consider a 2012 study conducted by HubSpot. When looking at traffic reported by 5,000 businesses, those generated from LinkedIn had the highest volume of visitor-to-lead conversion rates at 2.74%. This rate is triple that of Twitter and Facebook combined!

If you are now convinced that LinkedIn is a great social media platform for your B2B data provision campaign, then here are six ways of maximizing your leverage using this social media platform:

1.      Jazz up your links: Consider including 3 links to other websites on your profile page. According to Lorrie Ross, a marketing consultant, these links are a great way to persuade people to go to your blog, website, Facebook business page and Google+ page. These links can be placed in the standard dropdowns such as “company website” or “blog”. If you select “other” you can get creative and add a colourful description which can potentially tempt new visitors to your page which is great for B2B data provision.

2.      Get Social: Use your LinkedIn profile to sync with your Twitter page or any other social marketing tool. By creating an automatic link from your LinkedIn profile to your blog, you can share thought leadership with potential customers. It will help you build credibility, sellability and usability. Leads for B2B data provision are developed by playing nice and sharing titbits of information.

3.      Monitor your visitors: Purchase a premium membership on LinkedIn to track who might be viewing your profile. Some of your visitors may be prospective clients who you may want to pursue for an effective B2B data provision campaign.

4.      Start a community: On LinkedIn, you can start your own community based on your area of expertise or industry. For example, Kristina Jaramillo is a marketing expert on LinkedIn who founded GetLinkedInHelp.com based on her videos and blog content.

5.      Increase your credibility level: To make connections with other communities, you can provide your input to other groups. One way to do this is by leveraging material you are in the process of creating. Good examples of this include press releases, or a spotlight on media attention you have received from magazines and trusted websites. For example, if your article gets published somewhere, you can create conversations in particular LinkedIn communities, which will drive those group members to your content for B2B data provision campaign. Not only does this get you exposure, it also strengthens your credibility. It also positions your company as a thought leader and prospects will want to connect with you.

6.      Direct Sale: Social networking is about sharing knowledge and expertise, but you may also want to purchase a LinkedIn direct advertisement. This ad will only be visible to your target audience. You can make a selection according to industry, company, job title or function, age, seniority, and company size and even membership in other LinkedIn groups.

The takeaway message is to sync your social media account with your LinkedIn profile, for effective B2B data provision as it increases your credibility by giving your input to other groups. 

Sure Shot Techniques for Internet Marketing: Lead Generation Service UK

Every business has specific target market and distinct needs for lead generation services, hence it is not possible to adopt the same set of lead generation methods for every business. As it is important for every business to position its product or services in the right market segment, it is also very important for the business to identify its target customer. This will help it choose the right sources of relevant leads.

Most of the businesses require a continuous pipeline of leads to be generated, which can be further nurtured into continuous sales. In order to achieve this pipeline of leads, multiple lead generation channels must be chosen and clubbed to fuel a marketing campaign. Even if you outsource this process to lead generation services UK, you will have to a good idea of which method is best for lead generation for your business. Below mentioned are some lead generation techniques used by lead generation services UK that make your internet marketing strategy to get you more leads for your business:

1. Online Ads: An attractive, precise and clean online ad can draw huge traffic to your website. This is rather an economical and highly efficient lead generation technique for your internet marketing strategy. If you put the right keywords on your ad, catchy visuals and pictures and monitor your ad performance, you can have very relevant leads which would convert easily into sales.
2. Search Engine Optimization: When every competitor of yours want to capture the lead before you do, it becomes essential for your website to be more visible on the search engine. Being ranked higher on the search engines list increases the chances of the prospective customer visit your website instead of the one that was ranked lower on the search engine list. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the process that makes your website rank higher in a list of online searches. SEO is a popular lead generation technique because it can actually bring you more qualified leads when done right.
3. Landing Pages: Designing your website in a visitor friendly manner can substantially hike the number of qualified leads you get from your website. Landing Pages are a great lead generation technique, as they can be highly customized to address the interest of the customer being targeted. For example, you can have a testimonials page where your past customers can write their experiences and how your offer gave solution to their problem. Make you website highly informative with blogs and your detailed contact information.
4. Social Media: In order to have high revenue, you have to have a high number of leads generated every now and then and for that you need to access the places where the crowd is. There is no better platform on internet than social media, to reach out to your target group of customers. Social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn are powerful sources of very focused leads.

Now its up to you to choose the best mix of lead generation strategies for your internet marketing campaign. 

Use Your Landing Page For Data Provision And Lead Generation

When you are serving in the industry for a long period of time, you have to innovate and refresh time and again. Your clients will wish to see something interesting and refreshing when they walk with you over a long stretch. Capturing and keeping the customers engaged is a tough job but you will have to work endlessly to keep the connection alive. One of the best ways to do so is by keeping the landing page impressive. Study shows that an effective and well-designed landing page is an effective data provision and lead generation tool. Here are some tips for landing page:

• The content of your landing page should be captivating and all about what the customers want to read. Monotonous ring to the page will cost you a lot of your clients. It is important to keep the content mixed and matched to the tunes of the prospects for effective data provision and lead generation.
• One of the best and most effective ways of doing so is by offering something for free to your audience. Offer the prospects some Ebooks on the topics related to their research, this will ignite their interest.
• A good collection of guides will help the readers in their findings and stay hooked on to you and your company. Providing the prospects with Original Data and Research will inspire them to come back to you again and again.
• You can also lure your audience with a wide spectrum of kits, trials and tools which they can download free of cost and utilize it. Such generosity will not go unnoticed and the prospects will come back to thank you and build the relation further and strengthen the B2B data provision and lead generation campaign.
• Bringing to the clients a quality load of Podcasts, Courses, Demos, Presentations, Templates, White Papers, Worksheets and .Zip Files will make your intellectual image much stronger. Customers will know that your knowledge about the industry is far better than any and this will give you the upper hand that you require.
• You can also build up and enhance your public image by endowing the prospective customers with interesting Interviews, Videos and Webinars that will hold their attention. Mixing the content of your landing page with appealing multimedia to support your cause will give you the edge.
• You should also exploit the traditional Email Series, Email Subscriptions and CTAs (Call-To-Action) as mediums to reach the people.
• Another proven way to hit the right note with the audience is by announcing Contests and distributing free Tickets for events etc. as it is our innate nature to compete and win.

Leave no stone unturned to capture and convert the prospects to leads. Innovate and experiment with the landing page to increase your customers every now and then. Notice what suits and attracts the most to the people and alter your course accordingly for the best results in data provision and lead generation.