As a B2B data provider, I've been thinking a lot more about trust this year than usual.

Trust has become a rare commodity. We’re living in a world of deepfakes, online scams, and social media influencers posting “#ad” at every turn. Yet, trust is essential for our well-being as humans, our relationships, society—and business. After all, you're not just selling a product or service, you're building a relationship.

Business relationships today are built and grown based on how customers and potential customers interact on digital channels such as websites, mobile apps, social media, and email. That’s why building a positive Digital Customer Experience (DCX)—a customer’s overall experience with a company's digital channels—is crucial. TSIA says DCX is so important, that “in the next 5 years your market share will be doubled (or halved)” based on how effective it is.

Which brings me back to data. If business relationships are built online and trust is essential for those business relationships, then your digital audience—and the marketing data behind it—is your golden ticket to success. Digital marketers need confidence in the audiences they are building and targeting, and the contact data they’re using. It’s not only important for the purpose of your campaigns (reaching the right people at the right time with the right message on the right channel) but also for the ongoing DCX you deliver and the brand trust you establish and maintain. Here are two reasons why:

Eliminating digital frustration

Customers want brands to show that they know them with personalized content. That trust opens the door for the brand to build an instant connection with a decision-maker— a new prospect. But the easiest way to show a customer you don’t know them is to personalize something using inaccurate data. When your personalization is off, your relationship with your prospects and customers degrades – at best – and may be lost, at worst.

Building a solid reputation

Delivering communications to outdated or incorrect contacts is not only a waste of time, but it can damage a company's reputation and break trust. Accurate contact data ensures that communications are delivered to the intended recipient and that companies are not seen as spamming or irrelevant.

DCX encompasses all touchpoints in the customer journey and is tightly aligned with buying decisions. Getting it right is crucial for brands. In fact, a PWC study indicated that among all customers, “73% point to experience as an important factor in their purchasing decisions, behind price and product quality.” A positive DCX can help build trust and credibility, and also improve customer retention.

Good data is your essential first step for connecting with the right decision-makers. It is also the essential building block for enabling a good digital customer experience. By putting in the work to keep your data reliable -- or aligning with reputable third-party data providers who will do that work for you -- your brand will reap the rewards.

OMI’s high-quality B2B business contact data comes with a 95% email validity guarantee. Fortune 1000 firms and start-ups use our data to drive modern digital marketing initiatives—including intent monitoring, email marketing, ABM, and omnichannel campaigns utilizing display, social media, and more. Reach out to our team today for more information.