Let’s be honest: when was the last time you properly checked the health of your marketing data?
If it’s been a while, you’re not alone. Data often gets left to its own devices, ticking along quietly in the background, even when it’s no longer pulling its weight. But that same data, left unchecked, could be draining your time, budget, and performance.
In fact, for many B2B teams we speak to, data is the silent killer of marketing performance. Campaigns go out, results fall flat — and the root problem often isn’t the messaging or the channel. It’s the data.
Here are the most common signs your data might be past its prime — and what you can do about it.
1. Your bounce rates are creeping up
High bounce rates? It’s usually a clear signal that your contact data is out of date.
People change roles, companies rebrand, and teams restructure. And while the business world moves fast, data doesn’t always keep up. The result? Your messages never reach the inbox, let alone the decision-maker.
What to do: Run a data validation test to spot outdated or invalid contacts. (Tip: we offer one free for up to 5,000 records.)
2. You’re targeting… everyone and no one
If your segmentation feels more like guesswork than strategy, you’re probably missing vital enrichment.
Without key fields like seniority, job function, or company size, you’re stuck with broad, inefficient targeting. Worse, you’re wasting time and budget on prospects who were never a fit in the first place.
What to do: Enrich your data with up-to-date firmographics and job-level insights. Clean data = better personalisation, smarter segmentation, and less spend on the wrong people.
3. You’ve got duplicates… and don’t even know it
You might think, “We’ve already done deduplication.” But here’s the thing: even one or two duplicates can skew reporting, trigger double-emailing, and muddy your single client view.
Plus, duplicates aren’t always identical. One person, slightly different job titles, different sources — but still the same contact.
What to do: Use intelligent deduplication to merge variations without losing valuable history and interactions.
4. You’re relying on bulk lists that once worked, but don’t anymore
In the past, buying a big list felt like a shortcut. Today, it’s more likely a setback.
Most bulk data sources are poorly maintained, often missing key fields and riddled with inaccuracies. They’re harder to clean, harder to enrich, and rarely align with your current ICP.
What to do: Stop relying on questionable data foundations. Build targeted, enriched datasets aligned with your actual buyers, not just inboxes that still accept mail.
5. Your CRM looks busy, but your results say otherwise
Lots of records. Not a lot of ROI?
Your CRM might look full, but if it’s bloated with old, irrelevant, or misaligned contacts, it’s not helping. It’s hurting.
Outdated contacts = wasted workflows, broken automations, and confused teams trying to work with a foggy picture.
What to do: Conduct a data audit and remove what’s no longer useful. Then, rebuild with clarity, clean, deduplicated, and insight-rich.
The Quiet Cost of Doing Nothing
Most businesses don’t lose opportunities overnight. They lose them slowly, through small gaps and decaying data. It’s like a slow leak in a tyre until one day, you’re stuck at the side of the road wondering what happened.
Your data is a living asset. It needs upkeep.
The good news? Fixing it isn’t hard and you don’t have to do it all yourself.
Ready to Take a Closer Look?
We help B2B teams like yours get back on track with fast, low-effort ways to assess and improve your data from validation to enrichment and categorisation.
Want to know how much your data has decayed?
We’ll run a free Data Health Check across your first 5,000 records no strings attached.
Because when your data’s in great shape, everything else works better.
