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LEAD GENERATION
Nick Martin
Managing Director
Acxiom
without the tools to make it relevant. This ‘silts 5. SEGMENTATION Accurate customer recognition is essential
up’ the marketing process, making it sluggish Can you split your leads into detailed to creating a positive customer experience,
and costly. With information overload demographic segments, at the individual or but it isn’t possible unless you have access to a
supported by the web, the emphasis for lead household level? single, accurate view of each of your
generation shifts from quantity to quality – customers across your lines of business.
pursuing fewer but more profitable leads. KEEPING UPTODATA Acxiom AbiliTec™ is an industry-leading set of
As a data strategist, are you confident that The most important turning point facing the customer data integration services to help
the data provided by your supplier fulfils the marketing data manager is the recognition make this possible by keeping track of data
following five criteria at the point it reaches you? that lead-gen data should not be a static changes – with advanced precision, speed and
commodity. Lead-gen information is processing capabilities that can provide an
1. CONTEXT constantly evolving, and these changes can immediate return on your customer
Do you know how the information was take place in a number ways. It could be a relationship management investment.
gathered? Will it be useful for different types of circumstance change, or a house move. It In recent years, the ability to gather
transactions? The details entered in a could be a shift in buying habits driven by customer information has transformed the
questionnaire, for example, might not be as customer interaction with a brand, age, or ways that marketers can interact with their
reliable as those entered more official records. external factors. On one hand, businesses leads. Thanks to online behavioural analysis
2. VALIDATION need to know about significant information and detailed tracking and personalisation,
Are the details you have still relevant now? Can updates, such as a change in marital status, companies have gained an unparalleled
they be validated at any given time to prove address or even surname. However, they also insight into the ways that consumers interact
their accuracy? Can you know if the details need to know the more granular information with their brand. This has allowed them to
have changed since they were gathered? to help make real-time, intelligent choices as divulge detailed marketing strategies that help
3. FRAUD DETECTION to what actually makes a lead a good one. consumers make decisions better, faster and
With budgets stretched, marketers need to be The only way that companies can ensure they more accurately than ever.
increasingly savvy about who they target. achieve this 360 view – and meet the five criteria But simply gathering this information
Detecting fraudulent behaviour in prospects outlined above – is to be able to trust that their lead- trusted that some leads will convert could
allows companies to make more intelligent gen information is filtered at the point of entry into leave companies confused, overwhelmed or
decisions about their leads. In other words, do their business. If data is constantly changing, then lagging behind. Essentially, marketers need to
you trust your leads? records are constantly changing as well. Simply understand not only who their leads are – but
4. PERSONAL PREFERENCE ‘spring cleaning’ the database once in a while will no why, how and when they became a potential
Do you know which types of customers like to longer cut the mustard when it comes to ensuring buyer. Only through real-time access to
be contacted in which specific ways? Are you profitability. Lead generation needs to be a intelligent lead-gen data can they achieve the
confident about their buying habits, or level of constantly evolving stream of variables that ensure ultimate level of relevance – instead of
disposable income? Do you know where they the snapshot of that customer is correct, optimised struggling with an ever-increasing pool of
are in the buying cycle? and validated at the point of delivery. uncontrolled, and expensive, information.
OPINIONS ON DATA | MAY 2009 5
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