B2B Marketers Struggle to Fill Gaps in Prospect Databases

The “2015 State of Marketing Data” report, released by Dun & Bradstreet in conjunction with NetProspex, recently showed that B2B marketers are struggling to create solid prospect databases largely due to outdated and incorrect information.

Researchers ranked responses from marketers on a “Health Scale” of 1 through 5, with 5 being “Optimal.” Respondents averaged 2.9 when asked about the completeness of their contact data records. The mean score for phone connectability was 2.7, indicating that a majority of marketing databases are filled with inaccurate telephone numbers or no numbers at all. The average rating for email delivery was slightly higher at 3.2 on the “Health Scale.”

“Outdated and incorrect email addresses are impassable roadblocks to the success of your marketing campaigns,” wrote the authors of the report.

However, one area that B2B marketers seem to be improving is duplication. The average score on the “Health Scale” was a 4.3, showing that marketers are on-point in terms of spotting duplicate information in their databases.

B2B marketers continue to find new ways to obtain prospect data, and they are investing more of their budgets in uncovering this critical information.

Reaping the Benefits of Big Data

A study published by Infogroup Media Solutions recently showed that about 50 percent of marketers expect to see a positive ROI from their data-related investments for the first time in 2015.

Nearly 62 percent of the individuals surveyed said that they are already investing in data marketing, which includes using customer data and outside data trends to influence strategy. However, finding this key information doesn’t come without its challenges, according to researchers.

“Marketers remain concerned about data analysis, application and collection efforts,” wrote the authors of the report. “The most successful marketers will make continued investment a priority and actively demonstrate ROI within their organization.”