In a certain kingdom in the days of yore, there was a customary annual event of shooting the most vicious of the incarcerated criminals to death with arrows. And this ‘benevolent’ task was done by none other than the king himself who carried not only the burden of bow and arrows on his shoulders but also the burden of justice. On a doomed day one year, no criminals were ushered by the prison guards despite their names being called out several times. Within a short while, it was unveiled that the prison-in-charge had made a list of criminals who had either escaped or were dead by then. The king, in a fit of rage, shot all the arrows on the prison-in-charge who lay dead in no time. May his soul rest in peace!
Do you know what the prison-in-charge’s crime was? His database had decayed. He did not maintain database hygiene, nor practiced data appending or data cleansing. And this led to the embarrassment of his establishment.
Do you want something of this sort (figuratively, of course) to happen to you?
Introducing Data Appending
Data is the new oil, they say. And you must refine the oil promptly to make it useful.
The word ‘append’ literally means to add something at the end of something else.
In the world of databases, data appending is adding new information about customers to their existing data so that the information at our disposal is accurate, verified, and complete. ‘Mr. in-charge’ should have done the same thing before the event.
The need for data appending for your business has now become imperative if you want your marketing and sales campaigns to succeed. Consider the following statistics for one year (2018-19):
- More than 30% of people changed their jobs.
- More than 60% of people changed their job titles.
- About 40% of sales and marketing campaigns failed because of inconsistent data.
Therefore, Data Appending must be one of the topmost priorities for businesses. But, is it as simple as it sounds?
Challenges of Data Appending
A study by Dun & Bradstreet in 2018 indicated that about half of the decisions taken by B2B marketers and salespeople are not based upon quantitative data analysis but on experience and instinct. The reason for this might be the fact that one-third of the organizations in the US consider their prospective and existing customer data to be inaccurate.
Although B2B marketers, in pursuit of devising lead generation strategies, also practice data appending and data cleansing frequently, old, outdated data nevertheless continues to reside in their databases. Following are some of the reasons based on a Forrester Research survey of about 500 data and decision strategy makers:
- Human error
- Lack of inter-department collaboration and communication
- Poor Data Appending and cleansing strategies
- Meager budgets
- Absence of relevant technology
Professional Data Appending services can help you overcome the challenges.
Partner with a Professional Data Management Service Provider
In logical steps: data appending is vital for the business. Next, data appending is challenging. Next, identify the challenges (and stop!). Now, you have to take the call whether each of the challenges can be solved at your end or you have to procure professional help?
Human error, poor strategies, and technological limitations can be rectified either by hiring specialists or by delegating your data management needs to an expert. For the lack of communication between departments, there can be several reasons—you need to identify the ones having adverse effects. In the case of budgets, you have to do the feasibility analysis to decide upon whether to take professional help or build an in-house team.
The technology world is advancing at a rapid pace amidst Industry 4.0. If you look at the trends, you will find three concepts at their peak, which can positively influence your decision with respect to procuring professional data management (including data appending) service. These are:
| Technology Concept | Application in Data Appending |
| Automation | Data Hygiene process that is highly efficient, unattended, and self-updating. |
| Analytics | Examining raw data to derive insights to determine whether it is of value or plain noise. |
| Cloud Computing | Leverage Cloud CRMs with in-built tools for customer profiling, segmenting, and targeting. |
Conclusion:
Those respondents who put the blame on technology (lack of relevant technology) must seriously consider getting professional help. For others as well partnering with a data management service provider is feasible. Delegate your data appending, cleansing, and in short, data management needs to the expert and instead focus on your core business.
Author BIO: Emily Johnson is a marketing consultant with 10+ years of experience in the execution of marketing strategies. She is interested in writing and helps SMBs and large firms with her rich experience. Currently, she heads the marketing department at Blue Mail Media, a renowned B2B data solution company based out of Irving, Texas. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.
