February 23, 2022  |  Lynn Schear

How data accuracy makes all the difference

Accurate data is essential to marketing and sales success. It’s not just about quantity or price; it’s also about quality. When you use high-quality data inputs, you’re more likely to produce high-quality sales outputs. MCH delivers on that need for quality by providing customers with the most accurate data within its K-12 education database.

So why is it so important for data to be accurate, and how do you know you’re getting the most accurate information? Let’s take a closer look at what data accuracy means and how you can make sure your data partner provides high-quality information that meets your marketing needs.

The importance of having the most accurate data

We often talk about accuracy, but it’s important to understand what that term means. Accuracy is more than “correct.” The best-quality data is complete, up to date, valid, consistent and relevant. This means all data points are included, not outdated, collected in a valid format, consistent across sources or tools, and relevant to your goals.

Data accuracy is important for marketers because you use that data to target the right audience. If you’re working with inaccurate data, there can be several unfortunate consequences. Your marketing message could be delivered to the wrong people, outdated contacts, or people who aren’t decision-makers. You may miss out on the key people who could use your product or service. Inaccurate data also takes up space in the CRM and MAP tools you have invested in, causing you to incur additional per-contact fees, and it endangers your email reputation and sender scores.

On the other hand, accurate data makes all the difference. It improves results because you are sending a targeted, relevant message to the right people, which in turn will generate a better response and increased sales. It also reduces costs because you won’t waste money reaching out to the wrong contacts.

How to know you're getting the most accurate data

So we know accurate data is important, but how do you know you’re buying high-quality data? The key is to look at the processes your data partner uses for compilation, updates and verification.

Some data providers use one reference, like the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), as a definitive source, and those providers’ data is often updated less frequently. States provide data to NCES, but often the most recent information is already two years old once it is published. The gold standard — the one we use at MCH — is to continuously compile and refresh data. It’s important to use a multisource compilation and confirmation process for educational institutions and personal name information, as well as an in-depth verification process.

These processes ensure the data is complete, up-to-date, valid, and consistent. To receive data that is most relevant to your goals, it’s also crucial to have access to a robust filtering system and dedicated industry experts to help you drill down to the best set of contacts for your message.

Integrations — those tools and solutions that connect data to your company’s systems — are another way to keep good data hygiene and increase your speed-to-use. Whether it’s through API access, cloud-based databases, integration with your CRM or e-commerce solution, or customized data analytics, your company has a range of options to establish a direct connection to data. Integration ensures you’ll have accurate data that is accessible and easy to use. API access or cloud databases will provide consistently up-to-date information in the right format.

How MCH provides the most accurate data

At MCH, we’ve been helping businesses reach their goals for nearly 100 years. We know that your sales, marketing and analytics success depends on data accuracy. To meet that need, MCH uses a multisource strategy, confirming data for educational institutions from NCES, state education agencies (SEAs), and telephone verification. To compile personal name information, we conduct phone verification with the school districts as well as consult SEAs, school websites and rosters. Our data is compiled continuously and refreshed weekly.

It all starts with the data. MCH is committed to offering the most updated data as early as possible in the school year. We work to compile, confirm and verify millions of contacts each year. In addition to the data we gather from federal and state sources, we also generate incremental email addresses, identify emerging job functions, and regularly survey education businesses to keep ahead of the curve. Our data hygiene processes and automated tools ensure consistency and verify our information.

It also goes beyond the data itself. To ensure accuracy, we’ve invested in the latest technology and built a team of experts who are passionate about data. We conduct systematic audits and welcome customer feedback to confirm that we’re meeting our quality standards and staying on the cutting edge. And we offer multiple ways to integrate MCH data into your systems and solutions for accessibility and ease of use.

MCH’s K-12 education database is the most comprehensive, up-to-date resource for educator marketing data, prospects and sales leads. To get started, explore our quality data and connect with our team of researchers, data analysts, technologists and relationship managers. Whether you’re creating a customized campaign or looking to build out your sales leads, you can feel confident that the data you receive from MCH is accurate, complete, consistent and updated.

Ready to get started? Reach out to one of our Relationship Managers at 800-776-6373 and let’s talk details.

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