What Do I Do With My Marketing Data?

By Kim Deppe
So, you have done your homework and now you know a little more about your customers. The question is, what do you do with all of that marketing data? Data is only useful to us if we can understand it and put it to use to help our businesses grow. Just knowing that 10% of your customers are blonde doesn't help much - unless you are selling hair color.

 The first thing to do is organize the information. Separate your customers by zip code, for example, so that you can see where your opportunities are. You may want to get a local zip code map and color code each zip code by how many customers come from that area. The color coding is a good way to get a visual guide to customers locations. Some questions to ask:
- do I need another location closer to my customers?
- why are some people close to me not using my business while others come from farther away?
- do my customer locations have anything to do with natural boundaries (rivers or lakes, for example) or roads and bridges? Are these barriers I can address?
- if my customers are clustered in certain areas, are there opportunities for me to target my marketing to those areas and try to get more customers? Remember, birds of a feather flock together!

You can also use geographic data like this to determine what kind of advertising you need to do. Can you do targeted mailings or do you need something broader like print, TV or radio advertising?

Be sure to ask lots of questions about your data. For example, when you look at information about how your customers found out about you, it can tell you whether you need a stronger online presence, better signage, or simply a good customer referral program. Ask the "why" questions - Why are 60% of my customers men? Why are most of my clients under age 40? And then think about whether this is what you intended - is it your target audience? And if not, should it be?

Digging into your data can be an interesting, time consuming, and sometimes lengthy process. But it is worth the time you take to understand what the data is telling you. If analytics isn't your thing, then by all means, find someone in your circle to help you, or hire a professional marketer or analyst to assist.

Lastly, don't make the mistake of doing this just once. Your customer base will be constantly changing and you should be collecting data regularly to keep on top of changes. For example, if you suddenly start seeing teenagers coming into your restaurant, you may want to figure out why - did a new skateboard park open nearby? is there a new school in the area? That will tell you if this is a fad or a permanent situation that you can capitalize on.

Kim Deppe is President of Deppe Communications, an outsource marketing firm located in the Jacksonville, FL area. Deppe Communications provides marketing consulting, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, public relations and advertising services to small and medium size businesses across the U.S. With over 25 years corporate executive marketing experience, Kim Deppe brings a unique combination of strategic marketing experience and online marketing know-how to her clients. For more information, visit www.DeppeCommunications.com, call 904.524.0170 or E-mail Kim@DeppeCommunications.com.

Know Thy Customers

By Kim Deppe

It's probably the first and most "commandment" of good marketing for your business - Know Thy Customers. Understanding who your business serves and who would be interested in buying your product or service is the first step toward building a targeted marketing plan.

But it isn't always easy to know a lot about your customers. You might be too busy to chat with them or, in the case of some businesses, you may never see or talk to them at all. So how can you learn more about them? Here are a few ideas you can use to gather information.

1. Do a survey. Online or on paper, a survey is a great way to get information from your clients or customers. Ask just a few questions that can be answered quickly - about 2 or 3 minutes is plenty of time to ask people to invest. There are some online survey tools that are free (Survey Monkey, for example) if you are only asking a few questions. Some companies send a survey out to every customer following an interaction, while others print an 800 number on the receipt with an inducement to take the survey. Whichever direction you go, make sure you are collecting the demographic data you will need to understand the results.

2. Gather information at point of sale. Ask for address, phone and email the first time you make a sale to every customer. Periodically ask if they have made any changes to that information. Note whether they are male or female. If you can add information about their general age group, that can help as well. Think in terms of groups such as Under 18, 19 - 35, 36 - 55, 55 and Above so that you can note that information in your files without having to ask the customer his or her age.

3. Do research. Look at the population data from the US Census for your area. This is available for free online and it can tell you about the population as a whole. This is useful for knowing how your customers are alike or different from the general population. Often your local Chamber of Commerce can provide you with this information, too.

4. Add demographic questions to forms on your website. These can be order forms, entry forms for a drawing, etc. Forms are a great way to collect data.

5. Encourage customers to sign up for your newsletter or notice of sales and specials. This connects your customer to you and gives you permission to market to them. That can make it easier in the future to collect information, send surveys, and request feedback.

After you have collected the data, the analysis begins. If this is not your strength, find someone who is good at interpreting this kind of data. Often, though, just reading through the answers and tracking the frequency of them can give you tremendous insight into your customer base.

Kim Deppe is President of Deppe Communications, an outsource marketing firm located in the Jacksonville, FL area. Deppe Communications provides marketing consulting, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, public relations and advertising services to small and medium size businesses across the U.S. With over 25 years corporate executive marketing experience, Kim Deppe brings a unique combination of strategic marketing experience and online marketing know-how to her clients. For more information, visit www.DeppeCommunications.com, call 904.524.0170 or E-mail Kim@DeppeCommunications.com.