We’ve covered a lot of subjects about digital marketing in the past – and we will continue to share more resources on the matter in the future.
The field is extensive and ever-growing, especially now that more companies are integrating digital marketing as part of their everyday operations. In fact, digital marketing is an inseparable part of most companies’ business funnel.
One way to push for better integration of digital marketing to build a solid sales funnel is by integrating the different data points and marketing processes.
This is still a big hurdle when you consider the number of tools the average marketer uses on a regular basis. Marketing data integration is the way forward if you want to build a solid funnel.
Data Vision to Engagement and Acquisition
The first step to take when trying to integrate digital marketing data from various sources is gaining a better understanding of the funnel itself.
This, of course, starts with understanding the users and how they go along their journey to using or buying your services (conversion) and continuing to engage with your brand.
With the user journey mapped out, the marketing tools and data points can be associated with each part of the journey. MailChimp or other email marketing tools, for example, are mainly used to engage and remarket to existing users. Social media platforms, on the other hand, are perfect for expanding the top of the funnel and reaching new audience groups.
These tools, along with tools that enable ads, push notifications, CLM, CRM, and other marketing functions, have their own analytics. They are either available on their respective platforms or can be pulled using data capture tools.
API as a Solution
Ideally, the data points in these sources are then pulled and processed internally. A lot of larger companies are building their own data warehouses and doing internal processing.
Some even go as far as also doing wide-spectrum monitoring (such as using tools like Brand24) to also collect data from publicly available sources.
Building a data warehouse, however, is not always easy or affordable. On the other hand, small and medium companies in rapid growth may find the available tools and services too limiting for what they are needed.
This is where SaaS API comes in and bridges that gap.SaaS API service providers give you the ability to still use API calls to pull data.
Doing the Heavy Lifting
An even bigger challenge is turning raw data from multiple sources into relevant and contextual insights. If you choose to go the custom API route, this is as simple as building data processing routines using the available tools.
As long as you started with creating a clear data vision and identifying what you want to know about your users in different parts of their journeys, the process should be easy.
Everything else is about data hygiene. There is no doubt that the benefits of integrating marketing data from different sources far outweigh the steps you must take to establish that data process in the first place. Through a better understanding of the funnel, you will have a solid route from awareness to conversion and beyond.