Importance of customer data

Almost all effective marketing efforts talk about these common traits: They're targeted, thoughtful, cost effective and opportunistic.

In this respect, some of the most valuable information you already own is housed within your customer relationship management (CRM) system. Whatever system you employ, chances are that it has a prosperity of customer and possibility data that provides valuable insights for your program.

We think it's a smart idea to view your CRM by using a marketing lens and figure out how the data within it can strategically and tactically support your marketing efforts.

Allow me to share five tricks for leveraging your CRM data:
1. Make targeted campaigns
By checking demographic and behavioral information in your CRM, you will gain more understanding on your contacts increase in more successful speaking to their needs. For example, if you know that construction industry companies in a specific region are more likely to buy your service, you should develop targeted campaigns for this audience.

2. Track client and prospect engagement
When you have the capabilities, map your marketing activities -- like website visits, premium content for downloading, and email interactions -- into your CRM so that when your team pulls up a record, they have an improved picture of how a given client or prospect interacts with your small business.

3. Customize messaging
This goes a step beyond just being able to merge somebody's name and/or company into a message. By developing the messaging to your audience, you will see better results. Don't require a "spray-and-pray" approach to releasing your articles and sales information. Instead, send it to segmented lists from your CRM to which it applies.

For illustration, if you're selling salaries services, then it's practical to deliver messages to titles including HR, control or CFO. For payroll-specific messages, it is likely you don't need to include sales and marketing titles.

4. Search for prospects
Use your CRM data on your best clients and build an account to find similar companies in your database. You can use lead scoring (a process used to rank potential clients depending on their perceived value) to high-potential prospects in your database. By credit scoring your prospects, you can prioritize the top leads and allocate your resources in a more effective manner. Perhaps everyone on your target list gets an email communication, but your sales staff only calls at the top 20 percent.

5. Keep your data clean
We've all read the expression "garbage in, garbage out, " so don't fall victim to it. You can only go to date with the tactics mentioned previously with bad data. Minus someone regularly monitoring your database, then consider getting a data health company at least one time a year. Info goes bad roughly at a rate of 2 percent a month. No longer let your marketing strategies go through due to negligence.

What ever your approach, ensure you influence CRM data in etiquette that are targeted, considerate, cost effective and opportunistic, to increase your marketing work.