Big Data, Better Marketing? Tips For Success

Big data is big — and growing every second as more information is funneled through network hardware, cloud-based services and mobile applications. However, many companies aren't making best use of this data; as The Register points out, most say they'll find a way to “go big” and dive into the big data lake, but instead combine a host of smaller ponds from multiple business silos; no surprise the result doesn't match expectations. This is especially true for the front lines — marketing efforts get a huge boost from well-curated information but often get the dregs. Here are four tips for better marketing with your big data.

Persona Development

For marketers, the ideal audience is one already predisposed to buy your product. The problem? Finding this market in advance. Typically, meeting this challenge meant using website logs and feedback from sales associates to craft a sort of Frankenstein — a stitched-together version of the “ideal” customer that ignored specific habits or preferences, but instead offered a generic view of the person behind the purchase.

By mining big data from consumer surveys, social sites and CRM reports generated when sales agents interact with customers, however, it's possible to develop a much more accurate picture of the clientele buying your product or using your service. In effect, you develop multiple “personas,” each with different needs and buying habits that help target your marketing efforts and avoid the cost overruns that come with trying to reach everyone.

Superior SEO

As noted by Smart Data Collective, big data also gives you the opportunity to dominate search engine optimization for your marketing efforts. By crawling the Web and scraping sites for data such as keywords and backlinks — then combining this information with prospective consumer profiles — it's possible to improve the reach of your campaigns by making sure they use the right language, appear on the right websites, and are delivered over the right platforms. Put simply, superior SEO lowers the chance your message will get missed.

Trend Spotting

What's next? The question plagues all marketers — sure, your current campaign may have been successful, but how do you top those sales numbers? Repetition and variation only get you so far, meaning you need a reliable way to predict future trends and send customers the right message before they look somewhere else. The right big data tools not only allow you to track the emergence of keyword-based demand but also specific behavioral patterns, which — when analyzed — point to generalized future outcomes. In effect you get the inside track on what's about to happen, giving you an edge over the competition.

Maximizing Multichannel

Big data can also help maximize your multichannel marketing efforts. With consumers no longer satisfied to have their experience managed in “chunks” across telephone, mobile and Web channels, it's essential to develop a model that allows seamless interaction. A recent CIO piece, for example, discusses the author's frustration in repeating his problem multiple times to multiple channel points. By leveraging big data to give all channels access to consumer purchase and compliant history, marketing can pump up the value of enhanced customer service, in turn improving sales.

Better marketing demands big data: Develop personas, uncover SEO, spot new trends and make the most of multichannel.

About the author

Dheeraj Juneja is the Founder & CEO of Loginworks Softwares. Dheeraj has more than 16 years of experience in information technology. Loginworks Softwares specializes in Data AS A Services for big data needs. Some of Loginworks services include data mining, web scraping, and ecommerce data. Prior to Loginworks, Dheeraj was involved in core projects for distinguished IT companies like Dell Services (earlier Perot Systems), eMobilo and Value Research Online.

Connect with Dheeraj on LinkedIn

Comments

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
CAPTCHA
This question is for preventing automated spam submissions.