Access to relevant and updated information is one of the most important things for any business. It’s not only essential for making informed decisions but also for ensuring you’re meeting the demands of your target audience.
For that, companies and businesses use different types of tools and software. These help them extract, analyze, and further process all the data. The three major types of these tools are CDPs, CRMs, and DMPs. The use case and performance of these tools are often confusing for people.
And what are these abbreviations?
How can you incorporate them for business success?
Many questions might arise in your mind.
In this blog, we will discuss CDPs, CRMs, and DMPs in detail so you can decide which one is ideal for your business. Most importantly, we’ll also check these differences to avoid confusion.
So let’s get started.
CRM, DMP & CDP: What Are They?
All of these are data platforms through which businesses can streamline their operations. It’s extremely crucial for all departments, especially sales and marketing teams.
However, there are many differences, such as how they gather, store, process, and organize data. The quality of data and internal processes varies greatly.
What is Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software?
A CRM is an abbreviation of Customer Relationship Management. It is a category of software and strategies designed to help businesses manage and nurture their relationships with customers and potential customers. It increases brand loyalty, which plays a key role in the success of any business.
These systems collect data and record current customers’ information through direct contact. But what does that mean?
It means a CRM can store data collected from all phone sales calls, email addresses, chats, website visits, etc. In short, they keep a complete record of how a customer interacts with your brand. They collect the data of known valuable customers, also referred to as PIL, which stands for Personal Identifiable Information. It is extremely helpful in retargeting, SMS, and email marketing.
But it was so useful in the 90s. It’s important to note that CRMs are more commonly used by the sales team than the overall marketing. According to a LinkedIn State of Sales report, more than 40% of salespeople prioritize using intelligent sales analytics tools.
CRM is extremely crucial in increasing customer retention. Difficult tasks such as scheduling meetings are much easier because of this software.
Pros Of Using CRM
Before using a CRM, it’s important to know its pros and cons to make a better decision for your business. It gives you access to a broad audience, which is helpful in creating accurate audience segments and much more. Here are some pros you should know.
- Marketing Campaign Optimization: CRM allows for better targeting and segmentation of customer lists, leading to more effective marketing campaigns. Marketers can personalize content and messaging based on customer preferences and behavior.
- Improved Customer Relationships: CRM systems enable businesses to understand better and engage with customers. They provide a centralized platform for managing customer data, interactions, and feedback, leading to more personalized and effective communication.
- Enhanced Customer Service: CRM tools help customer service teams access detailed customer profiles and history, allowing them to provide quicker and more relevant support. It leads to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Cons Of Using CRM
But there are also certain limitations that you should know before implementing this system. These are as follows.
- Extremely Costly: Maintenance and data extraction costs can be extremely high. So, if you have a low budget, then CRM might not be your best option.
- Purely Data-driven: You need access to the latest and most accurate data. If the stored data is inaccurate, CRMs won’t yield good results.
What is a Data Management Platform (DMP)?
A Data Management Platform, also abbreviated as DMP, is a technology platform that specializes in collecting, organizing, and analyzing large volumes of data from various sources.
This platform collects data from different third-party sources. Then, it segments to build the audience. This segmented audience is then used to run the retargeted ad campaigns.
However, there’s one thing that you should know about DMP.
All the data is anonymized before it’s shared with other ad companies. Marketing agencies widely use them for retargeting campaigns, content recommendations, lead generation, etc. It tells us that DMP is also suitable for advertising, personalization, and optimizing content.
With it, you can build customer profiles and acquire new customers. Do you know how?
They provide insights on strategies and tactics your audience will probably like. These insights are based on the analysis of sourced data.
Pros of Using DMP
Want to implement DMP in your business? Here are some additional benefits you’ll get from this vital tool.
- Audience Segmentation: DMPs excel at collecting and organizing data from various sources, allowing for precise audience segmentation. It enables businesses to target specific customer groups with tailored content and advertising.
- Improved Ad Targeting: DMPs enhance ad targeting by using data-driven actionable insights. Advertisers can reach the right audience at the right time, increasing the efficiency of marketing campaigns and potentially boosting ROI.
- Data Centralization: DMPs centralize data from disparate sources, making it easier for marketers to access and analyze. It leads to a more holistic view of customer behavior and preferences.
Cons of Using DMP
Now that you know about DMP pros, it’s time to know some of its limitations. They are as follows.
- Lack 360 User Profile: As mentioned earlier, DMPs gather data from third-party sites and second-party platforms. So, integration of all the data from these sources is an extremely big hassle.
- Privacy Concerns: There is a large number of data which is stored in these cloud apps. All of this is collected, which directly raises various privacy concerns.
What is a Customer Data Platform (CDP)?
CDP is an abbreviation of Customer Data Platform. It is focused on unifying customer data from various sources and touchpoints. CDPs create a holistic, single-customer view by consolidating data from online and offline interactions.
We can say that it provides a 360 view of every user. In today’s world, everyone is concerned about their data privacy. That’s where CDPs act as lifesavers for marketers. Do you know how?
They collect data from 1st party sources, eliminating data privacy concerns. But that’s not the only reason for its popularity.
The major reason for CDP gaining prominence is that even the biggest platforms, like Google and Meta, don’t have access to user information like before.
So, in CDP, the users provide all the data. Marketers and businesses have full control over how they want this data. It helps them understand the target audience better and track and analyze their behavior.
Related: What is a Customer Match?
Pros Of Using CDP
Now, let’s look at some advantages of CDP for your business.
- Unified Customer View: CDPs consolidate customer data from various sources, providing a comprehensive and single view of each customer. This unified view helps businesses better understand their customers.
- Real-time Data: Many CDPs provide real-time data processing, allowing businesses to promptly respond to customer actions and behaviors.
- Enhanced Personalization: With access to comprehensive customer profiles, CDPs enable businesses to deliver highly personalized marketing messages and experiences, increasing customer engagement and satisfaction.
Cons Of Using CDP
But it’s not completely the best option. There are certain limitations in CDP. So, if you’re considering opting for this system, you should know these. They are as follow.
- Poor Structured Data: Compared to other data warehouses, this software lacks integration and export of unstructured data.
- Data Silos: If not properly integrated, a CDP may create additional data silos within an organization, complicating data access and analysis.
CRM vs. DMP vs. CDP – Key Differences & Similarities
Now, the most important part of this blog will clear any confusion you might have regarding this software. Here’s a table of differentiation and similarities so you can understand these topics best.
| Aspect | CRM | DMP | CDP |
| Primary Purpose | Manage customer relationships and sales | Collect, store, and analyze data for advertising | Unify customer data and enhance personalization |
| Data Sources | Internal customer data and interactions | Various data sources, including web, mobile, and third-party data | Multiple touchpoints, including online and offline sources |
| Use Cases | Sales and marketing automation, customer service | Targeted advertising, ad campaign optimization | Personalized marketing, customer journey analysis |
| Audience Segmentation | Limited, often based on existing customer data | Extensive, for precise ad targeting | Robust segmentation for tailored marketing |
| Integration with Marketing Tools | Commonly integrated with marketing automation tools | Integrates with ad platforms and data sources | Integrates with various marketing and engagement tools |
| Software Examples | Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics | Adobe Audience Manager, Oracle BlueKai | Segment, Tealium, BlueConic, Optimizely |
Use Cases of CRM, DMP & CDP
Every software uses a unique approach to make your business grow. CRM is ideal if you want to increase sales, enhance marketing efforts, improve customer service, and easily manage accounts.
DMPs are suitable for managing and analyzing the data of your customers. Not only this, it’s also helpful in analyzing the data, optimizing it, and then optimizing campaigns so you can target the right people.
As far as CDP is concerned, it collects first-party data and integrates the data, hosting a single unified customer database. It’s a crucial part of running a successful campaign.
But there’s one thing that you should know.
GDPR and other data privacy regulations have introduced strict requirements for handling customer data. Marketers need to ensure compliance with these laws, which may limit the use of certain data, especially regarding DMPs. That’s why the usage of third-party tracking systems is usually of no use. Most importantly, it’s not as authentic as first-party data sources.
How To Choose The Best Platform For Your Team?
Now comes the most important question. Which is how you can choose the most suitable platform for your team?
The answer lies in your business needs and goals.
Make a list of problems your business is facing, and you need to solve them as soon as possible. Now, ask yourself which process among these can yield the best results.
Suppose your company is facing issues in internal processes and customer experience. Then, a CRM is an ideal option. Because it’ll help with handling operations while bringing efficiency, it can provide the efficiency that might be lacking in your systems.
But what if you want to increase leads through outbound marketing? Is there any tool for that?
Yes.
A DMP is capable of taking your digital advertising to the next level. They improve the spending by making your ads super specific and targeted. CDP is ideal if you aim to extract new customer insights. It unifies all the customer data and helps identify segmentation and correlations that you might not notice.
Conclusion
You have almost all the necessary information to incorporate these tools into your business. Each of these has a specific role, and if used properly, they complement each other well.
Some can be used for lead generation, while others are suitable for managing customer and prospect relationships. It all comes down to the objectives you want to achieve from integrating these systems.
These are suitable for ensuring that you have a better understanding of your customers. As a result, you provide an excellent, personalized, and positive user experience, ultimately leading to business growth.
But whatever option you choose, ensure it aligns with your business goals and objectives. Only then you’ll be able to get maximum benefit from it. It’ll save you from wasting a lot of money and time.