The hidden treasure of Self-Generated CRM Data

Hey B2C marketer! Yes, we discuss self-generated CRM data, thus this article is a must-read for your colleagues in B2B.

But, if you think CRM is only for B2B companies… think again!

Do you have a website? Do you run an online store or manage an online community? Well, you probably already have a CRM —and that’s fantastic news. A CRM is not just a boring list of contacts for emails. It’s a gold mine of insights that you can use to make your business thrive. In this article, we’ll show you how to unlock the hidden treasure of self-generated CRM data.

The Value of Self-Generated CRM Data

So why should you care about your CRM data? Well, here’s the deal: external data sources like GWI and Kantar can give you useful benchmarks, but they only tell you part of the story.

Don’t get me wrong, we love data, we even invest in access to the biggest source database in the world to give our clients fresh and juicy insights. For example, we have access to the GWI Database and also to Target Group Index (by Kantar media). We are talking about huge deposits of information with hundreds of thousands of respondents who have answered enough questions for us to know everything about their lives.

Examples of data points available on single-source databases (screenshot from GWI Core)

These examples show the type of rich information you can obtain from large databases. Moreover, you can always cross-tab this data, deep-diving into demographics, specific target groups, etc.

Wonderful!

BUT,

Let’s face it: nothing will beat the insights you can generate for your CRM and here’s why:

1. Know exactly who you’re talking to: your CRM represents real people with unique names, behaviors, and preferences.
2. Real-time data: your CRM updates every day, so you always know what’s happening and can make quick, smart moves.
3. Your data, your power: competitors may buy external data too, CRM data are only yours. You have direct contact with the people and you can collect more information from them.
4. Specific, as much as you need: if you collect your data wisely you could get incredibly specific information. For example, find out who opens emails, who clicks, who hasn’t engaged in months, etc.
5. Test, improve, repeat: use your CRM data to see what works, tweak your approach, collect data, and keep refining.

What Self-Generated CRM Data Lack

You may think this is everything you need and maybe you are exploiting already to some extent your CRM data right?

Unfortunately, you miss a big piece of information: you know what your client does with your newsletter, on your website, with your products, and everything else that is you-specific. You have 0 certainty about everything else regarding what the client does (which is probably 99.99% of its life).

What self-generated CRM data often lacks is the human element—the real insight into what makes your customers tick beyond just their clicks and opens. Without this, you are leaving on the table the real gold that is within your CRM

Let me make it tangible:

If you are a sportswear brand selling, (yes my B2C friend, this could be you) you probably send different emails to people who are frequent buyers and those who are occasional. Great!

But you are probably sending the same email to:

• Someone who does sport to get in shape and become more attractive
• A mother who does sports to recover her shaper after childbirth
• A middle-aged man who does sports to feel younger
• …And so on and so forth

And let’s be honest, that email could be very specific for one of the 3 and totally irrelevant for the others or it could be very flat and not appealing for any of them.

Bring your CRM to the next level with a Human Segmentation

So, if you read until now you understand that you need to segment clients in your CRM with lifestyle information.

Are you looking for “The 5 Ways to Segment Your CRM” to solve the issue?

There is really only one way, which is to survey them.

Among the advantages of CRM data this is my favorite: “Your data, your power: Competitors may buy external data too, CRM data are only yours. You have direct contact with the people and you can collect more information from them.”

You have direct contact with your clients and thus can perform your study to know who they are from a human perspective. But which questions should you ask, besides standard demographics?

How to segment your CRM

Well, this depends on how you intend to segment your CRM. In Human Centric Group, we developed a short lifestyle questionnaire of 12-15 questions that gives us a quite precise overview of the Human Being that is answering the survey. Here are some examples:

1. Which of the following statements best describes you?
   1. Career-driven, willing to take risks to succeed
   2. The world and its people enrich me with valuable knowledge
   3. I inspire others with a “yes, you can” mentality
   4. Etc.
2. How much do you agree with the following statements from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 5 (Strongly agree)
   • Nothing makes me happier than spending time at home with my family
   • I‘m always the first one to try new things and tech gadgets among my friends
   • I prioritize financial success and material possessions in life
   • Etc.

These kinds of questions force the respondent to tell us how and most importantly why, (s)he behaves. Thus, in just five minutes, you can gather enough information to assign respondents to specific segments.

Then we usually ask the same respondents also some questions related to category, to understand how different segments behave in the context.

Examples from the Sportswear category

For example, last year, working for global sportswear brands we segmented their CRM into 8 segments. Among these, there were:

• Liberals: a modern segment prioritizing quality healthiness, communities, and sustainability
• Power seekers: a segment focused on performance and success

We asked them which were the factors important to them when evaluating a sportswear brand, support to local communities is relevant for 25% of the Liberals but only to 10% of the Power Seekers.

Which factors do you believe are important when choosing a sportswear brand? – Support to local communities

Source: Human Centric Group study

Now this brand is carrying on a lot of interesting initiatives to benefit local communities with sport across the world, however for someone that information received by email is relevant, for someone else is spam.

This is just one example from hundreds of insights this brand discovered by just asking its customers through their CRM, and now, knowing what segment each respondent belongs to is really making a difference in the success rate of their campaigns.

Get the most from self-generated CRM data by using external data sources

The client was really happy with what was discovered through their CRM. Knowing we also had access to external databases. they asked us to have a look at it, to ensure we weren’t losing any important information.

That’s where we discovered a very interesting insight that neither we nor the client had it clear previously. It’s about the definition of sport itself.

You see, in our segmentation, there is also a segment called Cautious Movers, which is almost the opposite of Power Seekers as you can imagine. It’s a segment mostly made up of women above 50 years old who focus a lot on their families but like to find some moments to move. This segment in the client’s CRM was below average on every single sport: padel, running, swimming, etc.

Looking at our external data sources (where we replicated the same segments) we saw that the Cautious Movers were the top segment doing: “Strolls and walks” almost doubling the population average.

Strolls and walk frequency – 5 or more times per week

Source: Human Centric Group study

Cautious Movers were purchasing sometimes the clients’ products because they are good value for money quality, comfortable shoes to go for a walk. But knowing them at 360° they also understood the style they like, which channel of information they prefer, and possible upsells they could be interested in.

Getting your respondents to reply

Rewards work wonders in getting your customers to reply. Besides, you were going to create that coupon anyway right?

Offering small incentives like discounts, loyalty points, or exclusive perks can make a big difference. And if some customers don’t answer right away, that’s okay—you can always contact them later. By segmenting your CRM, you can identify those who haven’t replied and send them follow-up surveys with a fresh reward offer. This cycle of rewarding and re-surveying ensures that you steadily gather more valuable insights over time, helping you tailor your marketing strategies even further.

Conclusion

Your CRM is more than just a list—it’s a powerful resource filled with real insights about your customers. By studying your CRM data and applying human-centric segmentation, you gain a 360° view of your customers that goes beyond basic numbers. With this deep understanding, you can craft marketing messages that speak directly to each unique segment, whether they’re motivated by fitness, family, or a desire to feel youthful. And if some customers don’t reply right away, offering rewards and following up ensures you steadily collect the valuable insights you need. Exploit the hidden treasure of self-generated CRM data, test, improve, and watch as your tailored strategies drive customer satisfaction and boost your bottom line.

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