Effective Database Marketing: Be Real, Be Honest!

We mute them, we hang-up on them, we recycle them, we ignore most marketing just out of habit. What makes yours different? If you’re a telephone prospector, do you screen your calls? If you’re a direct mailer, do you recycle your unopened junk mail? Unless the model is hot, do you read the magazine ad? I thought not.

Why are so many business’s marketing in ways that they personally avoid? You might say, because it works, but that really isn’t true. Because it has worked in the past is more like it. Spamming to the masses via any media is still spam. Spam is the crap you get from somebody you’ve never met, or wish you hadn’t. Is that really the business you want to be in?

Looking at the “Sales/Marketing” section of any book store we see author after author, book after book written about How to Never Cold Call Again!  Ok, we have all read these books. Network, relationship, refer, and pray!  In that order. All of these books have the same message. But is it working for you? Are you finding the connectors and convincing the mavens? Yes, building a network can and does work for many. Is it for you?

The advantage of building and using a database from your network is obvious. You already have some report built up with people you’ve already met. They are more likely to open what you send them and respond to a call to action. It is also much easier to close a sale with someone who trusts you rather than a person you’ve never met.

But how can you stay in front of your prospects without annoying them? How and how often should you stay in contact with them? Do you email them the same industry newsletter that everyone else does? Do you call them every three weeks and make up an excuse to talk to them? Do you send them a postcard with your smiling picture on it every month? If you have a database and been trained to work it, you’ve been told to do at least one of these maybe more. I have tried it all. It has even worked a few times!

I have seen many effective and ineffective database marketing campaigns. One of the most effective is from a mortgage professional that I know. She sends a card, with a picture she has personally taken for every major holiday and a quarterly market update. She thanks the recipients for their business and referrals. She also often includes a sticky pad and business card in her updates. My wife has a stack of these on her desk.

Besides the emotional value from the holiday cards all that this effective database marketer sends out is of value. She doesn’t beg for business, she informs on how the current market looks. She gives a little office accoutrement with her name on it. Those little sticky pads are always nearby when paying bills. We think of her often throughout the month, even when we haven’t received a letter in weeks. I have never thought of her as annoying.

I received 4 Christmas cards this year asking for referrals. Lame!  Like I am going to place that card on my mantle next to the one my grandma sent. Receiving a “Buy now or miss out!” notice every month is also annoying. I am not a fish and won’t respond to random lures, neither are your prospects. Respect them and they will be more likely to respond.

How do you show your recipients’ that you respect them? Honest personal interest and value are the best ways to demonstrate your value and show them respect. Personal cards with photos you have taken, handwritten notes, market information specific to that client, items of real value like: address labels, promotional items, one cent stamps when postage changes, a beautiful calendar, or possibly even a coffee gift card. Clearly you don’t want to waste you money on ineffective marketing. The right program can show large rewards, without overbearing costs.

It is also important to be working the right database. Are you in a B2B network looking for consumers, in a social club looking for managing decision makers? Choose wisely, all too often people get sucked into the wrong group. Sure they are great people, but should you be spending your time connecting with prospects instead of industry competitors. I have never known a Realtor to sell another Realtors home.

What is the take away? Don’t take your database for granted. Give them information and materials that are of real value to them. Don’t waste your time and money copying what everyone else is doing. Figure out how to differentiate your marketing, and make it work for you. The right piece to the right person will go a long way in bringing in the business we all need. And of course if you need help, consult a professional, someone who understands how to help you stand out in the crowd.