25% of data collected by average B2B company is just trash, according to SiriusDecisions. Data we collect are often inaccurate, therefore worthless (they inform us only that there must be a problem with our forms if nobody wants to fill them properly). How to improve quality of collected data? With progressive profiling, current verification and well-thought forms. But let’s start from understanding how it works.
Why do customers give false data?
Because they aren’t ready to give you real ones. They fear being stalked via phone and littered with spam. They just wanted to read that ebook on the topic they hardly know. They have little idea of what your company does.
Such user might become a customer one day – when he learns more and will have possibility to invest in new solutions. Just collect his e-mail address and educate him slowly with good content.
If you demand more data that user is willing to give at particular level, he will either quit or provide you false ones.
How to prevent fillig forms with false data?
- Urban in his book “Marketing of great possibilities” suggests two solutions:
- Automated verification of data filled in with information from external databases. We can identify the company where given user works by domain in his e-mail address, we can confront data from form with external sources.
- Progressive profiling: altering content of forms according to the knowledge we have on particular user.
Use of progressive profiling: examples
- When user visits our website for the first time and wants to download an ebook, we can assume that he doesn’t know much about our company and he might not be particularly interested in this right now. Understandably, he doesn’t want to give detailed data to virtual strangers. But if we let him download this ebook for just an e-mail address, he might get interested and come back later.
- However, if our visitor goes back and wants to download third ebook, it’s high time to ask for more specific contact information. He must have had time to get the idea of what we do and should be ready for conversation.
- Alter form content not only according to user history, but also to material type. Different form accompanies whitepaper download and signing in for free test period.
Don’t ask for more than necessary
If somebody gives you his business e-mail address, you can automatically check the domain and gather the data about company where he works and auto-fill some fields of the for.
Don’t ask (neither in forms nor in questionnaires) for information which won’t be somehow used or could be retrieved from analytics.
And how about your databases? Have you sorted false data problem out? Do you use Marketing Automation for progressive profiling?
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