WHAT IS DATA GOVERNANCE?
Data governance in marketing is a framework for getting the most ROI out of the valuable customer insights and campaign metrics you're collecting. It's about setting up smart guidelines for how your marketing team handles everything from customer preferences and behavioral data to campaign performance metrics. Rather than having customer information scattered across different platforms and departments, data governance creates a structured approach to managing this goldmine of marketing information, ensuring that it's both useful and compliant with privacy regulations.
When it comes to marketing specifically, data governance means knowing exactly what customer data you have, where it came from, and how you can use it to create better campaigns. With privacy laws getting stricter every year, good data governance also helps marketing teams stay on the right side of regulations while still delivering personalized experiences that customers expect.
An example of a data governance framework from CampTag.
So how does a data governance framework boost your marketing strategy? There are three ways:
Improved personalization: When you're working with high-quality, reliable customer data, you can create spot-on targeted campaigns for your audience. Instead of sending generic messages and hoping they stick, you can confidently segment your audience and deliver exactly what each group wants to see – because you know your data is trustworthy and up-to-date.
Bringing data governance frameworks into your marketing strategy might seem overwhelming. Start with these building blocks to a good foundation:
Develop standard processes: Set up consistent rules for how you record data such as customer names, email addresses, and engagement metrics. You might also implement automated validation checks that flag inconsistencies, like misformatted email addresses or duplicate customer records, before they cause problems in your campaigns.
Create a clear classification system: This helps your marketing team understand what types of customer data they're working with and how it should be handled. Create categories like "public," "internal," and "sensitive" for different types of customer information, and establish specific protocols for each category. For instance, basic demographic data might be classified as "internal" and accessible to the whole marketing team, while detailed purchase histories might be "sensitive" and require special permissions to access.
Conduct regular audits: Set up quarterly reviews where you examine how customer data is being used across different marketing campaigns and channels. During these audits, check that your customer consent records are up to date, verify that data access permissions are appropriate, and clean up any outdated or unnecessary data.
If you're not sure if you have the bandwidth and resources to implement a data governance framework, it might be time to bring in experts who deal with these challenges day in and day out. Our team at WEBITMD has already built robust data governance frameworks that we can adapt to your specific needs. We've got the systems, expertise, and dedicated teams in place to properly collect, manage, and analyze your marketing data while ensuring everything stays compliant with current regulations. Instead of struggling to build these processes from scratch while juggling your other marketing responsibilities, you can tap into our established frameworks and best practices.
👀 TLDR: Data governance is key to making sure your marketing strategy is actually effective, because it ensures that you are keeping track of every piece of customer data that comes your way and what happens to it along the customer journey - all while staying compliant with relevant industry and federal privacy regulations.
Best Regards,
WEBITMD TEAM