Why better data is your building block to better marketing

As travel continues to bounce back, with predictions that key UK airports will see passenger numbers recover to 96% of pre-pandemic numbers, understanding today’s travellers’ attitudes and behaviours is critical. And this comes down to one crucial element: data. It’s by accessing and activating data to target new customers and engage your existing ones that you can take advantage of the available sales opportunities.

But forget past behaviours and traditional assumptions as these no longer hold true. Even looking back at the emerging market last year is unhelpful, as the number of holidays and trips carried over from Covid was distorting the true picture. Instead, reset your marketing approach by using relevant, fresh, actionable data that’s not just confined to what’s in your CRM or website activity to drive future success.

Adopting any or all of these approaches will put your marketing in good stead.

• Start rebuilding your own first-party data: Look to refresh, replenish, and enhance the customer and prospect data you have using your website , loyalty programmes and email CRM. Then use it to drive your targeting, messaging, and personalisation across all your marketing activities.
  
  
• See the person behind the traveller: Access additional data points beyond just travel to gain a more well-rounded understanding of the people you’re targeting. From demographic, lifestyle, and preference data to purchasing behaviour and intention data, enriching your insights means better targeting, personalisation, creatives, and campaigns.
  
  
• Fresh insights mean fresh ideas: Challenges around economic uncertainty, geopolitical developments and consumer confidence mean what’s correct today may be out of date tomorrow. So keep refreshing your data, insights, segmentation and assumptions by constantly analysing your customers so you can identify and respond to opportunities and challenges as they begin to emerge.
  
  
• Flex your messaging across the customer journey loop: Customer journeys are no longer linear but a continual loop. Use the insights you have both to recognise these more fluid journeys and develop appropriate messaging for whatever stage of their buying journey someone enters the circle.
  
  
• Demonstrate marketing’s value by demonstrating outcomes: With marketing budgets squeezed or under constant review, ensure you report on how you are impacting the bottom line. Adopt metrics that matter to the company rather than purely marketing ones and elevate marketing’s standing in the business.
  
  Evolving your approach by focusing on these areas will put you in a stronger position to adapt your marketing in these challenging times. More data leads to more insights that feeds into better campaigns, better results, and a stronger bottom line.
  
  Are you seeking help in developing your data-driven marketing approach? Then feel free to get in touch with us.

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