Whilst 2021 was not without its challenges, Prospectabase enjoyed another positive year. The requirement for solid, accurate, dependable data continues to rise as clients acknowledged the impact precisely targeted digital marketing was having on their marketing campaigns and bottom line.
We achieved great things in terms of client revenue wins and pipeline. Data lists we provided created over £6.6m worth of pipeline for our sister company’s customers (CPB UK Ltd). Our data enabled customers to deliver more targeted campaigns, make more accurate calls, send more personalised emails, and have more (and better informed) decision maker conversations. Throughout 2021, ProspectaBase supplied more data intelligence for the IT channel than in 2020. In comparison with the previous year, we saw significant growth across the business with demand for accurate data intelligence increased by 17%.
So, what’s ahead of us in 2022? Can we expect more of the same? Will the new business model continue or are we facing a perfect storm of budget cuts, unexpected variants, and operational disruption?
Gartner recently stated that “extended pandemic-related quarantine and isolation have permanently altered customer behaviors and expectations of companies and brands.” Its 2022 marketing predictions are all about digital: considering the consequences of digital’s ascendance on privacy, workplace flexibility, employee advocacy and other key components of commerce. This year, Gartner says marketing leaders are shifting their digital focus from enhancing customer relationships to building new connections across the full spectrum of stakeholders.
There is no doubt that the pandemic has altered how we engage with one another on both a business and personal level. For many, digital is now the preferred channel for social and business interactions. Without data, there is no digital marketing. Data is the keystone of digital marketing. If accurate, intelligent contact data didn’t exist who would marketing be aimed at? Targeted campaigns would simply not happen, and marketing would revert to mass broadcast, generic marketing, the effectiveness of which is sporadic.
2022 stands out as the year when marketing leaders must advocate for – and deliver on – strategies that embrace digital as the foundation not just of existing relationships but also new connections with and between customers, employees, business partners and social influencers. And for this to work, the data you are accessing must be the right data. Not just basic contact data. To be of most use, contact data must be combined with infrastructure and installation data.
To give yourself the best chance of generating leads you must know more than just who the key decision makers are. You need to be able to access what brands/products/services your prospects are currently using, which network components and technologies they have installed and when these contracts/installations are up for renewal. You need to be confident that you can access data through which to conduct marketing via telemarketing, digital marketing and even direct mail should you wish. What is more, in the era of remote working you need your data list to include mobile data as well as direct dial numbers.
Data-driven marketing will continue to deliver the best campaign results. Once again, our data scientists are hitting the ground running, continuing their vital work of gathering, expanding, and cleansing data to ensure we have access to the absolute best UK IT industry contact data.
Privacy is a key focus this year with organisations focused on having to provide customers with compelling reasons to trust them with personal data. People are ever more concerned with protecting their privacy and organisations must use a customer-first approach; for example, rethinking methods for measuring and reaching audiences so customers feel in control and able to manage the data they share. It takes time to build trust, but the effort is worth it, and keeps you on the right side of the law.
The hybrid working model is here to stay; a recent report predicts that 47% of workers will work remotely in 2022, compared to 27% pre-pandemic. This rise in hybrid working has intensified the cyber security concerns faced by organisations, as there are new demands to manage more data with more endpoint devices residing in different locations.
In addition, the shift to the “work from anywhere” culture is also driving up the volume of ad hoc, on-the-go conversations over text, phone, video, social platforms, or chat, with workers using a variety of different tools to communicate among themselves or speak to different contacts. However, what is driven by convenience for knowledge will result in data management complexities for companies.
Data matters, make it count
We work in an inspiring, innovative industry and there is a lot to be excited about. 2022 deserves the same lofty expectations and hopes that we granted 2021. The world changed for everyone in 2020 and we must all embrace the changes that are required for successful data-driven marketing goals in 2022 and beyond. Let’s make 2022 a year of further innovation, embracing operational growth and further strengthening all aspects of the data-driven B2B demand creation ecosystem.
We should be positive and enthusiastic about the future and continue to work hard to make the next 12 months the best it can be, whatever is thrown at us!
