Breaking down data silos: Overcoming obstacles and planning for the future

This is the second of two articles exploring data silos in marketing. Part one can be found here.

Every company has issues with siloed data. Many companies know this but continue to use systems that provide information to various parts of the organization. This is where organizations face their most significant obstacle — lack of leadership with vision.

If marketing is to be responsible for customer data, then marketing must insist that it is responsible for this wherever it exists in the company. But be careful what you ask for. You will have countless obstacles to overcome.

Here are some common objections and some suggestions for overcoming them.

Why are we doing this data program?

You need to demonstrate why integrating data is valuable. This can begin with stories of studies that showcase successful implementations — small or large — of data integration.

If your analysts have discovered an algorithm for identifying customers ready to purchase in three months, highlight this story to everyone involved in your data program. Talk about it often and ensure leaders know your process to achieve this. 

Dig deeper: Theresa Kushner: Spotlight on the expert

So, how do you know you’re being successful? 

Measuring how successful you can be with breaking down silos and integrating data is just as important as measuring the success of your marketing campaign.  First, set up a scorecard tracking the critical metrics for your integration program. Tracking the number of data sources with customer names may be an excellent first metric. 

Having success stories is also essential. How did your integration effort help the last marketing campaign? Are your customer experience scores rising? If so, did your integrated data contribute?

What about all this legacy data? 

Legacy data can be a considerable obstacle made larger by how old the company is. Integrating data from legacy systems is hard. The first thing you need to do is find out how much legacy data you really need.

For example, do you really need to keep and integrate information on a product that has been retired for half a decade? Legacy data also has issues of volume, complexity and quality that will impact its value. Don’t integrate data that cannot add value to your business strategy.

Change is hard — why are we doing this now? 

Cultural change is difficult for any part of a business. Why? We’re all human. To paraphrase Hillel the Elder: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if not now, when?” There is never a perfect time to start an effort that breaks down departmental silos. 

The best starting actions are small ones, such as efforts that encourage data sharing or cross-organizational data literacy programs. It’s more important that these actions are persistent than that they are large and pervasive. 

Data governance is the data police — why do we need it? 

Accountability is the key to any successful data integration program. Data governance should provide guidelines for who owns certain datasets and who is responsible for access, use and quality. A data governance framework helps set guardrails for how data will provide value. And it helps all those involved with data management understand their role. 

Dig Deeper: Putting customers first: The key to successful customer data exchange

Planning for the future 

Emerging trends in data integration, such as real-time data streaming and artificial intelligence-powered data management, will help us bring disparate data sources together. 

Ensuring access to marketing data that fuels growth requires plans for continuous data integration and adaptation to an ever-evolving marketing landscape. We must be accountable to our customers and stay ahead of the technology curve in data integration strategies. 

New kinds of data — IoT, streaming, biotech, etc. — are constantly coming onto the scene. Marketing data needs to evaluate each new data set for applicability to their business and customer experiences.

Maximizing marketing impact through unified customer data

Effective leadership is essential for breaking down silos. You need a team of like-minded people throughout the organization who can help create a culture of collaboration and communication accountable for using data to create value. 

Although data integration is a critical component of modern marketing success, enabling marketing to break down silos and unlock the full potential of data is a leadership requirement. 

By adopting a strategic and comprehensive approach to data integration, you can achieve a holistic understanding of your customers, make better decisions about expenditures and messages and drive more effective marketing campaigns.