Buying data is one of the most important investments a business can make when it comes to lead generation and conversion. With B2B data purchasing, sales teams can be quickly provided with those all-important contact details for potential clients. However, buying B2B data can be redundant if that information is not properly used.
Transforming new contacts that are cold leads into hot ones is the main goal when you purchase data but how is this achieved?
Purchasing B2B Data
From the most advanced and modern CRM systems to the simplest of spreadsheets, it isn’t just gathering data but also the correct way to store and maintain data that is important. Without the use of a third-party, trying to organize this in-house can be incredibly difficult and can lead to increased chances of human error and be very time-consuming and costly.
Staff can be left to focus on more important tasks with the use of a data provider, while still making sure everything is GDPR compliant.
Not every data provider works for every business, each one is different and it’s crucial to shop around to make sure the vendor understands the business needs and wants. A reputable data provider will be candid with customers and upfront if they don’t believe they can provide the best results for them.
Getting The Most For Your Money
No business should invest in a data provider and have to find they are not provided with the results they expected. B2B marketers waste, on average, 19% of their budget so let’s try and change that!
When signing up with a vendor, set out a clear brief of exactly what is required, no detail is too small, this way, the best results can be achieved.
Be specific with as much as possible, from job titles, location, sector, size of company, seniority or anything else that could be crucial to the gathering of data.
Be clear to the provider why this data is needed and the journey the information will take after it has been obtained, this will help the provider understand what is needed and why.
Check Data Processing
GDPR has placed barriers and other problems since its introduction for many businesses and marketing teams have had to change their ways to remain compliant.
Checking the laws, regulations and guidelines of the business should be the first step before using any of this data.
Typically, business emails are within guidelines for cold emails. In the majority of cases, sending an email to an address from purchased data will fall with GDPR laws but this can change within industries so always check.
Be Personal
A great contact list is one thing, being able to grab recipients’ attention is a whole other ball game. With the right emails, businesses can turn those cold leads into hot ones.
When writing marketing emails, imagine every recipient is the ideal client and create emails to suit their needs. Any recipient who would be interested in the business will then perceive this as having a very personal tone.
Asking current customers what led them to choose the business can offer valuable feedback on how to attract the attention of new customers.
Even those who aren’t interested in the emails sent and choose to unsubscribe can be useful, adding a feedback box as to why they are unsubscribing can help adjust emails to suit a wider audience. Many B2B companies opt for using databases for creating a better overview, marketing, and sales leads, and one of the most popular that’s better than zoominfo is Uplead, which is worth exploring if you are working in the B2B field.
Quality Over Quantity
The contents of an email can make or break a lead, so this needs to be done correctly.
Be as personal as possible, using recipients’ names can help, but not as much as piquing their interests. Discovering what topics would be in their interest from their user history and work from there.
Keep things short, no one wants to read a lengthy email from a business they are not acquainted with. Keep to the key elements of what you are trying to get across if they want to find out more, they will go onto the website.
Don’t give everything away is emails, always leave the reader wanting more, this way, they are more likely to get in touch, then the sales team will have a better chance of converting.
Use A Reputable Vendor
Having constant support from your provider is crucial, even if the initial integration with new systems appears seamless, there can always be issues down the line.
Choosing an expert with the best customer service can make a huge difference.
Follow-Ups and Leads
One email usually won’t give the results wanted, two of even three follow-ups is what does the trick. However, when a lead is showing interest, bombarding them with dozens of emails and huge amounts of information is counterproductive.
Instead, provide them with useful snippets of information. Light blogs and short podcasts can work.
When they have shown interest in these, that’s when they are more likely to want to know more and sign-up with the business, supply them with what they need.
Measure Success
Knowing the effectiveness of each campaign is crucial for creating the next one. By using ESPs, businesses can track opened emails and see how much of an impact email titles have had.
Click-through rates provide a deeper understanding of who is engaging with email content. This is one of the most important metrics.
Once a user is on the business page, monitoring bounce rate and how a user interacts with a page can help content creators and web developers optimise pages.
