You're probably aware of how critical it is to back up your marketing decisions with data. However, you may be unaware that the quality of the data can make or break the success of your decisions—and that the quality of mobile location data, in particular, can vary greatly between providers.
Mobile location data is geographical information about the location of a specific device that is linked to a time identifier. This device data is assumed to be associated with a person; a device identifier then serves as a pseudonym to separate the person's identity from the data insights. Mobile location data is frequently aggregated to provide large-scale insights into audience movement.
So, how can you determine the quality of the data if you want to evaluate a location data provider yourself? We've compiled four key factors to help you evaluate the quality of mobile location data, whether you're selecting a new data provider or reevaluating an existing one.
1. The Data Scale:
Scale is important when considering the quality of location data because it allows you to get granular in your analysis without losing statistical relevance. For example, if you want to know how a specific DMA or store is performing, scalable data will ensure that the performance is not based on an analysis of only a few visits.
2. Data Reliability:
Accuracy and scale go hand in hand because it ensures that the data accurately identifies visits to real locations (or POIs). After all, having a large scale isn't very useful if the data isn't accurate.
For example, if you're starting a marketing campaign for loyal McDonald's customers, you need to make sure that the audience segments you're activating are based on accurate data. Otherwise, you won't be spending your media dollars wisely, and you'll be giving your customers a bad user experience.
3. The Data Density:
Data density gives this picture a third dimension by letting you know if offline customers went to a place and if so, how long they stayed (this is called "dwell time"). Your data could be highly accurate, but if you can't tell the difference between customers who spent 20 minutes in your store and those who drove by, you won't be able to truly understand how customers interact and engage with your brand.
4. Location, Data Collection, Privacy and Transparency:
Last but not least, is privacy and transparency. All location data must be collected anonymously and only from users who have agreed to share their location data. Privacy has always been a core value for AirSage, and our commitment is based on four key principles: consent, transparency, control, and accountability.
Lastly, using high-quality data with these traits will help you learn useful things about your customers, which can improve your marketing campaigns and achieve your marketing goals. To learn more about mobile location data, visit AirSage today!
