Choosing a customer data platform: 5 Steps to success

Marketers are finding that data can be their best friend when used the right way. With modern martech, using data has become one of the most effective ways to understand customers.

At the center of this marketing data renaissance is customer data platform (CDP) systems. CDPs have become the most trusted way to personalize marketing using data.

What is a customer data platform?

A customer data platform (CDP) is a system that moves along the marketing process through in-depth analysis and personalized data. The most notable feature of a CDP is its ability to collect and interpret data in order to create an accurate customer profile. You can read about top CDP use cases to learn more about how they can be used to achieve results.

Now that you’re familiar with a customer data platform, it’s important to understand the nuances that come with selecting one. We’ve compiled the five most helpful tips to make the process as easy as possible.

1. Identify your needs and goals

It’s tempting to dive right into the specs of the tech, but before doing so, it’s important to fully determine the goals you wish to accomplish. The following are some key questions users generally have when identifying their specific needs:

• What is the most important thing you want a CDP to help you accomplish?
• Is legal compliance a driving factor in your decisions?
• Would you benefit from condensing data usage into a single tool?

Once you have an answer to your most important questions, put them in order of importance. In terms of goals, consider both short-term and long-term goals and figure out which customer data platform tool would fit best.

2. Match up with the market

Now that you’ve gotten a clear assessment of your needs and goals down, it’s time to take these goals and match them up with the different tools on the market.

This involves a bit of research, but it should be a bit easier since your focus has already been narrowed down. One thing that helps is to formulate a top list of different options before you seek out demos.

3. Take a test drive

One of the most underutilized options in a search for new technology is the ability to fully demo the product and make sure it’s a good fit.

The following are some important things to remember when trying out the system:

• How helpful the company is throughout the demo process
• What obstacles you could see the product having for your teams
• How it handles the tasks your teams require

Along with trying out the platform, make sure to answer all your questions and look for places where the tool might not best fit your needs.

4. Statistics and data are key

Implementing a customer data platform shows a willingness to commit to statistics in your marketing efforts. Similarly, whichever brand you choose a CDP from should be able to offer up some helpful statistics and data of their own.

This will be telling in both how well they secure data and in how helpful their system is to clients. One thing that is helpful is asking for case studies, which give further detail into their system’s history.

5. Get all your questions answered before committing

There are bound to be a lot of moving pieces when first implementing new technology. This includes both the learning of the system, as well as aligning with your teams about the new software.

Therefore, it’s important that you find a vendor willing to answer all your questions, and show they’ll be able to help in the future if something comes up.

Taking the next step to customer data competency

Once you’ve planned out your customer data platform journey, it’s time to choose a vendor. Feel free to try a demo of Lytics to see the advantages it has over other CDP vendors.