This is the first post in a 5-part series on hidden attribution flaws marketers should watch out for in their marketing strategy.
How clean is the data in your marketing automation platform? It is likely you cleaned at some point, but are you cleaning it regularly? Data changes instantly and consistently, and if you don’t have an ongoing data health and hygiene plan in place, you’re likely experiencing data accuracy problems. For marketers, these data inaccuracies not only reduce campaign effectiveness, but are also potential roadblocks for measuring key marketing metrics like customer lifetime value (CLV).
Here are 4 signs that may point to data accuracy problems in your marketing automation platform:
Unusually high email bounce rate
The benchmark for email bounces is less than 2%. If you are experiencing bounce rates higher than this, you should investigate the state of your data. Data ages quickly as people make life changes. Email addresses change due to employees taking new jobs or updating their marital status. If you’re not sure how many email addresses in your database are accurate today, check into it.
Poor engagement performance
Even if your email makes it to the inbox, you could be experiencing a low response rate if you are out of touch with what your audiences are interested in. If your marketing automation platform isn’t scoring and nurturing leads based on their behaviors, you could be sending content your audience has already seen or isn’t hitting the mark.
Incorrect audience segmentation
Leads need to be in the right segment to be properly nurtured. Inaccurate data can lead to incorrect segment identification. If a marketing operations manager in your database changes roles and now works in the CRM platform, and you don’t know it, you may have them in the wrong audience segment. Recurring data hygiene and enrichment programs catch these updates and ensure your audience segments are up-to-date.
Decreasing lead quality passed to sales
If the overall quality of leads marketing is handing off to sales teams is in decline, data accuracy could be partly to blame. If job titles and functions of leads haven’t been kept up to date, sales won’t be connecting with the right decision-makers to close deals. This erodes trust between sales and marketing teams. Your outdated data could be impacting more than just your email bounce rates.
If these signs sound familiar, assessing the state of your data and structuring a remediation plan are good first steps. Our marketing automation team designs recurring data health and hygiene programs for our clients so data doesn’t become a major problem. If you have questions about data in your marketing technology platforms, our team is ready to help.
