Every business has its own needs. What one company needs to document in order to keep up with everything they do could be a needless chore for another company.
Data entry is not about creating work for the sake of being able to say you’re busy, but about deciding if or how putting in the work to investigate a certain issue or understand a person’s experience is worth your time.
4 Key Growth Marketing Databases
If you want to be a smart ass, technically any software we use has a database. In business there are some key databases that contribute to providing or maintaining information that helps provide a better customer experience: CMS, CRM, ESP, and PM.
CMS: Content Management System
Main benefit: Web site deployment
General user base: Building sites without code or hosting sites
Analysis features: Where people come from, how long they spend on site, what they do on the site
CRM: Customer Relationship Management
Main benefit: Guest information storage
General user base: Businesses with more than a few buyers
Analysis features: Lifecycle stage, lead status
ESP: Email Service Provider
Main benefit: Mass communication services
General user base: Businesses who are building a contact list
Analysis features: Open rates, click through rates
PM: Project Manager
Main benefit: Action item execution
General user base: Businesses with more than a few projects
Analysis features: Task status, time spent on work, team productivity
CMS - Content Management System
Content Management Systems are platforms that typically do some combination of: host websites, have some type of site editor, feature integration with or have their own form of CRM + ESP. I often see CMSs with some form of pipeline or task management system which are features of PM software.
A CMS usually has analytics that track what sources people on your site came from, what pages they visit, any buttons they hit, and how long they visit each page for. This provides a visual of what is working and not working on your website.
CRM - Customer Relationship Management
Customer Relationship Management programs keep track of all your guest data, the actions they have taken with you, any deliverables you may have provided, and the communications that have taken place between your team and the guest. CRMs sometimes have some type of landing page or calendar page, but usually not a full CMS. However most include either a version of or integration with ESP or PM.
CRMs help you understand exactly where in a project you may be with a person as well as what type of relationship they have had with your business. The benefit is knowing who to prioritize, what information people should be given, and what you can expect from what your guests will want out of you.
ESP - Email Service Provider
Email Service Providers allow you to customize email templates, send mass curated emails (and sometimes sms as well), may involve email automations, and will retain the data of the communication between you and guests on the platform. ESPs usually involve the features of a CRM in regards to storing the contact list database.
ESPs allow you to send the right message to the right person at the right time in a customer’s journey by connecting the content you send them with where they are at in working with you. The result is customizable email campaigns that you can not only curate to the needs of each person, but also understand how people engage with your message.
PM - Project Management
Project Management software offers information storage, procedure of workflow, and tracking of action items needed to execute on projects. PMs present different types of views from or entry of data including spreadsheets, tables, kanban boards, task managers, calendars, lists, and even embedded tools to execute such as documents, agendas, as well as other reporting.
A PM tool lets you know exactly what you should be doing, how much time it usually takes to do it, tracks what has already been done (usually with evidence of completion), and who you are working with. This ensures you can prove you delivered on what you were paid to do.
Is Data Entry Worth it?
When you’re not managing many projects, clients, team members, or tasks, it can be easy to just make a few lists at most instead of putting in the work to do full database data entry and maintenance.
But even without a heavy workload to manage, the problem without using databases is losing access to an accessible timeline of your history in web development, customer relationships, sales transactions, mass communications, or managing projects.
Growth Marketing via Databases
The joy of database entry is having answers to questions at your fingertips. You also get to know the exact number of people you have interacted with, who they were, and what they are doing with you. Plus you have easy access to your sales numbers, who those sales are from, and what needs to be done to ensure that sale is successful.