Spring Cleaning Your Data
3 ways TO BE OUT with the old… and in with the new
Flowers are blooming, allergies are returning in full force, and with summer knocking on our door, we feel the urge to clean house and lighten the load in preparation. Spring cleaning is as suited to dealing with your old pairs of jeans as it is your email database. So let’s take a look at a few steps you can take to trim down your old lists and prepare for a new, successful, and targeted season.
1. Take a Look at Your Data Fields
The data downfall we are all too often guilty of is that we collect data just for a rainy day. Sure, data is key, but good data is paramount. Every question you ask your customers creates a touchpoint for you to use when connecting with them. Ineffective data collects the responses but is not relevant enough to your brand to create these conversations. Some questions to ask yourself when evaluating your data collection are:
Is this necessary to my customer’s journey?
What marketing initiatives do I have or could I have in place to capitalize on this data? Drip campaigns for birthdays? Or maybe geo-targeted email campaigns for club members?
Have I done anything with this data in the last 6 to 9 months?
Answer those questions and pivot from here. Can you adjust your POS system to capture the data you want? Can your email subscription form be tweaked on your website?
2. Consider a Re-engagement Campaign
Bigger is better, right? Not necessarily when it comes to customer list size. The goal is to have customers that are interested in the information you have to share with them and that engage with your content regularly. Take a look at your email campaign open rates and notice any trends that have formed. Now, let’s make the most out of your email marketing system’s tools… You may consider filtering your list by a number of parameters you feel fit best with the goal of your email campaigns. For example, you could filter by customers who have not opened any email campaigns in the last 3 campaigns, 3 months, or even 6 months. Or, you could decide you want to measure success by clicks/interactions with your campaigns.
When brushing off the dust from your data, keep in mind you don’t want to lose the opportunity to connect with these customers entirely, but you do want a healthy list responding to your brand’s activity. Whether now or a short while later, it is advisable to re-engage these “inactive” customers through a new light, offering them the chance to continue their relationship with you. The best part about this strategy is that you control the message that these customers receive. You can tailor some of your best content for this audience or even present a unique offer to entice them back into the fold of your database. Remember, your customers are spring cleaning their email subscriptions, too – you want to make your best case for why you should remain a part of their inbox.
3. Send it to the Shop: Data Append
Sometimes the trick to spring cleaning success is knowing when to bring in the professionals. Having quality data is the goal, but your efforts can only go so far to identify areas of bad data. Have you noticed a climbing email bounce rate? Or maybe a higher rate of delivery failures? Just like you, your customers’ details will change over the years. They may change email addresses, job titles, etc., but that doesn’t mean that you should lose touch with them. Sending your data to be appended allows your list to be returned with updated fields where possible and even additional data points at your request. That’s where deciding which fields are most important to your brand comes in handy.
Your Data in Full Bloom
Much like spring cleaning your house, having successfully completed a spring data clean feels light, efficient, and full of possibilities. Taking the time now to cultivate your data’s integrity will supercharge your marketing efforts. Although tedious in the short run, the long-term returns on diligent data management are incomparable. So why not start now? Summer’s almost here, after all!
Want to talk more about best practices when it comes to data management? Let’s get in touch - here.
