Data collection is an activity that aims to capture important content generated by tools, websites and audiences in interaction activities. This is a fundamental practice to carry out behavior and preference analysis, which allow to develop more precise marketing campaigns and, consequently, to sell more.
The information is valuable for companies to learn more about their audience, their market and their internal results. To have this knowledge, it is essential to start with data collection and analysis.
Today, data is a true gold mine , precisely because we live in the digital age. They are strategic assets that will allow your company to adapt to be more precise in each step it takes.
Successful use of data requires productive and, above all, strategic collection. It is not enough to capture the content: it is important to know where to look for it, how to structure it for analysis and, finally, how this information will be used.
In addition to this planning, it is also essential to define what tools will be used to collect and then analyze.
In this post we will talk more about the importance of data collection, how to carry it out and what benefits can be obtained from this very important work in Digital Marketing . Specifically, you will learn about the following points:
- What is data collection?
- How important is data collection?
- How to collect data in marketing?
- What are the main tools for collecting data?
- Google analytics
- What are the benefits of good data collection?
Continue reading!
What is data collection?
Data collection is a process aimed at capturing strategic content that can be found in analysis tools, forms, and other software that retain this information.
The objective of this process is for companies to know in depth the results of the sectors, the market, consumer perception and business performance in general.
As much as data collection may seem like an extraordinary event, it is just a routine activity in the daily life of companies.
Today, data is considered an extremely valuable asset in any market , simply because it can translate business results and external perceptions about products, services and brand.
In a digitized world, data is everywhere and is generated from a simple interaction of a consumer with a company’s website.
In addition to these navigation indicators, there is also information on interactions with social media posts , responses to email marketing campaigns and a number of other possibilities.
Given these current practices, all responses and actions generate data that, for companies, are faithful translations of how the customer acts, what he thinks and how he reacts to what the marketing campaigns propose .
In this sense, the collection is a recurring process that seeks to gather all this content to analyze it and then transform it into strategic information.
How important is data collection?
Data collection work becomes essential when companies understand that it must be part of the routine.
If digital is today’s leading environment and marketing strategies are traversing it, data is sure to translate everything a business needs to know .
Thanks to the data, it is possible to optimize actions, plan more appropriate campaigns, know what your consumer thinks about your company and continuously act strategically, looking for improvements.
To do this, it is essential to have continuous access to the data, understanding what they have to say to the analysis teams, who pass it on to the corresponding stakeholders.
Next, we show you what are the main uses of this information in the business routine and in the marketing sector.
Define and feed strategic KPIs
The KPIs are key strategic indicators that a company uses and are essential to monitor important metrics.
With them it is possible to know the number of leads acquired in a given period of time, the average ticket of an ecommerce , among other data.
The control through these indicators is precise and, in addition, it can be carried out continuously, always with updated data that provide an accurate perception of the company.
For this to be possible, data collection needs to be constant, so that KPIs are always up-to-date.
Detect the actions and satisfaction of the public
The public will interact with publications and sponsored links, browse websites and e-businesses, request service, among other actions. Each of them will have a different importance for the company, so it is essential to closely monitor and monitor each step of the user.
Only with active data collection is this possible. Gathering information from your main sources is what will allow you to know, in addition to what the public is doing, what they have been thinking about the company’s services and products.
A good data collection must be able to reach this information through the main media, ensuring a broad perception of the expectation and opinion of each consumer about the company.
Develop the relationship with the client
Since this collection brings with it the perceptions, opinions and habits of consumers, it is possible to use all this information to develop the relationship with them.
If the company understands what the public expects, it is easier to deliver communications, services, products and services appropriate to this expectation.
In addition, the data that consumers provide can be important to generate individual records of them, using a CRM tool .
It is essential to develop a strategic relationship that includes a cutting-edge service and that generates more suitable sales opportunities for each person.
Structure campaigns and actions optimally
With the data in hand, a company can know in which channels its consumer is, what are their preferences about services and products, how they interact with actions, among other important details.
From there, developing campaigns becomes easier as the marketing team has a greater understanding of what can work with their audience.
For this to be possible, continuous data collection work is essential . Only constant monitoring will allow the marketing team to develop a strategic understanding, creating Buyer Personas that faithfully represent the average consumer of the company and their expectations.
In this way, the campaigns will be more precise and will have a greater impact on the audience.
How to collect data in marketing?
The data collection work is essential, but it only allows the company to achieve good results if it is done in a strategic and planned way.
It is essential to have good terms and, above all, to know what to do during these efforts.
Nowadays, in addition to structuring an effective practice, it is necessary to pay attention to the requirements of the laws of each country in terms of data protection and management , that is, to carry out this work with respect for the public and committing to the proper treatment of information.
Next, you understand what aspects should guide your data collection and how to develop this strategic process in general lines.
Know what the objectives of the collection are
Why does your company collect data? As simple as this question may seem, it must be answered multiple times each time this work is performed.
There are several important goals that can be prioritized, for example:
- understand more about consumer expectations;
- know the opinion of the public about the brand, products and services;
- monitor access and activities on websites and electronic businesses;
- analyze reactions and interactions with social media campaigns;
- detect sales data and how it is generated from the audience;
- understand the financial information of the company.
Each of these and several other possible goals are important to a business, so they should be viewed separately, as unique categories.
In the same data collection activity, each of these objectives can be considered, but it is essential to know which ones are relevant for the company, so that the process can generate a strategic analysis and contemplate segmented actions.
Develop a plan!
Good planning is also essential so that this data collection continues to be recurrent in the team’s work schedule.
This activity cannot be treated as unique and sporadic , as the data has to be monitored frequently.
That is why it is so important to plan how the activities will be carried out. The responsible team, which is usually marketing, must put data acquisition on their agenda as a major and recurring demand.
This verification in the analysis tools must be daily, since the software will bring updated data daily.
Another important tool is surveys, which are more punctual. It is also necessary to plan them and determine how long they will be in progress, in order to collect the data later.
Analyze the collected data
The most important part of this work cycle is data analysis. As necessary as it is to have tools capable of monitoring them, in addition to capturing them, since they have no value if they are not duly observed by those who are trained to do so.
The reason for the critical importance of analysis is simple: only this work is capable of transforming data into information.
Without quality analytical work, the data will be just empty numbers that, shocking as they are, cannot be truly valuable without proper interpretation.
Just as planning must contemplate the acquisition of data, it is also important to place the analysis as a decisive step for these activities.
Refine the company’s marketing strategy
A strategic data collection is one that targets important business objectives.
Optimizing marketing strategies is one of the most important possibilities when you have a really efficient data capture and analysis structure.
The reason is precisely because this data will allow to have key information about the market, the audience and the ongoing campaigns.
From the indicators that were collected, it is possible to know the expectations of the public and their preferences, as well as understand how they interact with the channels and actions.
This knowledge is extremely valuable to develop more and more appropriate marketing campaigns and actions, with greater possibilities of impacting the consumer.
The data gradually allows marketing teams to develop refined actions that will have greater success and better results.
Importantly, data collection and analysis is also part of the job of evaluating campaigns as they occur. This enables timely adjustments and detects areas for improvement.
What are the main tools for collecting data?
Data collection is a job that can only be done with the support of specialized tools .
From the simplest and most traditional to the most advanced and indispensable resources, each one of them has an important role according to the strategy and objectives of the company.
Learn about the main tools and how they work.
Forms
Forms are mechanisms that can be used to conduct customer satisfaction surveys.
In a simple way, it is possible to develop a form with questions that can be counted as a percentage, always giving the participant response options.
From this, it is easier to understand the percentage of responses for each alternative.
The primary use of these forms is to understand more specific consumer perceptions . They are commonly used to:
- evaluate an experience on a website (especially e-commerce);
- evaluate satisfaction with a product or service (post-purchase);
- Measure consumer satisfaction with the company’s offers;
- understand the public’s expectations of products and services.
Google analytics
Google Analytics is today the main data tracking tool used around the world. It is a tool capable of connecting with marketing automation software , e-commerce, websites, social media pages, among other resources.
From this, Analytics creates dashboards that provide the user with the most important metrics for their strategies.
For free, Analytics can be configured based on what the Marketing team wants.
Therefore, it is possible to form a dashboard that mainly shows the information that matters most. Data collection is simple, since the platform makes all the metrics already calculated available.
Then the analytical work is carried out, which will provide strategic insights.
upMiner
upMiner is a more advanced data mining software that effectively captures strategic information from various data sources on the web.
It is more focused on Big Data , since it can process a large amount of information, bringing it closer in an unstructured way and allowing you to create graphs and reports for further analysis.
The search with UpMiner is carried out with keywords, which can be the most varied, always with the proposal of creating parameters for decision-making.
The tool has more than 1,900 sources, which will be the basis for these searches depending on the user’s strategy.
Ion
In addition to the most common data collection tools, we decided to present a less conventional proposal, but at the same time just as effective.
Ion is a complete tool for marketing teams, focused on enabling the production of interactive materials, such as ebooks, infographics, hotsites, calculators and other tools that allow some form of user interactivity.
Through Ion, it is possible to collect interaction information with these contents, so that your team has total control over this data.
Knowing how to create relevant content related to your service or product, you will have valuable information about what your audience is most interested in, what they see as most valuable and what their main doubts are, information that is increasingly necessary for campaigns to be effective.
What are the benefits of good data collection?
A data collection based on good planning, with clear objectives, is capable of providing really significant results for a company.
These benefits can range from cost savings to improved marketing strategies. Among the main gains, we can highlight:
- vastly improve the customer experience;
- optimize marketing strategies at any time;
- know more about your consumer and have better defined people;
- transform data into strategic information that generates sales.
Data collection cannot be overlooked at a time when digital transformation is a reality around the world.
Marketing today is data-driven, so it’s impossible to survive in competitive markets without fully understanding your audience and expectations.
As we have presented, an excellent way to obtain valuable data from your audience is to have interactive content, offering valuable materials to get to know them better. Learn more about this strategy and discover how it ‘s done !
