Table of Contents

Acknowledgments    ix

Introduction    xi

1. The Marketing Database: The Essential Tool of Business Sales and Marketing    1

What Is a Marketing Database?    1

How the Database Drives Value for Business Marketers    2

Characteristics and Challenges of B2B Data    3

Essential B2B Data Elements    4

Types of Data Available to Business Marketers    8

What a Marketing Database Is Not    10

Whither the B2B Marketing Database?    18

2. Data Sources:Where to Get Customer Information    20

Internal Data Sources    21

External Data Sources    23

New Data Sources    37

Appended Information    39

Data Discovery    44

What Data Not to Collect    45

3. Data Architecture: Setting It Up Right    47

Who Is Your Customer, Really?    48

The Impact of Database Applications    50

How Customer Size Impacts Your Data Architecture    52

Understanding Your Customer’s Buying Process    53

Deciding on a Data Architecture Approach    54

Essential Questions to Address    57

Efficient Planning for Data Architecture    63

Basic B2B Record Architecture    67

The Challenge of Bringing in New Records    71

Build It In-house or Outsource It?    73

Architect Your Data for the Future    75

4. Managing Person Data in an Organizational World    76

Why Bother with Person Data in B2B Marketing?    76

Rise of the Contact in B2B Databases    77

Understanding the Interplay Between Contacts in an Organization    82

5. Data Management: Keep It Clean    92

How Business Data Degrades    92

The Business Case for Clean Data    94

The State of Your Business Data Today    95

Data Hygiene Best Practices    98

6. How Business Marketers Use Their Customer Information    105

Uses of Data in B2B    112

7. Managing Marketing Data in GlobalWorld    128

Value of Data on the Rise    128

Data for an Increasingly ConnectedWorld    132

Considerations When Managing Global Data    135

How Will Data Be Acquired in These Countries    137

Test Your Resolve    139

Beyond Address Data    142

Checklist for Getting Started    144

8. Managing Data on a Shoestring: Marketing Databases for Small Businesses    146

The Importance of Data    146

Seven Steps to Getting the Most from Your Business Data    148

What If You Need Help?    157

9. Troubleshooting: Thorny Problems and Solutions    167

Matching and De-duplication    167

The Record of Truth    168

Bad Data Entry    168

Multiple Addresses    168

Attribution    169

Unstructured Data    169

Out-of-Control Job Titles    169

Real Time Data    170

Contact History Migration    170

Identifying Website Visitors    171

Data Capture by Sales Reps    171

Web-form Data Holes    171

International Data    172

Data Priorities    172

Missing Data    173

Product Taxonomies    173

Fields Too Small    174

White Mail    174

Job Changes    174

Missing Email Addresses    175

Email versus Postal Addresses    175

Competitive Data    175

Purchase Intent Data    175

Decision Makers    176

Purchase Influencers    176

Data Capture    176

Constant Change    177

10. Case Studies in Database Marketing    178

Makino Jumps Headlong into Database Marketing    178

Staples Models Customer Behavior to Optimize Retention Marketing Investment    181

Saas Company Five9 Focuses Its Customer Acquisition Marketing on Top Customer Look-Alikes    183

Predictive Modeling Identifies Profitable Small Business Targets for Community First Credit Union    184

Yellowbook Uses Data to Improve Advertising Sales Results    188

Edmund Optics: The Story of Two Data-Driven Campaigns    190

Michelin North America Supports Its Dealers with Data-Driven Marketing    195

EU Services and Digital Impact: Two Services Companies Using Data Innovatively to Assess Customer Value    200

11. The Fast-evolving Future of B2B Database Marketing    204

The End of the Database “Build”    204

The Total Customer View    204

No More Campaigns    205

The Merging of B2B and B2C    205

Faster Access to New Tools and Approaches    205

The Rise of the Marketing Technologist    205

Sales and Marketing Symbiosis    206

Real-time Marketing Gets Real    206

The Revenge of the Nerds    206

Big Picture Automation    206

A Simpler Technology Picture    206

Complexity Moves to the Cloud    207

A Sensible Balance Between Data, Insight, and Marketing Strategy    207

The End of the List Business    207

B2C Continues to Cut the Edge in Database Marketing    207

The Freedom to Be Creative    207

The Rise—and Possible Fall—of the Data Scientist    208

Data Is the Business    208

The Growing Influence of Marketing    208

Accelerating Pace of Change    208

Appendices    209

Index    274