Get a Treat of 6 Tricks to Maximize ROI on Your B2B Database This Halloween

Mike Connolly, October 29, 2015

The custom of “trick or treat” is enjoyable for children during Halloween. In the B2B world, are you as marketers gifting an actual treat to your customers or are you using tricks to boost results of your campaigns? Above are 6 tricks that can help you maximize ROI of your B2B database:

Trick 1: Deal with  Data Decay – Replace rotten apples with candy apples

When you have a database that is outdated and inaccurate, all you have is a basket of rotten apples instead of candy apples. We all know that connecting with zombies is ineffective and all you will get is a dead response. According to industry experts, approximately….

• 25% of B2B databases are inaccurate
• 60% of companies consider their data to be “unreliable”
• 80% of companies have databases that contain “risky” phone records

These frightening stats send a clear message to next-generation B2B marketers, to address the biggest fear of Data Decay. It does not if you have a huge database with inaccurate contacts, only a quality database with accurate and relevant contacts will have the necessary impact in connecting with your target audience.

The best way to deal with data decay is to make sure your database is regularly updated, verified and validated. In this way, you will be able to improve email deliverability, response rates and conversion rates. To deal with data decay, get your database cleansed now.

Trick 2: Use Data-Driven Websites and Databases – Houses who treat kids with the right kind of candy, get tricked the least.

In pursuit of candy, children usually trick those houses that fail to give them the kind of candy they want. With B2B buyers as well, you need to deliver content and marketing messages based on their preferences, to get a better response.

Data-driven websites and databases enable you to stay tuned in with your prospects and customers. Every time a prospect or customer, visits your website, fills in a form, downloads a document, clicks on a link on your website, expresses interest to contact your brand, you need to know.

Data is integral in creating a personalized and exceptional experience, in today’s customer centric world. With data-driven websites and databases you can convert data into actionable insights, map website visitor interactions from various touchpoints, and conduct real-time response analysis to provide value addition and create a customer centricity.

Trick 3: Be Relevant with Apt Targeting – Approach only those houses where you get full-sized candy bars.

As children, the best approach in getting the best treats was to find houses that gave out full-sized candy. Similarly in the B2B context, it is effective to connect with a specific audience using targeted campaigns, than send out a generic message to a wider audience. You may be aware of frightening stat that says that ‘untargeted campaigns cost 3.6 times more than targeted campaigns’!

Based on information of online interactions from your data-driven database, you can create behavioral profiles and identify segments. Added to that, you can use demographic, geographic, psychographic and behavioral information, to target individuals with messages that resonate with them.

Trick 4: Harness the Power Automation – Leave candy on your doorstep to focus on intrinsic activities like pumpkin carving

Instead of spending time distributing candy to children, wouldn’t it be better to get into some pumpkin carving. As B2B marketers, implementing strategic ideas will deliver better results than getting involved in operational activities that are time consuming.

By using marketing automation tools, it is possible on strategic areas to improve marketing ROI. You need to have a Marketing Technology Stack, which is a combination of marketing tools to process data from different sources and identify the right kind of communication for various segments. A typical marketing technology stack would include the following tools:

Trick 5: Use Compelling Costumes in Content Marketing – Kids with the most creative costume usually get the best candy.

Typically, kids who take the effort to make creative costumes are the ones who get the best and most amount of candy. Content marketing is no longer only about content; it is about packaging content to provide visual appeal. B2B buyers prefer visual, snackable and easy-to-digest content. Especially since most of them consume marketing messages through smartphones and tablets.

Visual content such as videos, webinars, interactive presentations and infographics have higher potential of driving responses and increasing engagement. Channels used in sharing visual content are also important. Besides sending emails, distributing content on sites Slideshare and social media channels is a great way to increase shareability and widen online brand exposure.

Trick 6: Use Inbound and Outbound Tactics – While you take candy you need to give out some too.

While getting candies is always a treat, you need to give out some too to keep up the spirit of celebration. Inbound marketing is about earning the interest of prospects, not buying them. Inbound tactics include lead nurturing, content marketing, blogging and engagement through social media. Outbound marketing is a demand generation tactic which mainly includes lead generation through landing pages and telemarketing.

By complementing your inbound marketing tactics with outbound techniques, you can boost your lead generation efforts, with lead qualification and email marketing. In this way, you can make your campaigns engaging, nurture prospects till they become sales-ready and drive optimum results.