Marketing Foundations: Data Enrichment 101, a Step-by-Step Guide
If you’re working in marketing or sales, you’ve probably heard how data enrichment can optimize just about anything you’re doing. Done right, data enrichment can fill in the gaps in your data, help you target more effectively, and unlock the insights you need to drive the right sales conversations.
But let’s be real—without a solid plan, it’s all too easy to waste time and money or, worse… create a huge mess and mass confusion within your systems and people.
Whether you're new to data enrichment or just looking to improve your process, here's how I approach it to avoid pitfalls (some of which I have learned through my own trial and error! 😅).
NOTE: If you have an in-house marketing operations or revenue operations team, please include them early on! If you don’t have an operations team internally, consider partnering with an agency or consultant—all of these folks have valuable experience and can help guide you through this process.
Step 1: Audit Your Data
Before you even think about vendors or new data sets, start by auditing your current data. It’s like cleaning out the garage before you buy new shelves—if you don’t clean first, you’ll just add more to your existing mess.
Why it matters: Skipping this step can lead to wasting money on enriching data that’s already outdated, duplicated, or irrelevant.
What to do:
Do an audit of your existing database. Look at which fields live on which objects and completeness of each field across the database.
Check for duplicates, inconsistencies, spam, outdated records.
Figure out where the gaps are—do you need firmographics, better contact details, or something else entirely?
Pro Tip: A data audit shouldn’t be a “set it and forget it” task. Build it into your regular operations to keep things clean and accurate over time. I like to try to do a mini data audit at least once a month, a medium once per quarter, and an all-encompassing one once per year.
Step 2: Define What You Need
Once you’ve assessed your data, the next step is figuring out exactly what you’re looking for. Without clear business requirements, you might end up buying the wrong dataset or investing in tools you don’t really need.
Questions to ask yourself:
What’s our Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)?
What data points do we need to better define our ICP or improve segmentation?
At which stages of the customer journey does data enrichment add the most value? (For example, lead scoring, sales handoff, or marketing personalization.)
What data do we need at each stage of the lead lifecycle? How does this enrichment help us complete those profiles?
What integrations do we need to make this data actionable in our current tech stack?
Have I made assumptions about what my partners in Sales or CS need, or have I asked them for their feedback before evaluating enrichment solutions?
This is where alignment with your team is key. Make sure everyone understands how enriched data will be used and where it fits into your larger strategy.
Step 3: Research Data Enrichment Vendors
Now that you have your requirements, it’s time to evaluate vendors. Not all providers are created equal, and this step will help you find the ones that meet your needs without wasting your time.
What to look for:
Do they specialize in the types of data you need (think: specific industries, geographies, data types like install data)?
Can they integrate with your systems easily (have them show you how the integration works live)?
Are they compliant with data privacy regulations like GDPR or CCPA?
Do they have good reviews or success stories in your industry?
Why it matters: Choosing the wrong vendor can mean missing out on better-quality data or mismatched expectations on the usability of integrations.
Step 4: Test with a Validation File
Before committing to a vendor, create a validation file to test the quality of their data. Think of this as a trial run—it helps you avoid surprises later.
How to do it:
Pull a sample of around 1,000 records from your database. This could be a bigger number if you have millions and millions of records… the idea is to get a slice across the entire database.
Include records with field values that you already know are accurate, so you can cross-check the results. Just remove the values from the sheet you share with the vendor, so they enrich those fields with their values.
Test across different geographies or segments, depending on your needs. If you market to people in India but find it hard to get accurate data there, be sure to include a bunch of records from India to see what the vendor comes back with.
Make three copies of the file if you’re testing multiple vendors. Each vendor should get their own copy, especially if you are sharing a Google Sheet.
Why it matters: Through this exercise (once you share the file, later in the process) is where you really get a sense of the value of each vendor’s data to YOUR business. You may be surprised and find that a major player doesn’t have the industry you need, while a smaller, less flashy vendor may have exactly the data you need. Or you may not find many differences between the vendors, which opens up a discussion about price and ROI. Put a lot of effort into getting a true subset of your data so you can put the vendors to the real test.
Step 5: Finalize Your Data Enrichment Vendor Shortlist
Once you’ve done your research and have your files, narrow your options to a few vendors that seem like the best fit. At this point, it’s all about the details.
What to consider:
Can the vendor handle the integrations you need?
Are they scalable as your needs grow?
Have you aligned on data privacy requirements?
Why it matters: Don’t waste your time with vendors who aren’t a fit right off the bat – no need to send them any data.
Step 6: Align on Data Privacy
Before sharing anything, make sure you’re aligned with your vendor on data privacy. This isn’t just a legal checkbox—it’s about protecting both your customers and your business.
Checklist:
Sign a Data Processing Agreement (DPA).
Confirm the vendor complies with privacy laws like GDPR or CCPA.
Make sure your internal privacy team has reviewed the process.
Why it matters: Mishandling data at this stage could put your company at serious legal and reputational risk. It’s not worth cutting corners here. My policy is: treat your company data like you’d like your personal data to be treated… with care and discretion.
Step 7: Compare Results and Make Your Choice
Once the vendors have enriched your sample file, take the time to evaluate their results carefully. Compare the files from each vendor against each other and against your completed file (before you removed the field values).
Extra credit: have a trusted sales person check out the data too, to give their 2 cents.
What to evaluate:
Accuracy: Did they get the details right?
Completeness: Did they fill in the gaps you identified?
Relevance: Is the enriched data actionable for your business?
Integration: Can the data be easily synced with your systems?
Why it matters: The right vendor will make everything smoother, from implementation to usability to long-term ROI.
Step 8: Data Enrichment Implementation
After choosing a vendor, it’s time to implement the enriched data. Treat this as a mini-project with clear goals, timelines, and milestones. Don’t just upload the data and call it a day… work with your team to ensure it’s being used effectively.
Pro Tip: Partner closely with your revenue ops or marketing ops team during implementation. They’ll help ensure the data flows where it needs to and is being used correctly.
Bonus points: Set up what I call a Lead Washing Machine, which is a term borrowed from Eloqua… basically, it’s just groups of automation that cleanse, standardize, and enrich data before it’s used by marketing or passed to sales. This could have an entire article of its own, but here’s a diagram from one of our internal Data Enrichment playbooks to help you start to think about it:
Data Enrichment: Final Thoughts
Data enrichment can be a game-changer, but it’s not something to rush into blindly. By following these steps, you’ll avoid common mistakes, protect your data, and ensure you’re getting real value from your investment.
If you’re considering starting a data enrichment project or have questions about the process, let’s chat. We specialize in these types of projects and have years of experience to pull on, to ensure you get the best result possible!
