Email marketing and Customer Data
Many small businesses don’t realise that their customer list or customer database, is really a sales goldmine. Building and maintaining a customer mailing list or using a database for email marketing is by far one of the most powerful and profitable resources a small business has at its disposal, however for many small businesses it is poorly maintained, unloved and neglected.
Nurture this asset, don’t neglect it!
Some businesses might have a customer list somewhere in their Accounting software system. Others have information in a spreadsheet or scattered across multiple emails. It’s not as uncommon as you might think for smaller businesses to have customer data and records dispersed across different locations. Many will have outdated data, duplicates or missing information and incomplete lists.
If your business falls into this category, it’s time to focus on this right away. Take the time to invest in collecting accurate data and start nurturing one of the most important business assets a small business has. It is equally important to maintain up to date data that allows you to quickly and effectively communicate with your customers. Think about the wasted effort of sending a marketing message to your customers when only 40% are likely to receive it because your email addresses are outdated. Furthermore, when you get a little more sophisticated you can use the information you have collected to identify trends. Look at sales history information, gather insights into the buyer behaviour, and better understand your customers.
Your customer list is a powerful source of on demand traffic and is packed full of potential repeat customers.
Did you know the commonly quoted ‘average’ is that it costs 7 times more to sell to a new customer than to an existing customer. Not only are existing customers less expensive to sell to but they are more likely to try your new products, listen to what you have to offer, trust your brand and advocate for your business but telling their family, friends and colleagues about your products and services.
Your customer list can be used for email marketing and is an important source of potential future sales leads as well as a source of relevant business information. It can be used to gather vital information such as customer satisfaction information or used as an avenue for new product testing.
Invest in cleaning, updating and recording your data
Spend some time sorting and cleansing your customer list. Aim to update your data and add in any relevant information you have about your customers to your database that might help you know more about their product or service preferences.
Consolidate and cleanse your data so that the right message is getting through to the right people. Invest in software and tools that will help you do this or put processes in place to ensure that customer data is being collected and updated regularly and accurately.
CRM and Email Marketing Software
Using software or setting up processes can help you ensure that the data stays updated. Once you’ve done this, don’t just store your data, use your lists regularly to communicate to your customers. Consider using a Customer Relationship Management system (CRM) or email marketing system to help you keep your information up to date. Distribute relevant messages to your customers quickly and easily. With up to date data you can even craft a personalised email marketing campaign. Consider investing in setting up an email marketing system. Did you know that some email software (systems) can even be free to use if you have a small number of subscribers? Why not investigate that option if you haven’t done so already.
Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
Remember it takes approximately 7 touch points for a customer to purchase a product or service. More importantly existing customers who already know and trust your business are more likely to be repeat customers or try new products that you sell.
Once you have a clean list to work with, you can use this to better market your products and services. Build your list of customers so that you can reach out to them easily and to ensure that you stay top of mind.
If you are not sure how to access these tools or need help to determine what might best suit your business get in touch and we can point you in the right direction. Don’t delay, start cleaning and consolidating your data today and if you’ve got this sorted out already, put your thinking caps on and craft a marketing message to get your customers excited about your products and services!
Best of luck,
Effie Cinanni
Small Chilli Marketing