If this appeals to you, below are five tips to build a good quality email database.
Offer your customer something rather than taking a direct-to-sale initiative - sending them directly to the shopping cart or asking them to engage your services is not as successful these days as customers don't appreciate being pushed. It might achieve a few quick sales but it will not engage your customers and encourage them to seek you out. People are more likely to give you their contact information if they are getting something in return - offer a free sample of your product, a discount off a future purchase or your knowledge (through a free article or white paper). Reward your customer for their information. It is amazing what people will do for a freebie or to save a little money.
Also make it easy to 'opt out' of your emails. This may seem counter productive but more people are likely to sign up if it is made clear up front how easy it is to stop receiving your emails. Keep in mind that if they enjoy hearing from your company, they won't opt out and you have a valuable addition to your database.
One of the most successful strategies to increase a response from a mail-out is to invite customers to refer a friend. Include a 'Forward to a Friend' link at the end of each email or even just add the words 'Please pass on to a friend'. It may seem relatively naive to simply ask your customers to pass on your marketing material but even if only half your customers forward it on to one person and only half of these people sign up, that is still a 25 per cent increase in email addresses in your databases. Also consider offering an incentive for forwarding the email like being put in the draw for a prize or offering a five percent discount on their next purchase.
If you already have an existing 'warm' email list - perhaps for other purposes like invoicing - invite these customers to join your database and receive regular updates. Or in some cases, these email address might not be the appropriate contact so ask them to recommend a more suitable colleague and offer an incentive if they sign up.
Don't miss an opportunity to network and sign people up to your database. If you trade from a retail location, provide a sign up sheet on your front desk and do the same at trade shows. Personal networking is the best way to make new contacts and following up with them will make sure you retain them. (Particularly at trade shows, it is important to follow up as competition is fierce so you need to differentiate yourself from other exhibitors.) Also mention your website and subscriptions your offer during presentations - whether you are presenting to a large management team or meeting an individual. If you don't mention it, they will never know and you will have missed a valuable prospect.
Similarly, ask people if they would like to receive your newsletter when they give you a business card or when you meet them at a trade show. A little give and take never hurt anybody.
Depending on your marketing strategy, renting or buying lists is also a worthwhile consideration. Remember to see this as a database building technique but is not likely to generate thousands of new contact - your aim is to transfer interested parties into contacts for your business. Is there is a suitable industry magazine or newsletter with a good contact list? By renting or buying this list to send an email with a suitable incentive, you could increase your own database. However it is important to evaluate whether this strategy is appropriate for your business as it can get expensive. If you are a small retail business, buying or renting a list for thousands of dollars may not transfer into sales in the long term however if your products and services are worth thousands of dollars, one or more sales could cover your costs and it is worth investigating.
To find out more about obtaining a marketing list contact D&B's team of B2B marketing experts on 13 23 33.
Holding onto existing clients is just as important as generating new email contacts and you need to nurture these relationships. The most effective way to do this is to make one person responsible for your email database. This will ensure your message is always consistent and remove the chance of mistakes. If one person is responsible for the task, they can keep track of what has been sent, to whom and when. The more people involved in sending emails, the more likely it is the same email will be sent three times, increasing the chance your emails will be seen as spam and customers opting out. This same person should also process all new contacts and any customers opting out, making sure they are processed quickly. They can also provide a personal element to each communication to make it unique and valuable - even if the customer is opting out.
Click here for more tips on direct marketing and the do's and don'ts of direct mail campaigns
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