Why do we half-ass Data?
You know exactly what I’m talking about. Unless you work at Facebook, Twitter, or working for a national agency that reps Home Depot, McDonald’s, or Budweiser you are sitting on a GOLD MINE of client information. Right?
You’ve checked the obligatory boxes….Yes, we:
Have a website
Send a weekly/monthly email newsletter
Pay for SalesForce
…..and that’s pretty much it
You could very well be paying for more products, platforms, and/or software that collects client data in the hopes that one day someone will take the time to do something with it. Just not today. I’m too busy. You’re too busy. We’re all TOO BUSY.
For real though, big picture- if you could actually target the people currently in your database, you would cut down your workload by going straight to those who already showed interest in your product and/or service. We often work harder, not smarter and this is a glaring example of reactively dealing with the crap on our plate right this second, versus taking a minute to step back and do some quality investigative work that could save you from the busywork.
And side note- I’m here to tell you, your competitors aren’t doing anything with it either, but neither are you. So why not be the one that does it?
BUT HOW????
Just imagine if you took 90 minutes to dig into your database(s) (however many you may have living separately on the world wide web) just to KNOW what you have? What if Day 1 or Week 1 - let’s go Week 1, you came away with the knowledge that you had 500 email addresses in your database?
What if in Week 2 you were able to determine which were current clients and which were not? Now you have segmented your database.
Week 3- You decide to send current clients a timely Holiday offer?
Week 4- You determine a marketing message to get them in the door? OR offer them the Holiday special as well!
Week 5- You take a look at your responses, closes, maybe even just conversations that have warmed up because you reached out and you determine what you could send out next week.
Within 5 weeks, you have looked at your database, segmented it based on current and potential customers, marketed to both groups, and analyzed the responses.
Yes, 5 weeks is not a quick turnaround but IT IS BETTER THAN NEVER!
Start with 5 weeks and set just a few goals.
A reporting goal- Every Wednesday for 35-45 minutes, we’re/I’m going to look at the open rates on the emails/Social post response and determine how we can improve the message/Call to Action for next week.
A growth goal- Each week, let’s aim to grow our database by 2% or 25 people by offering free trials or referral discounts.
A closed deal goal- Let’s aim to close 2 deals per week off the database targeting.
It doesn’t have to be hard and it doesn’t have to be super-duper deep. But I totally get it. The concept of remarketing or retargeting your audience from the data you’ve collected DOES sound daunting and huge. Just start, carve out a little time each week, tweaking along the way, and don’t be afraid to throw things against the wall to see if they stick. JUST TRY IT. I promise you will look back in 6 months and be impressed with what you were able to accomplish.