1) Why Campaigns Underperform (And Why It’s Often Not Your Creative)
Let’s be honest. You’ve delivered campaigns that should’ve smashed targets. Smart messaging. Slick creative. Tidy strategy. But results? Meh.
The issue might not be your work at all.
It’s your client’s data.
Because even the most compelling campaign can’t save you from:
- Contacts who left the company last year
- Records missing job titles, sectors, or locations
- Databases stitched together from old spreadsheets and list buys
In short: junk in = junk out.
Your campaigns can only perform as well as the data feeding them.
2) The Hidden Cost of Messy Client CRM Data
Poor data isn’t just a technical issue. It’s a commercial one.
Let’s break it down:
- Email campaigns go to the wrong people or bounce
- Paid ads get wasted on irrelevant audiences
- Sales teams chase dead leads or miss prime ones
- Reporting becomes a guessing game
Your client thinks your work isn’t converting.
You know it’s their CRM dragging things down.
And fixing it isn’t about buying new data or fancy platforms.
It starts with making their existing data work harder.
3) What ‘Campaign-Ready’ Data Actually Looks Like
There’s a difference between having data and having usable, enriched, segmented data.
Here’s what high-performance data should include:
- Up-to-date contact details
- Job titles, seniority, sector, company size
- Recent engagement or activity data
- Clear segmentation by persona, funnel stage, or interest
- No duplicates, dead records, or gaps
Most CRMs fall far short. Not because your client doesn’t care—because they’re too busy running day-to-day marketing to dive deep into data hygiene.
That’s where you, the consultant, come in.
4) The 3 Fastest Ways to Improve Data Quality Without Hiring
1) Run a CRM Health Check
Start with a simple audit. Look for bounces, missing fields, gaps in segmentation. This isn’t about being technical—it’s about being strategic.
Show your client the cost of inaction with real numbers:
- % of records missing key data
- % of contacts inactive or outdated
- Potential wasted ad spend or effort
2) Segment Based on Value, Not Just List Membership
Most marketers blast emails to anyone who ever downloaded a guide in 2018. Flip the script.
Help your clients:
- Prioritise decision-makers
- Create high-fit, high-intent audience segments
- Target based on firmographics + engagement
3) Bring in a Specialist (Quietly)
Not everything needs to be done in-house.
White-label partners can cleanse and enrich CRM data behind the scenes—while you offer it under your own brand.
Your clients get better results. You look smarter. Everyone wins.
5) How Agencies Are Monetising Data Strategy (and You Can Too)
Some forward-thinking agencies are now charging for data strategy.
Why? Because they’ve realised campaign performance starts at the database—not the inbox or ad manager.
Ways agencies are doing it:
- Packaging CRM audits as a discovery-phase service
- Including enrichment as part of onboarding
- Offering “data makeover” projects before campaign work
- Partnering with data specialists to expand their offering
And clients love it. Because results improve. And no one else is talking about it.
Final Thought
Campaigns live or die by the quality of the data they’re built on.
If you want to drive better ROI for your clients, don’t start with the message—start with the data.
Because the best marketers aren’t just creative.
They’re forensic.
