Utilize Big Data for Targeted Email Marketing Campaigns

Now more than ever, marketers are collecting high volumes of data from multiple sources, including offline behaviors and online actions via social media, email and websites. By using analytical tools, we can use this data to move beyond mass marketing to customized one-to-one marketing. However, to start using Big Data does not mean you need to have millions of customers and terabytes of data. You can start by simply collecting information you weren’t collecting before.

Help Your Prospects Feel Welcome

When you send messages that demonstrate an understanding of the consumer and a desire to help him in some way,rather than bombarding him with generic marketing, he is more open to hearing from you, according to Greg Samson, Vice President of Marketing for CheapAir.com, who spoke on a panel about Big Data at the Email Insider Summit held December 2012.

At the panel (“Big Data-Another Buzzword … and Why Should I Care?” moderated by TowerData CEO Tom Burke), Erin Levzow, Director of eCommerce and Interactive Marketing at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, agreed, saying as long as you don’t get “too weird and creepy for people, [consumers] really like that-they feel welcome.” Helping potential customers and making them feel welcome are two powerful ideas when marketing to prospects and customers.

Understanding Each of Your Prospects

Big Data helps email marketers create a picture of each lead or customer they have. Imagine you work for a fancy hotel and resort in Las Vegas like Levzow. Your customers’ interests vary as widely as the surrounding desert, so one massive email to all of them about gambling may only appeal to a portion of them. However, sending emails targeted at each buyer’s persona, for example, an email about your 5-star spa services to some while others receive emails about your fine-dining experience or the best gambling in town, reaches each customer with a message they want to hear, leading to a positive reaction and a much higher response rate.

If you have not already been collecting large amounts of data, there is third-party help. Demographic appending services can enhance your customer database with information such as income, marital status, values, interests and phone numbers. In fact, TowerData can add hundreds of attributes to your database by matching it to our consumer or business database. This allows you to segment your leads to better target your potential customers and their interests in your product or service. It also enables them to interact more effectively.

If you are ready to start collecting useful data or simply expand on the information you are currently collecting about your leads, consider trying a demographic appending service that can provide the information needed to customize your marketing efforts. To learn more, contact TowerData today.

Photo Credit: Ed Yourdon