Contributed by Amanda Martin, Director, Account Strategy, Northeast Region at Goodway Group 
Connecting offline data to online, which historically has been siloed from online marketing initiatives, can be the key to improving targeting and campaign measurement. Offline data is data collected and stored in “offline” systems, for example, CRM platforms, point-of-sale (POS) systems, email-marketing platforms, and contact-center applications. Ideally, it is tied to some form of personally identifiable information (PII) including but not limited to email address, name, postal address, or customer ID. Offline data can include first-party information, which is considered the most valuable, but also can include third-party information like demographics and buyer propensities. The act of connecting offline data to online is called “data onboarding” or more recently “connectivity.” The most important principle to this process is privacy; by de-identifying PII in both offline and online data sets, data vendors can connect the dots but also protect the individual’s privacy and the brand’s integrity.
Offline Data Tactics
Data onboarding allows marketers to increase targeting efficiency and close the gaps within campaign measurement. Below are the key offline data tactics in practice today:
OFFLINE DATA TARGETING
- CRM Retargeting
- Cross-channel Marketing
- Ad Suppression
- Look-alike Modeling
OFFLINE DATA MEASUREMENT
- Closed-loop Measurement
- Cross-channel Attribution
To ensure data onboarding success, there are three key characteristics to gauge when working with a match partner:
- Match Rate–Measured as a % of the offline data matched to an online user, industry match rates currently fall between 30-55%
- Accuracy–Measured based on how often the onboarding provider can correctly match offline data to an online user profile
- Integration–Turnaround time is important, and, because cookies age, matching is an ongoing commitment
With a decade of digital media experience and wide-ranging industry expertise in client services, research and development, sales management, and strategy, Amanda is a valuable member of Goodway Group’s sales-enablement team. Directing account strategy, she strives daily to bring to life digital research and analytics in a way that is easy to understand, to strengthen and build strategic partnerships, and to find and mine only the best solutions to achieve clients’ goals.