10 Ways to Make Your Lead Generation More Data-driven

Last Updated: December 16, 2021

Data is widely available across departments today. The key lies in utilizing this data to drive more revenueOpens a new window – starting with high-quality lead generation 

If your data can get you in the minds of your target audience (customers and prospects) then it’s worth every bit of effort. Else, it is just a set of numbers that will end up as statistics. So now the question is, how can you use your databases to generate more high-quality leads? Here, I list down 10 ways to help you plan a more data-driven lead generation process:

1. Clean and Consistent Database

Your company database is a gold-mine of information. But it is as good as nothing if it’s not organized and updated regularly. The first step is to harmonize all your records and integrate data kept in silos- (like customer and prospect data, marketing or sales data) under proper heads. Merge the scattered information, remove duplicate records and fields and cleanse your data to part ways with anomalies, inconsistencies and redundancies.

**A fresh database with accurate, regularly updated information will serve as the best source to identify quality customers and targets as well as their key characteristics.**

2. Reliable Data

Buying leads is not the best option anymore. To have good quality leads, you need to have reliable data which can give you the real story of your prospect. For this, you have to understand whom you are serving and identify the best acquisition channels to collect the most valid data. This could involve tracking anonymous users visiting your website, gathering feedback from your customers, monitoring trends of loyal customers or using social logins to access a prospect’s profile.

Understanding who your customers are and, in turn, what they like, will undoubtedly enable you to increase conversions and sales. Make it easy for your customers to share their data with you, and use that data to keep them engaged with your business,says Josh GeorgeOpens a new window , a senior applications engineer at Lyons Consulting Group.

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3.
 Research backed Customer Profiling

Customer dataOpens a new window can give valuable insights into your buyer persona, which in turn serves as a road-map to discover your prospective customer’s preferences, interests, goals, challenges, and personal story too. Understanding their behavior can help you match your product with a qualified lead.

4. Comprehensive view of Prospects

Companies have enough historical information on their customers as well as their prospects. **They leverage this data to create 360-degree view of prospects using predictive analytics powered by AI-based algorithms.** These algorithmsOpens a new window can score leads based on detailed granular data sets for each prospect and identify what factors will result in a conversion. Compiling customer’s previous history (available from internal data sources) and information from social media (or other external sources) these algorithms can find prospects identical to your existing or ideal customers.

This holistic view can help determine how to target prospects and also identify the opportune time.

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5.
 Data-driven Segmentation

Once you have a 360-degree view of your prospects, you can use data analytics to identify common traits, which can guide you on how to group prospects. With the segmented list, you will be able to deliver the right message at the right time to the right audience.

6. Data-driven Lead Scoring and Nurturing

Based on data about how a prospect is interacting with your brand, whether the interaction has increased (or decreased), you can change lead scores and use these scores to make your marketing message more relevant. Sending the same message to a highly scored lead and to a disinterested one won’t be a good decision. The pitch has to be different.

7. Clearer Attribution

Knowing where your prospects come from is important to channelize your marketing efforts and dollars to the touch-points that are actually working. Data-driven applications can effectively trace which channels or which content best drives your audience’s interest. Identifying them can help you focus more on them.

8. Prioritize Sales-Readiness

You need to have data from all your systems like lead managementOpens a new window , email marketing, website analytics, and customer care under one roof to track how a prospect is moving across the funnel. A lead might have been put on the back-burner owing to a low score, but if current behavior shows some interest, it can be prioritized immediately.

Having all behavioral data in one place can help to easily assess their sales readinessOpens a new window , and action can be taken right away.

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9. Customer Acquisition

Data can help you identify which stage of the funnel a prospect is in. E.g: If a potential customer who was in the middle of the funnel has moved to the decision-making stage, sales should move in to convert him.

10. Improve Engagement

Using data analysis, you can understand your prospects pain points. You can answer their queries in an efficient manner and customize the right content for them to keep them engaged. This could push them to make faster buying decisions too.

The idea is simple, if you can gather data on characteristics of your ideal customer and use analytics to generate insightsOpens a new window to carve your buyer’s persona, your database will be filled with leads who are genuinely interested in your organization’s products and services.

Vandita Grover
Vandita Grover

Contributor, Ziff Davis B2B

Vandita is a passionate writer and IT enthusiast. She is a Computer Lecturer by profession at the University of Delhi. She has previously worked as a Software Engineer with Aricent Technologies. Vandita writes for MarTech Advisor as a freelance contributor.
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