At What’sAppending? we know the frantic panic of taking client details can mean vital pieces of information are overlooked or documented incorrectly and your database is left with blank spaces throughout.

As a result, making contact with important customers can be very hit-and-miss which isn’t cost or time effective. We want to help you hit the nail on the head every time.

Using our global database of over two hundred million B2B and B2C records can help you reach your marketing goals by appending information to your customer database. We are able to append email addresses, telephone numbers and even find replacement contacts for employees who have left a business!

To find out more or to chat with one of our data appending specialists call 0845 467 4115 today.

What'sAppending in preparation for 2017

 

You may not be aware, but there’s a expected change in legislation which has the power to dramatically change the way in which companies approach and conduct B2B email marketing. Adding any new email data to a database could become increasingly difficult, if you don’t hold the relevant permissions. With this in mind, we have seen a shift recently to companies looking to append missing information, such as email and contact details, in an attempt to ‘get it now’.

This way, they safeguard themselves with grandfather rights over the datasets they hold. Theses changes aren’t expected until 2017, so you do have time, but it could be running out. We’re always here to have a conversation about your data issues, and are keen to speak with anyone who wants to look into completing their database information so please get in touch.

Speak to our team today by calling 0845 467 4115 or contact us

The Effectiveness Of Email MarketingEmail marketing still the most effective

A new piece of research has found that using email marketing to promote your brand is still the most effective method by which to attract British consumers. The report compared different forms of marketing and advertising and asked respondents how likely they would be to interact with an online retailer if they received these messages.

The data for Give as you Live, a price comparison site, was compiled from 4,234 consumers during November 2014. It showed that more consumers take notice of email marketing pieces than items they see on social media news feeds or through traditional advertising. Consumers who receive information direct to their email inbox are more likely to click on a link and carry out a transaction with the retailer than if they had received another form of marketing literature. In total, 64 per cent of consumers would open these emails and click through to the website, thus proving the effectiveness of email marketing.

Social media an inefficient approach

These results may surprise some people in the industry, especially with the supposed dominance of social media in our daily lives. Consumers tend to be bombarded by email messages every day, but this research shows that they are able to filter through those that are less important. This enables them to select the messages that are most attractive and useful to them.

Although many consumers use the likes of Facebook and Twitter every day and follow their favourite retailers and brands, this route is still a less effective form of marketing than email. Only 10% of recipients would click on a link received through their news feed. Traditional advertising is also not as effective, with just 10 per cent of those who saw the ad opening up the website and buying an item.

The least effective form of marketing, according to this survey, is pop-up ads. When these appear as consumers are browsing the internet, just 7 per cent would click through to the website being promoted.

Fashion brands are the most distracting

When it comes to identifying which brands are more likely to tempt consumers to click on a link, fashion retailers come out on top. 42 per cent of those surveyed would open an email from these retailers, making them the most attractive. Following fashion were travel brands, with 28 per cent of people tempted to open the email. This was followed by gaming and DVD retailers with 25 per cent of consumers attracted to their messages.

The survey found that consumers in Britain receive around 604 distractions a year from online brands. This means that it’s essential your messages stand out from all the others, to make them effective at attracting shoppers. They also need to be targeted at the right people, delivered straight to the inboxes of consumers who are likely to interact with your brand, thus increasing the effectiveness of email marketing. 

Bad Data Is Bad Business

Bad data can negatively affect a business
 
For businesses embarking on any type of marketing campaign, the quality of the data you use is crucial to its success. Using incorrect or out of date information can have a negative effect on a business’ reputation and it makes the database ineffective.  It is vital that any database is maintained regularly and that there is a strategy in place to ensure the quality of the information is high, bad data is bad business.

The problems of bad data

A survey from Sirius Decisions found that a quarter of B2B databases are inaccurate. Amongst the businesses that were surveyed, 80% of them were using phone details that were classed as risky and 60% had a data health rating of “unreliable”. Most businesses underestimate the problems caused by bad data. However, these can be long term and even affect the results of future campaigns.

Inaccurate data has a major impact on attempts to generate new revenue streams and successfully engage with customers. It can also cause the business to be blacklisted by Internet Service Providers (ISPs), which would mean you’re unable to send email marketing messages.

How to maintain effective data

Maintaining a database that contains accurate information is not a simple process and cannot be done once and then used continuously for years. The database has to be regularly updated, in order to de-dupe entries, check the details are correct and requires a process of data appending. This will ensure that the business pipeline remains strong, as messages will be sent through to the most appropriate person.

A business needs to have a strategy in place for managing the data. This will include ownership, with someone in charge of sending out information and maintaining the quality of the data. Before you start any campaign, you should give your database a health check to assess the accuracy of the information you hold. Investing in your database is a highly cost effective exercise.

Once you have an accurate and clean database, it needs to be regularly maintained. Whenever you send out marketing literature by email, ensure that the deliverability rate is over 90% and monitor the conversion rates. If these start to drop, it could be a sign that your data isn’t as clean as it could be.

When you’re buying in new data, only use information from reputable sources. Ensure that there are no duplicates in the records and use a data appending service to fill in any gaps. When you find old or out of date records, file them away separately in case they’re required at some future point.

A high quality database can give your business a competitive edge. The investment will pay off with increased revenue, positive branding and a greater level of customer interaction.

Just remember – bad data is bad business.

 Bad Data Is Bad Business