How bad data can affect your marketing results

You’ve probably heard of, or know, the computer expression GIGO: Garbage In, Garbage Out. No matter how advanced your computer system, the output will only ever be as good as the information you put in. The same principle applies to marketing; no matter how brilliant your campaign is, if you use bad data you’ll get poor results – Garbage In, Garbage Out.

If you’re marketing to potential customers, targeting and engaging with the right decision makers is essential for your campaign to be effective. Using out-of-date, inaccurate data puts you at risk of targeting the wrong people, negatively impacting response and even damaging your reputation – GIGO in motion.

For example, you could design and build the perfect e-shot but if you send this to an out-of-date, one-off list of email addresses you’ll be contacting companies who are no longer trading or relevant to the industry, or individuals who have gone to another company, retired or passed away.

Using good data helps you put your message in front of exactly the right people, dramatically improving your results.

Where can I find good data for the window and construction industry?

It can be confusing when purchasing data but the acid test is the investment the data company makes in managing their database. Some companies have one or two staff who update a basic database, but this is prone to mistakes and means many records can be left for years if the researcher can’t get hold of them.

At Insight Data we specialise in accurate, up-to-date data for the fenestration and construction industries and help companies of all sizes connect with the right decision makers in their sector. Our databases include

• Fabricators & Installers
• Small Builders
• Architects & Specifiers
• Housebuilders
• Main Contractors
• Renewable Energy

It might be tempting to buy cheap, one-off data but we recommend investing in a quality database as the costs, and more, will be returned to you as a result of better marketing.

The most accurate and relevant data in the industry

During a recent audit by the Direct Marketing Association the assessors stated that Insight had the most accurate data they had ever seen.

We value quality data and the excellent results it gives our customers, and continually invest in our research methods.

We invested over £250,000 in a very sophisticated software platform which uses seven different methods of updating information in real-time. Any new info put into the system is available for you to see instantly.

For example, an integrated XML feed from a credit reference agency identifies companies on our database that have gone bust, moved or changed directors. Another system feeds-in new company formations and start-ups.

In 2012 we introduced ‘closed loop’ returns.  We test our entire email database on average every 14 days and bounce-backs are fed directly back into our software for immediate updating. A similar process exists for direct mail ‘returns’. As a result, our deliverability rate is 98% by email and 99.7% by post.

The software constantly analyses the database, determining which records should be contacted by our research team, and what information to collect, while calls are recorded and used for training and improvement.

Don’t fall victim to the GIGO principle; make sure you use quality data for quality results from your marketing. For more information on our databases and services call Zach Ward on 01934 808293