Companies need to see customer and client records on their databases as "their biggest asset" and ensure they take steps to ensure data quality, a leading marketing professional has stated.
According to Jocelyn Bowman, manager of marketing at the US-based data management specialists CMDI, "a clean, current file is crucial to a marketer's goal of maintaining contact with past customers", meaning it is imperative for organisations to undertake data cleansing processes on a regular basis.
In addition, Ms Bowman stressed the importance of paying attention to customers' preferences given that the best way to ensure efficient returns on marketing campaigns is to firstly identify the appropriate audience through the use of up-to-date data enhancement software.
While implementing such procedures can require companies to spend money up front, ensuring that a database contains accurate information allows for significant long-term financial savings, for example with data suppression systems, ensuring that money isn't wasted sending out mail to incorrect addresses or deceased individuals.
"Once a customer supports an organisation financially, the direct marketer becomes responsible for converting the individual into a repeated source of income," Ms Bowman explained.
"After all, cultivating long-term customers produces a consistent stream of income for the organisation without incurring additional acquisition costs."
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