MLL Telecom marketing database

The challenge

Build a marketing database & infrastructure for lead nurturing.

Network services provider MLL Telecom markets its services to customers in mobile phone operators, systems integrators and public sector organisations. They are a specialist operator and, as a result, their entire audience probably numbers just a few thousand individuals. Conscious of the need to focus marketing resources on exactly these people, MLL asked unity dc to build the data infrastructure which would enable them to run targeted lead-nurturing campaigns in email, direct mail and web, and support activity at exhibitions.

What unity*dc did

MLL had an existing database of contacts in Goldmine but felt it was outdated and in need of cleansing. Having worked to understand MLL's specific marketing needs, and the complex structure of their target audience, unity*dc designed and built a bespoke marketing database. On top of this, unity*dc built campaign infrastructure so that the database would integrate directly with email distribution, the website, and provide for selection and export for Direct Mail and other activity.

After engineering and building the structure of the new CRM infrastructure, we went to work on the data itself, cleansing and validating several thousand records, combining data from MLL's old database, lists from recent telemarketing and other sources. We structured and codified the data to reflect the way MLL would need to use it, enabling the segmentation of contacts to run highly-targeted campaigns. Finally, we made sure every record complied with anti-SPAM measures and data protection legislation, by running an opt-in email campaign.

Results

MLL now have a clean, up-to-date database which can be used for lead nurturing and targeted tactical campaigns. MLL's sales staff can add to using the intuitive front-end, ensuring it stays up-to-date. Smart integration with the MLL Telecom website means that any future contacts signing up for information will be captured, validated and de-duplicated automatically and in real-time, with no administrative overhead. The result is a robust data infrastructure can power targeted direct communications in any media, without the usual administrative headaches.

Client's view

Like many companies, we had a legacy sales contact database holding contacts from many years - out-dated and active contacts all mixed together. We wanted to make use of the data to run targeted campaigns. Communicating to both public and private sectors brings a particular set of constraints and unity*dc built a new marketing database structured specifically around our needs. unity*dc painstakingly cleansed our existing data, fixing and retaining as much of it as possible, so we now have a clean, compliant, up-to-date database which we can use to power targeted campaigns in any medium.

Richard Brandon, formerly CMO of MLL Telecom