What Is a CDP?
A CDP brings together customer data from different sources, standardises it and organises it in a central data storage platform. It enables you to create comprehensive and consistent user profiles.
This provides you with an extensive overview of your customers' behaviour, characteristics and interactions throughout the customer journey. You can use these insights for personalised marketing campaigns and an optimised customer experience.
Overview of CDP Features
Collect data from all possible sources – from websites and social media channels to offline touchpoints. A CDP compiles data in a standardised format to obtain a complete view of every customer.
Obtain a consolidated customer profile, which enables an individual approach. A CDP recognises and links different identities of customers across all channels.
Categorise your customers into dynamic segments based on their behaviour, preferences and transaction data. This real-time segmentation allows you to target marketing campaigns in a precise and timely manner.
Use the insights gained from customer data to create personalised experiences – from tailored e-mails to personalised website content.
Implement the acquired insights directly by activating the data in various marketing tools and platforms. This allows you to send consistent and relevant messages across all channels.
Understand how customers interact with your brand to help make strategic decisions. A CDP provides deep insights into customer behaviour and marketing campaign effectiveness.Benefits of a CDP
- Standardised customer view: Get a 360-degree view of your customers by integrating data from various sources, e.g. customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation systems as well as social media channels.
- Real-time personalisation: Deliver tailored content and offers to your customers at exactly the right time.
- Compliance and data protection: Ensure compliance with legal requirements through secure and responsible handling and storage of data with a CDP.
- Efficient data use: Prevent data silos and make information easy to access and use for your teams.
- Customer experience enhancement: Ensure consistent and smooth experiences across all touchpoints to increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.
- Data-driven decision-making: Gain valuable insights into customer behaviour as well as campaign performance and optimise your strategies and campaigns accordingly.
CRM vs Marketing Automation vs CDP – What Is the Difference?
CRM solutions, marketing automation systems and CDPs differ primarily based on their intended use: CRM systems focus on managing customer relationships and sales processes; CDPs on creating comprehensive customer profiles; marketing automation systems on automating and increasing the efficiency of marketing processes. Each tool can play an important role in your system landscape and can be used differently depending on your company's goals and requirements.
CRM Systems
- Focus: Management of customer relationships and sales processes
- Data sources: Interaction with customers through e-mails, phone calls and meetings
- Understanding of the target audience: Focused on individual interactions based on the type of contact
- Data usage: Optimisation of sales and customer services
- Personalisation: Limited; based on direct interaction with customers
- Application areas: Sales management, customer service and marketing support
Marketing Automation Systems
- Focus: Automation of marketing processes
- Data sources: Collection of behavioural data from its own channels
- Understanding of the target audience: Segment-based and focused on behavioural patterns
- Data usage: Increase in efficiency of marketing processes
- Personalisation: Based on predefined segments and rules
- Application areas: E-mail marketing, social media and lead generation
CDPs
- Focus: Creation of standardised customer profiles with a 360-degree view
- Data sources: All customer touchpoints (online and offline)
- Understanding of the target audience: Extensive and integrated overview of all touchpoints
- Data usage: Support for personalised marketing strategies and customer experience
- Personalisation: Highly sophisticated and based on a complete view of customer behaviour
- Application areas: Personalised marketing, customer analytics and campaign management
CRM vs Marketing Automation vs CDP – How Can These Systems Benefit from Each Other?
All three platforms are different but complement each other. This is because marketing automation and CRM systems significantly benefit from CDP integration.
A CDP acts as a central storage for customer data, creating standardised customer profiles from various data sources. This database can be used to create a highly personalised campaign. Furthermore, CRM systems can benefit from more precise lead scoring and lead qualification. This leads to more efficient sales processes and a higher conversion rate.
Our CDP Services
Before the Implementation
- Evaluation of a suitable system based on the challenges you face
- Identification of all essential requirements
- Analysis of the required data sources
- Data strategy development that fits your marketing and business goals
During the Implementation
- Implementation and configuration of the selected CDP
- Integration into your existing system landscape
- Effective connection of all necessary data sources to your CDP
- Continuous exchange and feedback over the course of the entire project
After the Implementation
- Continuous support and further development of your CDP
- Training sessions for system use to help employees explore the full potential of your CDP
Our Partner in the Field of CDP
Salesforce Customer Data Cloud
Salesforce Data Cloud collects customer data from all Salesforce applications – for example Commerce Cloud, Marketing Cloud and Sales Cloud – as well as external data in a single platform and complies this data in real time. This enables you to personalise your customer approach and develop data-driven marketing campaigns.
As your Salesforce Partner, dotSource is your central touchpoint for all your Salesforce cloud solutions. This allows you to maximise synergy effects while minimising frictional losses.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions About CDP
How is adherence to data protection ensured in CDPs?
Because CDPs process a large amount of personal data, data protection has the highest priority. A CDP ensures that all customer data is processed in compliance with data protection laws such as GDPR, thereby protecting user privacy and minimising legal risks. Data-protection-compliant operation also strengthens customer trust and supports transparent data policy.
Which data sources are generally integrated in a CDP?
A CDP integrates data from a wide range of different sources, including website visits, social media, e-mail interactions and offline data. This integration provides a complete and up-to-date view of customers, which is necessary for effective personalised marketing.
What must be considered before CDP implementation?
Before a CDP can be integrated into your existing system landscape, you should have a data strategy as well as define clear use cases for your company and relevant departments. Moreover, you must have a clear view of the conditions needed for the optimal use of a CDP. The data experts from dotSource can support you with this.
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