Data Gathering: The Building Blocks To Startup Success (Plus 2 Smart Ways to Get Started)

A startup can be both an exciting venture and a daunting one.
If you’re a startup that thrives on cash flow through sales of a particular item or service, you’ll need to target your marketing focus towards the gathering of data. That’s easier said than done, especially considering that the data that’s necessary to gather varies based on the products or services you are offering.

There is a wide variety of information that can be gathered as invaluable marketing intelligence through utilising web scraping services. However, there are certain types of data that need to be collected regardless of what type of product or service you’re marketing.

But first, let’s take a glance at some of the “must-collect” data every startup should consider:

• Personal information such as name and email or phone number can be of huge help.
  Many people are reluctant to give out such information, but many are willing to do it. This will also give you an idea of who you should market your product or service towards. Collecting personal information such as a person’s name, email, or phone number allows you to broadcast your information directly to that person.

• If you’re able to, transaction history is a great type of data to collect. This type of data can be deeply revealing of a person or persons buying preferences which can make your marketing easier and concentrated.

• Data surrounding the type of person you’re targeting is great to have at your disposal. This can be items they’ve purchased, hobbies, and other activities. This can ultimately help determine the type of item or service you need to market to keep said customer in the loop.

• Credit history is an important piece of information to gather. After all, a company or person’s spending habits may prove detrimental to your company if not assessed beforehand. Don’t sink your ship before it sets sail!

Other useful data that should be collected by a start-up during the marketing process include items such as spending habits, communication information, and professional information.

Now let’s take a look at how, as a start-up company, you’ll be able to gather data smartly and efficiently!

Successful Data Collection Tips for Optimal Start-up success

There are some great ways to collect data and there are some poor ways to do it.

First, it’s important to never badger customers for personal information. If they don’t respond, move on! You’re going to be wasting your time if you’re trying to concentrate your efforts on an unknown variable as opposed to spreading your initial efforts out to clinch multiple targets or customers.

Surveys

One way that your startup can begin its data collection in a smart way is through the use of surveys. If you’re able to collect contact information of a targeted group of customers or businesses, you’ll be able to send this group a survey regarding details of your business and a request for personal information.

While many people are reluctant to disclose such information over an email or phone conversation, you’ll find that there are some people or businesses who don’t have a problem with it. By conducting a survey like this, your startup can benefit in a number of ways.

First and foremost, you’ll narrow down your search for leads and customers regarding the marketing and selling of your startup's product or service. Secondly, you’ll be able to distinguish a type of customer demographic once a certain amount of people respond to the survey. From here, your business will be able to proceed its marketing efforts towards those who are more inclined to respond to a survey or a product/service in a positive way, based on the results of the previous survey.

Not sure where to start? Here are a few of the best survey platforms you can use to collect data, mostly free!

• Survey Monkey
• Typeform
• Google Forms
• Client Heartbeat
• Zoho Survey
• Survey Gizmo
• Survey Planet

Competitions

Another smart way to collect data as a start-up business is to run a competition for your product or email, via telemarketing or email marketing. You’re incentivising the release of a prospective customer or business’s information. This will greatly increase the chances of your business gaining precious data regarding the likelihood of your product or service being sold!

It’s also a wise idea to consult previous research that is somewhat relevant to the product or service you’re trying to sell. There are a ton of legal problems that can arise from not being careful with customer information.

You’ll be able to avoid all of this if you’re able to gather statistics and relevant data from research that’s already proven to work for your product or service!

There are many platforms you can use online, here are just a few to help you get started:

• WizHive
• Wazoku
• Rafflecopter
• Punchtab
• Gleam