Only a Marketing Database Is a Marketing Database

A fully integrated marketing database is the foundation of successful direct marketing. Today’s marketers have more data, from more channels, than ever before-making a database even more of a necessity. All direct marketing channels (email, direct mail, telesales, mobile, etc.) are creating higher volumes of data and adding more complexity to each respective source-forcing each system to effectively manage its own data in an increasingly intricate manner. As each individual system, such as eCommerce, ESP, fulfillment, loyalty, web analytics, etc., grows in complexity, the need for marketing data integration across all data systems and sources grows at an even greater rate. The capability of any single, individual system to manage and integrate data from other systems is inherently lacking. By definition, each individual system functions for its own specialized purpose, not to facilitate and optimize marketing.Consequently, the need for a fully integrated marketing database, capable of continuously managing vital marketing data from disparate silos, is greater than ever. It serves as the essential means to integrating all of this data; and to keeping this data in pristine condition, maintained in a perpetually actionable state. ESP, eCommerce, and fulfillment systems may tout their data integration capabilities. But many marketers, through painful experience, know the fallacy of such claims. An ESP is not a marketing database. An eCommerce platform is not a marketing database. A web analytics platform is not a marketing database. Only a marketing database is a marketing database.If the following does not characterize the database you are using for marketing, then you do not have a fully integrated marketing database:

Trustworthy data-your data is accurate and dependable, in pristine condition

Accessible data-easy access via a web based application, intuitive and built for marketers

Fresh data-your data is always current and up-to-date

Integrated data-all direct marketing data, both offline and offline, cohesively integrated together

Customer and prospect/acquisition data is in one unified, integrated database

Your data is actionable and always ready-to-use; it’s not a project to get all of your data together

Your direct marketing data management is routine, predictable, repeatable, and automated; not ad hoc

Marketing department can use and manage its data, without burdening your IT group

Your data is integrated at the unique individual, household, address, email, and phone number level-and any other level needed to support marketing needs

Multi-channel direct marketing is easy and integrated

Ability to run counts and extract lists in minutes

You can analyze your marketing data dynamically and on-the-fly

Recency, Frequency, Monetary (RFM) data is at your fingertips

All suppression data is precisely managed across all channels and all touch points

Demographic, lifestyle, and predictive models are integrated into your marketing database

You can derive meaningful marketing data from your existing raw data and act on it

Custom reports for marketing management are at your fingertips

As your needs evolve, new sources such as social or web analytics can be integrated into the database

Custom business rules are routinely applied to your data, adaptable as your business changes

Promotion history is tracked and can easily be applied; marketing “touch” data can be used for analysis, executing an optimal contact strategy, and facilitating the right blend of multi-channel marketing
For prospect data, marketing touch data elements and history can be leveraged; touch data has proven to be one of the most predictive prospecting data elementsThe Bottom Line: Only a Marketing Database is a Marketing Database.

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