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Maneesha Manges

By: Maneesha Manges on November 14th, 2016

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Private social community data can feed your marketing automation efforts

Marketing Automation

mailto:demo@example.com?Subject=HighRoad Solutions - interesting article

How many times have we heard this type of variation on the “your marketing is only as good as your data” saying? Isn’t it true though? If you’re in IT you probably roll your eyes every time a ticket request comes in from the marketing team for another list pull: “Please run a query and provide us with a list of people who attended last year’s conference, redeemed a coupon and sat on the left side of the room during the keynote address”. (It’s not that far-fetched, there’s a method to a marketer’s madness or request after all). The reality is that marketers rely on data – and it’s understanding this need which helps to facilitate in-depth discussions about data integration.

When we work with our marketing automation clients – a large part of the discussion centers around data – even in a non-integrated state, there is a lot to talk about. Remember that MA Platforms allow us to track a member’s digital footprint. We’re always looking for additional insights or clues: Will Jane Doe pick the on-demand webinar or the eBook? What if we provide a modal pop-up with a coupon? Is she price sensitive? Will that help her convert? So, while we’re focused on collecting new behavioral data, and using the data to trigger new workflows or activities to push users down that marketing funnel, we also rely on historical data as well – and not just transactional data. Many times we talk about engagement or activity-driven data such as committee participation or private online communities. They are a valuable piece of the data puzzle and if you have the chance to leverage that data, don’t hesitate to make it work to your advantage.

CFMA, the Construction Financial Management Association, uses HubSpot as part of their lead generation activities. They also run Higher Logic’s Online Communities program, called Connection Cafe, which is the number one referrer back to their website. This is key as CFMA tracks how their members move and interact with their digital properties. We’ve also seen that private communities sit on a gold-mine of behavioral data, which is ideal for marketers looking to build persona profiles and gather additional insights. If you’ve read our CFMA case study, you’ll see that CFMA is building the foundation for further collection of data which will help in building additional lead gen programs – an eye on Connection Cafe's community data will come in handy as they start to match the insights collected from other sources, to behavioral patterns and data connections within the community.

So useful data lives everywhere – not just in an AMS or CRM – when you think about how to leverage what you have, don’t feel like you’re limited to systems that have traditionally stored data. Think beyond those traditional “databases” and look for useful data in popular platforms – chances are that if the data changes on a constant basis (likes, sharing documents, member directories, engagement scoring, etc.), it’s data that you can use in your marketing automation platform as well.

To learn more about marketing automation, download our Marketing Automation eBook:

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About Maneesha Manges

Maneesha Manges is a seasoned digital marketing professional with 20 years of experience working in multiple markets and global companies. Her prior experience includes consulting roles in digital marketing strategy, data analysis, field marketing and social media. Maneesha holds a Master of Business Administration degree in High-Tech Marketing from American University’s Kogod School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Concordia University in Montreal.