Five Data Foundations Every Sell-Side Desk Needs to Monetize Research

There is no shortage of leaders in financial markets who want to use analytics and data science to unlock commercial insights — but too often, the information inputs and data outputs just aren't there to support the work.

Before you can predict behaviors or optimize services, you need to build a foundation that captures reality clearly and consistently.

For sell-side shops, when it comes to the monetization of content, the building blocks for analytics are crucial and should be focused on.

These are the five data foundations every sell-side desk needs to monetize research:

1️⃣ Consistent Client Records - Standardizing how you capture names, firms, and roles and adding smart categories 

2️⃣ Comprehensive Interaction Capture - Tracking research readership, analyst meetings and calls, corporate access, and event participation to get a full picture of engagement

3️⃣ Reliable, Accessible Storage - Clean, centralized infrastructure, even if simple, should act as a single source of truth for all teams

4️⃣ Smart Tagging - Tagging research with relevant sectors, tickers, and themes, making client connection to the right offerings faster and easier

5️⃣ Clear Client Segmentation - Defining who matters most and why. Use scoring, tiering, or clustering logic that reflects actual commercial opportunity

If you're interested in adding firepower to your monetization strategy with flexible, targeted support, I’d love to connect and chat.

KTB