Marketing databases have gotten more complex over the years as new ways of contacting prospects have emerged. If you are looking to set up a marketing database, the following tips will help you create a database that is effective and supportive to your goals. If you have questions or need help creating a custom database, contact Arkware.
1. Define your objectives.
The first step is to have clear, measurable goals. Without them, it’s easy for your marketing project to derail from your original expectations. Here are some questions to ask yourself before building a marketing database.
- Are you building a database for customers, prospects or both?
- What will the database be used for – analysis, campaign management or both?
- What kind of reporting is required?
- Who will be using your database?
- What programs does your database need to support?
2. Keep your database simple.
If this is your first marketing database, keep things simple. This will make it easier to support your marketing program and reach success with your goals. As you get more comfortable using a database for marketing purposes, you can make your databases more complex. But even with experience, you still want to aim for a simplified database that is easy to implement, understand and track.
3. Normalize your data.
If you’ve used a database before, you know the frustrations of having redundant data. Inconsistent data complicates queries and causes confusion among your marketing teams. Fortunately, there is a way to prevent this from happening and that’s by normalizing your data. The areas to focus on include code fields, common output structures and address data.
4. Create an accurate budget.
There are many factors that will impact how much you spend on building and maintaining your marketing database. Some of the first questions you’ll need to answer are which database platform you want to use, how many records will be incorporated into the database and how often you plan on updating the database. Also, if you want your database to be accessible online, you can expect added costs.
5. Set measurable objectives.
Most businesses opt for a marketing database to keep track of their prospects and customers, gather valuable information on their audiences and manage ad campaign spending. For example, when you analyze and profile your customers, you can be more selective in who you send mail to. Or, with more accurate targeting, you can show your ads to the right groups of people.
Building a marketing database is an excellent decision for your business. The database will allow you to organize your contacts and streamline your marketing efforts. To discuss your goals for a marketing database that meets your organization’s needs, contact Arkware today.