Build your database, one person at a time

I was talking to a member of The Marketing Compass
yesterday about their contact list.

'How many contacts should I have?" he asked me.

"As a small business owner, aim for at least 500,"
I replied. "However, a couple of thousand would be great."

"Where do I get the names?" He asked me.

"Well," I replied, "you can buy a list from a list broker.
However, the best way is to gradually build your own list."

The best list will always be your own list. Build it one
person at a time. When you meet someone at a
networking event, enter their business card details
in your database. When you exchange emails with
someone new - do the same thing.

Online social networking is a great way to meet
new (virtual) contacts. If you are communicating
regularly with someone via a social networking site -
do they also appear in your database?

The data needs to be held in one place. ACT! is a popular
sales and marketing database. Within our office, we use
Critical Mass.

Incidentally, ensure that you have registered under
the Data Protection Act (or equivalent, in your country).

At the core of your list will be your current customers.
Communicate with them regularly! And communicate
with the other people on your list at least a few times a
year - otherwise - what's the point in having them there?

All the best

Nigel
www.nigeltemple.com
Tel: 01628 773128

Founder of The Marketing Compass, the marketing mastermind
group for independent professionals and small business owners

Click here to join as a Circle Member - without charge

Do you need business in the short term?

A great way of generating short term business is to go back to your dormant customers and re-contact them. It is five times more likely that you will make a sale to a friend, rather than a stranger.

It is much easier to do this if you have their details stored in a sales and marketing database. Examples include ACT! from Sage and Critical Mass, which is the system we use in our office.

The important thing is to have everything in one file; to keep the information up to date; and to communicate regularly with useful, helpful and interesting information.

Successful marketers are organised. They know that the boring, 'back-office' tasks deliver results. So, for example, do you spend time each week updating your database and communicating with dormant, current and prospective customers?

We discuss subjects like this in detail within The Marketing Compass, my marketing mastermind group for small business owners.

Monthly membership costs £60 +VAT and we are running an October promotion with lots of marketing help for new members. By all means get in touch if you'd like to find out more.

All the best with your marketing!

Nigel
www.nigeltemple.com
nigel@nigeltemple.com
Tel: 01628 773128

Should you be sending out direct mailshots?

Direct mail is a great way of generating awareness and response, although it is a relatively expensive way of getting your message across. The more important point, however, is: will it deliver the goods? The answer to this question is “Yes”, as long as you have the component parts working in harmony.

The best list
Clear thinking on segmentation makes it easier to create your mailing list. The best list will always be your own list, grown and nurtured over time. However, if you need to start afresh, then you may need to talk to a list broker. Their job is to source the right contact names, with the right details and deliver them to you in the right format. As well as list broking companies, there is an increasing number of on-line list brokers.

The psychology of repetition
In order to get your message into long term memory, it must be repeated seven times. However, direct mail (and most other forms of marketing) only 'gets through' a third of the time. Therefore, we must try 21 times (i.e. 3 x 7), in order to get our message across.

Consider those companies which mail you on a regular basis. If they continue to do it – it must work for them, mustn't it? The chances are that you have bought from them in the past. This means that you are likely to buy from them once again, at some point in the future. The point is that they don't send a few mailers and then give up. They are investing for the long term.

Click here to read a longer article on direct mail.

All the best with your marketing!

Nigel
www.nigeltemple.com
nigel@nigeltemple.com
01628 773128