Marketing data can be vitally important to the continued success of your business. Not all data is created the same, however. You will want to ensure that your data is valid, which means that it has been collected without bias and that it has not been tampered with after collection. You also want to make sure it’s representative, meaning that it reflects the true feelings of your customers. Getting this meaningful data can take a bit of work, but it’s worth the effort. Here are three tips to help your business get more meaningful marketing data.

Protect Data Security

In order for your data to be truly valid and reliable, you must ensure that it is recorded and analyzed exactly as the customers enter it. This means no adding, deleting, or editing survey results, even when the numbers look bad or when customers leave questions incomplete. It also means no editing qualitative comments, even if it’s just for spelling and grammar. It may seem like a small change, but even the smallest change can affect the intent of the comment. If you analyze something that the client isn’t really saying, you may come to the wrong conclusion.

You can help prevent data errors in two ways. First, always use a secure database to store responses. Access to the database should be tightly controlled to make sure that no information is leaked. This is especially important if your business is undergoing cloud migration. Second, make sure that your team is trained on data collection best practices. This can also help your team avoid accidentally introducing any biases during data collection.

Use Both Qualitative and Quantitative Data

There are two main types of data. Quantitative data is numbers-based, such as a net promoter score or a Likert scale. It is fairly easy to interpret. However, it doesn’t allow for individual nuances. Qualitative data, on the other hand, does allow for those. These are free text comments, focus group results, and anecdotes. The data doesn’t come in number form. Instead, it comes as written or spoken words directly from your customers. There are benefits and drawbacks to both types of data, so it’s in your best interest to use methods that capture both. That will let you get the clearest picture of your customers thoughts and feelings.

Use Multiple Response Methods

Just like there are different types of data, there are different ways to collect that data. For example, if you’re using a survey, there are multiple ways to get that survey in front of your customers’ eyes. You could put it on your website, to pop up either as a customer browses or after they place an order. You could also send it by an email or text message or print a link on a receipt. You can even call your clients and do the survey over the phone.

Each of these methods may reach a different group of people, so it’s a good idea to use several of them in combination. After all, a client who checks their phone frequently may not check their email very often. You could miss their valuable feedback if you only use one response method.

Marketing data can help your business identify and address any issues, reach new customers, and help boost the loyalty of existing customers by making them feel heard. Reach out to your customer base in a variety of ways and ask a variety of questions. Combining multiple data types and collection methods can give you the most robust result. Ensure that data is stored securely and analyzed properly as well. If you use your marketing data wisely, you’ll be holding the key to your own continued success.