The power of a database to help your marketing is in the functionality it brings, over and above just storing your clients name, address and email address. It will bring sanity to your marketing plan and allow you to contact your Sphere of Influence, your clients and potential clients in ways you never thought possible!
The easiest way to add people to your database is to build a form and have people enter their information directly into your marketing database. Almost every database system allows for some kind of online entry, if you are not an expert in how to program your website, hire someone to help. This online entry will coordinate with your auto-responder efforts.
The very best aspect of a database is the ability of it to personalize your outgoing message. Most databases will allow you to send out some sort of blast message (either by email or direct mail) which can start with Dear Client Name. I am sure most people realize that we are using technology to personalize the message BUT that does not decrease the effectiveness of using someones given name.
The most important thing you can have for your database is LOTS of people. These should be people who are interested in your product or service and who you have at least a small connection with. They can be member of a professional organization that you belong to, a member of your church, your friends, your dentist, past clients, or anyone with whom you would like to communicate. If you will commit to adding a fixed number of people to your database daily (five per day is realistic), you can guarantee that by the end of the year you will have at least one thousand, two hundred and fifty people to talk with on a regular basis.
Databases are GREAT for sending email messages to! They are simple to set up and integrate with your clients names and even product type or service. A good marketer with multiple client types will be able to send targeted messages to anyone within their database with just a few clicks of a mouse. That having been said, make sure not to send too many messages or you will burn out your mailing list. I have found two per month to be a realistic number.
Direct mail marketing is a great way to communicate with your customers. A targeted, multi-part campaign can make a tremendous difference in your sales volume and how your clients think of you and your product. That having been said, if you are only planning to send out one marketing piece, you may want to consider using another medium as direct mail requires a number of touches to be effective.
An affordable (nearly free) way to touch your database on a regular basis is autoresponders or a drip marketing campaign. These are the functionally the same thing, and involve sending out your marketing message through email over time. I recommend either AWeber or Constant Contact for these emails as they are quality companies that provide a nice template for your messages and keep up with the latest spam and unsubscribe laws.
There is nothing worse that you can do to your database than send out unrelated messages from your core business or service. Make sure that you NEVER sell your list to anyone or talk about a product or service totally unrelated to your product. I have frequently seen marketers send advertisements out that were not a part of their product or service line and their unsubscribes went through the roof.
The easiest way to add people to your database is to build a form and have people enter their information directly into your marketing database. Almost every database system allows for some kind of online entry, if you are not an expert in how to program your website, hire someone to help. This online entry will coordinate with your auto-responder efforts.
The very best aspect of a database is the ability of it to personalize your outgoing message. Most databases will allow you to send out some sort of blast message (either by email or direct mail) which can start with Dear Client Name. I am sure most people realize that we are using technology to personalize the message BUT that does not decrease the effectiveness of using someones given name.
The most important thing you can have for your database is LOTS of people. These should be people who are interested in your product or service and who you have at least a small connection with. They can be member of a professional organization that you belong to, a member of your church, your friends, your dentist, past clients, or anyone with whom you would like to communicate. If you will commit to adding a fixed number of people to your database daily (five per day is realistic), you can guarantee that by the end of the year you will have at least one thousand, two hundred and fifty people to talk with on a regular basis.
Databases are GREAT for sending email messages to! They are simple to set up and integrate with your clients names and even product type or service. A good marketer with multiple client types will be able to send targeted messages to anyone within their database with just a few clicks of a mouse. That having been said, make sure not to send too many messages or you will burn out your mailing list. I have found two per month to be a realistic number.
Direct mail marketing is a great way to communicate with your customers. A targeted, multi-part campaign can make a tremendous difference in your sales volume and how your clients think of you and your product. That having been said, if you are only planning to send out one marketing piece, you may want to consider using another medium as direct mail requires a number of touches to be effective.
An affordable (nearly free) way to touch your database on a regular basis is autoresponders or a drip marketing campaign. These are the functionally the same thing, and involve sending out your marketing message through email over time. I recommend either AWeber or Constant Contact for these emails as they are quality companies that provide a nice template for your messages and keep up with the latest spam and unsubscribe laws.
There is nothing worse that you can do to your database than send out unrelated messages from your core business or service. Make sure that you NEVER sell your list to anyone or talk about a product or service totally unrelated to your product. I have frequently seen marketers send advertisements out that were not a part of their product or service line and their unsubscribes went through the roof.
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