Use of "other" when standardizing data

Kim_Gandy1
Level 7

Use of "other" when standardizing data

I'm working to fill holes and standardize lead info in my database, particularly "job title" and "industry." When using drop downs in a form, which of the following is a best practice?

  1. CEO, VP, Director, Other (fill in blank if "other")
    • Potential for too many people to fill in blank, negating standardization.
  2. CEO, VP, Director, Other
    • If "other" is chosen, this is of no use to me when targeting in smart lists.
  3. CEO, VP, Director
    • Potential for people to select incorrect title because correct title is not offered.
1 REPLY 1
Darrell_Alfons2
Level 10 - Champion Alumni

Re: Use of "other" when standardizing data

This is a good question.

2 and 3 are definitely tough ones.

A good option would be to create another field called job function or job level (or both), and run nightly smart campaigns that fill these so you can use them in your sends. So smart campaign would be, if Title contains CEO,CXO,CMO etc then Change data value Job Level = C Suite.

Then you can get the benefit of still capturing the exact job title, which sales would appreciate.