Is it time for your annual data exam?

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You probably get a physical every year – or at least you plan to.  And your car gets its yearly tuneup, right?  So why not your data?

Data is an integral part of the marketing game. Without it, B2B marketing is just a practice exercise.  So why waste time chasing leads based on bad data?  Underperforming data ups your frustration level and lowers your net results. The first step in avoiding it is identifying what makes good data go bad.

Good Data vs Bad Data

The best data types are those highly-specific leads that every marketer loves to have.  Good data is simply complete data; bad data is the stuff that clutters up your database.  You know it already:  incomplete information, duplicate records, false email addresses, disconnected phone numbers.

If you’re experiencing the draining effect of bad data, you’re not alone.  A recent study estimates that more than 50% of all companies have data-accuracy issues.  The same study indicates that data degrades – changes and becomes inaccurate –  at the rate of almost 25% each year.

Get Your Annual Data Checkup

Fortunately, you don’t have to be stuck with the onerous task of sorting through each line of your database by hand.  NetProspex, the company who commissioned the study referenced above, offers marketers a comprehensive solution: the NetProspex Data HealthScan Report.

And here’s a word B2B marketers love to use (and hear): it’s free.

Simply enter your targeting criteria and a sample of your existing database and NetProspex will tell you:

  • Percentage of deliverable emails
  • Percentage of connectable phone numbers
  • Percentage of duplicate records
  • Percentage of incomplete records (records where fields are left blank)

You’ll also get a summary of popular trends in your data, including business titles, company names and location, key industries, and the most prevalent profile in your contact list.

So make February the month your data gets its annual checkup, and quit wasting time on unprofitable, incomplete leads.

Note: We have not been compensated by Netprospex for this post in any way. We just really like their tools!

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