5 Questions to focus on in order to avoid the pitfalls of bad data

It doesn’t matter at which stage of B2B email marketing you are in your business, the one thing that you will always have to be sure about is the quality of data you are working with. All the successful businesses out there have been able to reach that stage because they were able to reach the right people, at the right time and with the right message and they are still doing the same thing. But if you are running a business then how can you make sure that the data you are working with is clean, uniform, updated, and accurate?

Buying data for B2B email marketing from different database providers has become a new normal but this doesn’t mean that all the data provided by different database providers is up the mark. If you will choose a database provider by the look of things and directly start working on the data provided by that company then it will make your effort and money go astray and you will be left with an ineffective marketing campaign.

This is why, in this blog post, we will look at the top 5 questions that you will need to focus on in order to avoid any type of pitfall related to bad data.

• How are the lists researched?

One of the first questions that you will need to focus on avoiding pitfalls of bad data is the research done for obtaining the list. You should know that if you will be aware about the research process used in order to obtain the list, you will be able to see the past pitch and you will get to the heat of which type of data you are buying and what is the actual quality of the B2B email database? You should never shy away from challenging the database provider as such an approach will force your marketers to fall into the trap of bad data.

• How often do these lists are updated?

The one important thing that you need to know here is the longevity of the B2B marketing data lists that you have purchased in the form of B2B email database will totally depend on the data set. There are many data sets that can be considered static like the demon characteristic because they change rarely. But then there are those data sets that are dynamic in nature like the location because they can change. This is the main reason why asking about the frequency of updating the data becomes crucial. If you will get an updated list then you can be sure that you are working with accurate and relevant information.

• How are they updated?

You shouldn’t settle up with the information about the frequency of updates only as knowing how the list is updated is also very necessary. If your data provider is using a manual method for updating the data then it will become a very lengthy process and the company will never be able to keep up with the pace and match the demand. But if a database provider will be using AI based software solutions then it will be able to set an automatic data update system and thus the data will get updated on a regular basis. If you are targeting intent data then you should look for only those database providers that refresh their data weekly by using advanced technology.

• Where is the information updated from?

Knowing the source of updating the data is also very necessary because there are many database providers out there that only do formality on the basis of keeping their data updated. If the company will use unrealistic sources then data legacy will push you to buy a small amount of accurate information or a large amount of inaccurate information.

If the database provider is hesitating in giving you details about the source from where the data is updated then you can be sure that there is something wrong. A good company will never shy away from giving you this kind of information.

• How is it verified?

Just having B2B marketing data lists for the sake of having it will not be enough and you will have to know how the list you are getting is verified. The record that you are getting must be telephones or at least web verified in order to know whether the business is still functional or not.

If a database company will be using this type of verification process then it will become very easy for the database vendor to gather more information about the prospect that it can add in the list. You should never step back from asking your database provider about the enhancement process and the number of people involved in the verification process.

You need to make sure that you are using high quality, accurate, and updated lists in the form of a database in order to make your marketing campaign successful. Ask the above-mentioned question and stay away from the pitfall of bad data.