Marketers caught up in the minutiae of their company strategies and data are missing the big picture. I believe data differentiation is the key to widening their perspectives.

While 85% of B2B marketers surveyed in a 2016 report from the Content Marketing Institute, MarketingProfs and Brightcove said that lead generation is their most important content marketing goal, they may not always receive high-quality leads from those efforts. Too much focus on the beginning stages of the buyer’s journey can cause marketers to lose sight of the later stages—the final steps in the prospect’s journey—the ones that make or break the conversion.

This growing disconnect between companies’ sales and marketing teams illustrates the need for more comprehensive growth strategies. And the key to these strategies is—of course—data. When B2B marketers differentiate their data to see the big picture, they can build a strategy based on detailed insights instead of resting on basic trial and error.

At Semarchy, we’re all about using data strategically, and that includes using it to inform marketing and sales strategies. Marketers should be able to discover, cleanse and govern their data for their companies to thrive. Here are a few ways that B2B marketers can differentiate their data for the betterment of their businesses.

Focus On First-Party Data

First-party data—the information that comes directly from a company’s customers—gives B2B marketers the ability to differentiate themselves from their competitors. This data includes everything from customers’ purchase history to web-browsing behaviors. By analyzing this personalized content, marketers can promote their products by pinpointing what their audiences need and highlighting it in their advertising.

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To achieve the best results, B2B marketers should segment their first-party data into manageable segments. For example, delineating your customers by people (who they are and their role), things (i.e., products or services) and places (geography or organization) will allow you to develop more logical and effective targeting. The key is not to use any single category, but to align multiple segments to generate precise targeting opportunities.

Break Down Your Buyer’s Journey

Many companies face challenges when it comes to converting leads into sales. I believe this is because we still have fundamental misunderstandings about our buyers’ journeys. Only by looking at that journey holistically and then breaking it down into precise steps that include a number of variables, can marketers begin to turn leads into opportunities.