Database Marketing - Communicate Effectively With All Customers

Database marketing is easier and less expensive than ever before. Yet many businesses treat their customer and prospect databases the same way spammers treat their scraped and purchased databases; not very well!

Here are 7 tips on how to communicate effectively with all of your database prospects and customers.

1. Use the right database management software. I made the mistake for several years of simply using the software I had, rather than the software that was best for my database. It's well worth the investment of time and money to start gathering your database into a good database management tool before it gets too big. Otherwise, you will discover that migrating your list later is cumbersome and painful.

2. Organize your list. Good database management software allows you to segregate your list not only into prospects and customers, but right down to source, response to campaigns, purchasing habits, etc. With this information you can craft campaigns for each different segment of our list.

3. Communicate often. E-mail is an effective and inexpensive method of communicating with your customer, but if you don't mail to them at least monthly, they will forget who you even are. I recommend sending out an e-mail at least weekly, otherwise your list will go stale.

4. Build your list daily. Your list is either growing or shrinking. If you don't focus on growing it, it's shrinking all by itself.

5. Give value. Find ways to make your prospects and customers heroes! It's all about them. The more you give, the more you get.

6. Use multiple channels. In this day of Youtube and Twitter, it's easy to communicate with our database in every form of media, so, make sure and use every form of media! E-mail, articles, videos, tweets, blogs, slide shows, webinars... if you communicate with your database in as many ways and formats as possible, you'll hit a home run. Some people like to read, others like to watch, others prefer to listen. Deliver it all, and you ensure nobody on your list is left out.

7. Show your personality! In this day and age, boring communication doesn't cut it anymore. People want to be entertained. This doesn't mean you have to be a stand up comic, but you should allow your corporate brand and personality shine through, establishing a unique connection with your audience and separating you from your competitors.

In many companies today, the database is the asset and the real gold mine is the existing customers. It takes seven times as much money to get a new customer as it takes to get another sale out of an existing customer. So do an analysis of your existing database, and see how you are doing in these seven areas, to make sure you're reaching your true sales potential!