The Importance of Data-Driven Marketing in the B2B Food and Nutrition Industries

Data-Driven Marketing for B2B vs Non-Data-Driven Marketing for B2B

So, what is data-driven marketing? It’s a strategic approach that depends on the collection and analysis of data from various sources, such as customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, website analytics tools, email marketing platforms, social media sites, and audience research tools, to gain insights into consumer behaviour, preferences, and trends. This in turn allows companies to examine and refine their targeted marketing efforts to resonate with their audience’s specific needs and pain points, ultimately driving better results overall.

In contrast, non-data-driven marketing relies on traditional assumptions and personal experience, lacking the precision and personalisation that data-driven marketing offers, leading to less-effective campaigns. This approach can often result in wasted resources and missed opportunities as businesses may target the wrong audience or fail to address the actual needs of their potential customers.

Want to know what sets Smartcore? Our invaluable first-party data, including 400,000+ ingredients buyers in key global markets, our data-driven insights, and our specialised digital content channels in the B2B food and nutrition industry. Explore our smarter digital products and packages, custom-created to help you boost your brand awareness, generate leads, and establish thought leadership in the industry. 

As we’ve seen above, in data-driven marketing, data is the main source and starting point for every single marketing activity, whereas in non-data-driven marketing, guesswork is the chosen route. Below are short examples of what they look like:

• Data-driven marketing: Let’s say you’re a food ingredients supplier and you’re looking to generate high-quality leads for your business. You first set clear objectives based on data and expected results, ensuring your goals are aligned with measurable outcomes. Next, you explore all available products and their expected KPIs, guided by data to identify the most effective options. You then secure a custom email marketing campaign with us to reach your specific audience. Here, we ask you to segment your target audience by product and industry interest, job function and level, and geographical location. This ensures you reach the right buyers for your solutions and receive measurable return on investment (ROI). The campaign is then carefully designed, optimised, and launched with data-driven insights at its core. After the campaign, you receive a detailed report containing all the data needed to understand your campaign’s performance, enabling you to enhance your activities as needed for better ROI.

• Non-data driven marketing: Let's consider a situation where a nutraceutical ingredients manufacturer decides to launch a generic email marketing campaign to promote their new portfolio. Without leveraging data to guide their strategy, they send the email to their entire contact list, regardless of the recipients' specific interests, roles, or locations. The result? A low email open rate and an even lower conversion rate, and possibly some unsubscribes too. Failure to segment the audience and personalise the content based on data insights led to poor campaign performance and wasted marketing resources. 

By incorporating data-driven insights into your marketing activities, marketers can stay agile, continuously analysing and refining campaigns, and responding quickly to market changes and customer feedback. On the other hand, non-data-driven marketing typically results in missed opportunities and a lack of clear direction in marketing efforts. Thus, data-driven marketing is no longer optional in today’s B2B landscape but rather a necessity.

Did you know you can calculate your estimated audience reach with us? Take a look at our FREE Audience Reach Calculator. This tool enables you to select your target audience from our database of over 400,000 ingredients buyers and segment them by product and industry interest, job function and level, and geographical location. You will receive the estimated audience number you can target with our smarter digital campaigns directly to your inbox.

Why should you prioritise data-driven marketing? Because data provides clarity and confidence in decision-making. It helps improve lead generation by identifying the most promising prospects and their preferences, and tailoring messages to resonate with them. Personalisation is another big benefit—by understanding the needs and behaviours of your target audience, you can create campaigns that feel relevant and engaging, thus increasing the likelihood of conversions. Next, data-driven marketing allows for better content creation by revealing which topics and formats generate the most interest among customers. It also plays a crucial role in measuring ROI, enabling businesses to allocate their marketing budgets more effectively. Finally, in an age where social media presence is vital, data offers insights into what’s working and what needs adjustment, ensuring your campaigns remain effective.

As with most tactics, data-driven marketing is not without its challenges. Many businesses struggle with collecting and analysing large volumes of data, which can be complex and time-consuming without the right tools and expertise. There’s also the challenge of data compliance, as businesses must ensure they’re handling data in accordance with regulations including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Furthermore, a lack of understanding of how to interpret data and derive meaningful insights can lead to missed opportunities or misguided strategies.

To implement a successful data-driven marketing strategy, follow these steps:

1. Establish Your Goals: Define clear and measurable goals for your marketing efforts, such as boosting brand awareness, increasing lead generation, or establishing thought leadership.

2. Gather and Organise Data: Collect your data from various sources, including website analytics, social media reporting, and email marketing platforms. Consolidate it in a centralised location for easy accessibility.

3. Get Your Team and Campaigns Ready: Prepare your team by making sure everyone has the skills and tools to know, analyse, and interpret data, and align your marketing campaigns with your data-driven insights.

4. Track and Measure Performance: Continuously monitor and measure the performance of your marketing campaigns using relevant metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs), such as impressions, click-through rates, and conversion rates.

5. Optimise and Repeat: Use the understandings gained from your data analysis to adjust your marketing strategies and repeat the process to continuously improve and refine your approach.

While data is essential for modern marketing, it’s important to balance it out with the human element. Data provides the insights and informs your strategy, but creativity and intuition bring those insights to life in a way that speaks to people on a personal level. Be data-informed and data-driven, but don’t be afraid to A/B test different elements, infuse your campaigns with storytelling, and embrace an adaptable mindset.

Data-driven marketing is, therefore, a necessity for making informed decisions, enhancing buyer experiences, and achieving better ROI in your campaigns. At Smartcore, we understand and leverage the power of data in all our smarter digital marketing campaigns to drive results for our clients in the B2B food and nutrition industry. Would you like to learn more about the difference a data-driven approach can make? Download our free eBook to learn all about buyer intent data, how you can leverage it to expand your reach and target previously unknown prospects, common mistakes to avoid, and key benefits for your business. 

Browse through our success stories, featuring some of our value clients. Learn about their data-driven digital marketing strategies and campaigns. If you’d like to partner with us to transform your marketing efforts with data-driven insights, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Contact us today to learn more about the smarter marketing solutions we offer and the challenges we can address for your brand.