So you’ve built a customer email/contact list and you want to start or have started database marketing. We have some tips on how to make your Database Marketing 100% better using these simple strategies:

#1. Always Ask for Opt In

It always amazes me how many companies add me to their mailing list without asking me or giving me any opt in. Bottom line is: it’s good practice to ask them to opt in. It makes them feel a bit of control over the way they connect with you. I like the opt ins where you can choose what type of communication you will receive and choose between eg SMS, Email, Phone calls.

There’s a reason email services like Mailchimp ask you when you’re adding emails to your list if the people you are adding have granted you permission to email them, because noone wants to be spammed.

Make sure you always have an unsubscribe link on your emails to your list. One company I know emails and the only way to unsubscribe is to email them to tell them you don’t want their emails. No one wants to have to do that, they want an anonymous link to click.

#2. Personalise the Message

I don’t mean Dear Jill blah blah. Some people may like the Dear Name touch, I’m not a big fan of the fact that a company that I have only just connected with assumes they can be personal with me. No what I mean by personalise is to offer me information that is useful to me wherever possible.

So if I have never bought product A from you, then don’t keep offering me Product A. (or indeed if I have bought product A then don’t offer me more of it – Amazon does this and it’s always a bit annoying). Some emails and texts that I receive from companies are obviously blanket emails sent to the whole database.

That might be appropriate if it’s notifying your customers of events but mass marketing days are over. Use segments to start to give a more personalised approach (see next tip).

#3. Target Segments

You should consider sending different messages to different segments.

What segments should I use? Well as a starting point you will always have active, inactive or lapsed customers and prospects. Why send the same email to these when clearly they need different calls to action?

Or maybe you have small, medium and large spend customers that you want to offer different incentives to. Maybe you have different products and services that different customers buy from you and you want to upsell them based on their past history (not the same Product A though!)

It’s easy to set up a field that is updated every quarter on your database so that you can easily pull a list by types of customer.

#4. Don’t Overdo

Don’t go overboard on contacts, it’s a fine balance between being useful and being spammy again. And all that happens is people start to ignore your emails and just drop them straight into their trash.

I signed up for a well-known retailer’s emails and they send them weekly. I don’t look at them now. Frequency is one reason but also it’s the content. It’s just not engaging enough so that when it’s coupled with too many emails, it’s a switch off.

You want people to genuinely look forward to opening and reading your emails, not hit the delete button.

#5. Measure, measure, measure

As with all marketing activity always measure. Most outbound email services have built in reports. Look at them a day after and then a week after a mailing.

Spending 10 minutes analysing key things like which links people clicked on, how many people unsubscribed, and comparing the measures to your last mailing is important for fine tuning your mailing approach. Look at your Google Analytics. How did this campaign do for driving traffic or sales?

You might also consider doing an A/B test approach. This just means dividing your database into two and sending them different versions of your mailing and seeing which one yields more clicks, contacts, sales.

One final phrase to always keep in mind, Customer Relationship Management. How you manage your database marketing is a key part of how you manage your customer relationships.

Want to find out more about how Mykidstime can help you with your database marketing? Contact us now.

Did you enjoy this article? Read some of our other Business blog posts: 5 Simple Strategies for Converting Sales Leads and 5 Reasons to Use Digital Advertising for your Business