Are you looking for ways to get better results through data? If so, you are in the right place to help your business take off.
Let’s start with the end in mind: understanding your customer.
Why Does Understanding Your Customer Matter?
It seems like technology is moving faster than ever. Tech tools now enable us to know what customers are seeking, investigating, and purchasing. It’s a whole new world.
Knowing your customer’s habits, behaviors, and preferences is the key to unlock exceptional communication and marketing. You won’t be shooting in the dark or just jumping from one ‘great idea’ to the next. You’ll have actual data to inform your decisions, strategies, and tactics.
As more businesses move to online services, there is an increasing need to understand what customers are doing. The new hero on the block is the customer data platform.
What You Know Can Help You
Let’s start with terms. If you’re curious what the terms mean, you are not alone. Even experienced professionals in marketing and sales often aren’t sure and ask, “What is CDP?”
A Customer Data Platform is also known as “CDP.” This software collects data from customers from multiple sources and pulls it together into a unified and consistent format.
The data can include behavioral data such as actions taken on a website, actions taken such as talking with live chats or digital assistants. You’ll see the number, frequency, and length of interactions. It can also include transactional data such as customer purchases, returns, and exchanges, and demographic data such as customer name, location, or date of birth.
The data is consolidated from multiple sources including websites, apps, e-commerce, or POS systems.
Data Is A Window
Here’s the great thing about data. It is a window into the perspective, view, and behaviors of your prospects and customers. When you have the right data, you can design effective communications to meet your customer where they are.
Think about it.
You probably already do this with yourself as the customer. Many marketers are data lovers. Perhaps you are in love with data. You’re already using self-tracking to understand your behaviors and patterns.
For example, let’s say that you’ve got a sweet tooth. You love those sweets. But, your doctor has been hounding you to make better choices. And, you aren’t so thrilled that you don’t fit into your favorite jeans anymore. You decide to keep track of possible causes and contributing factors.
After one week, you notice a trend. You’re going for ice cream, cookies, and candy-like there’s no tomorrow. You decide to track what is going on every day and every night. After the first week, you make some clear decisions to reduce added sugars.
First, no more shopping for groceries while hungry. Second, no sugary sodas in the house. Third, buy fresh fruit instead of cookies.
After a few weeks, you start to see a difference. You’ve got more energy through the day, have a better self-image, and there’s a little more room to breathe.
It may seem impossible at the beginning, but a little bit of work with new data helped you make more informed decisions.
How To Maximize Results
There is a strong similarity. You decided to track data, interpret data, and make changes based on new data. In the same way, with the right customer data, you can track behaviors, interpret patterns, and make adjustments in your marketing messages.
Also similar, you won’t always make the same changes simply because the data is evolving. Customers don’t always keep doing the same things. Patterns change.
Tracking customer data is becoming increasingly important. With the right data, you can respond to developments with speed and accuracy. With a single view, you’ll have the best information that is up to date, relevant, and secure.
Final Thoughts
Understanding the needs of your customers is essential for success in online and offline businesses. Naturally, if you’re working in diverse locations, having access to a single source of data is critical. It enables you to be responsive and sensitive to the evolving needs of your customers.
With the right data and a passion for caring for your customers, you can make the best decisions in marketing, sales, and service.
