Crafting an effective email is one thing, but sending it to the right inbox is an entirely different issue. Without the right email database, you might as well be sending your emails to a black hole. What’s the use of putting so much effort into an email marketing strategy if you don’t get any responses?
That might happen if your messages reach people who aren’t interested in your products, services, and content. However, creating relevant and engaged mailing lists is not always easy. Therefore, you might find yourself tempted to buy contacts from every source possible.
That won’t do you any good, and you’ll see why later in this article. Plus, you’ll discover six methods for building a contact list and its benefits, challenges, tips, and tricks. So, let’s have a look.
What Is an Email Database?
An email database is a structured collection of email addresses and other relevant information. Some people confuse it with email lists when there’s a subtle difference.
Email lists are only a compilation of email addresses that belong to individuals or businesses of a particular industry. On the other hand, email databases are more comprehensive, storing more than just contacts. They’re a customer database that includes information like names, designations, preferences, etc.
Moreover, email lists are just that — lists that might not even be in a particular order. Conversely, email databases contain structured tables and columns for each piece of information. They’re usually part of the offerings of an email marketing platform.
Searching for a particular contact or piece of information becomes easy when you’re working with databases. With lists, that might not be possible since databases allow you to apply filters, which lists don’t.
6 Methods To Fill a Business Email Database
If you want to create a business email database, your best bet is to invest in email marketing services. These platforms provide you with tools to handle the technical aspects of your database. But you’ll still need to fill it out. That’s what this section will focus on, so here are seven methods to fill your database:
- Website pop-ups: Adding a pop-up to your website is great for getting people to subscribe to your mailing list. All you need is a heading, subheading, CTA, an incentive, and enticing visuals, and you’re good to go.
- Captive portal: Offering free WiFi is the ultimate tool for building a business email list for local businesses. To do this, you must implement a captive portal for your guest network. This is a web page that doesn’t allow visitors to access the network unless they’ve provided authentication information. You can ask for names, emails, and even preferences.
- Freebies and discounts: You’ll rarely find a person who doesn’t like free things and discounts. Use this to your advantage and offer free trials, promotions, coupons, etc., to encourage signups.
- Guest blogging: Posting articles on another relevant website can prove to be a blessing in disguise to increase your contacts. If the audience likes your content, they might subscribe for more. But don’t forget to add an email opt-in at the end of the guest post.
- Social media: Having a following on social media can work in your favor. Your followers already like your content, so they’ll likely want more from you.
- Physical signups: These are another excellent tool for local businesses. When customers visit your venue, ask them if they’d like to receive your promotions and updates. Take this opportunity to build customer relationships.
5 Benefits of Using an Email Marketing Database
Did you know that you can earn $42 for every $1 that you spend on email marketing? Such a massive ROI leaves no doubt about the effectiveness of email as a promotion technique.
The only condition is that you do it right. After all, you can’t expect an overwhelming response if you do not put in much effort. But the good news is an email marketing database can get you there quickly. If you’re curious, here are five reasons why using such a database works in your favor.
1. It Brings You Better Results
As you witnessed in the earlier statistic, an email marketing strategy is important for effective promotion. But when you pair this marketing tactic with an email database, that’s where the real change happens. Here’s how.
Assuming you’ve captured email addresses using legitimate means, your audience has opted in to receive your email content. Your offering or content already interests them. Therefore, they’re less likely to ignore your messages.
Even if half of the subscribers open your emails and take the intended action, you can consider it a win. Besides, your messages will land directly in your recipient’s inbox. With other marketing strategies, there’s no such guarantee. That’s enough to declare mailing lists as a way to get better results.
2. Email Marketing Is Cheaper Than Other Methods
Another reason for starting with email marketing is its cost-effectiveness. In some cases, like pop-ups, you don’t have to spend a single penny building email lists.
Besides, email marketing itself is cheaper than other marketing channels. For example, pay-per-click ads disappear from the platform once you stop paying for them. But an email stays in your recipient’s inbox unless they delete it.
Moreover, you can measure the results of your email marketing campaigns. This saves you money in the long run because you can catch loopholes before they start causing problems.
3. You Can Create Personalized and Targeted Marketing Messages
People receive hundreds of emails daily, so generic emails don’t work anymore. You must stand out by making the customer feel like you’re talking directly to them. That is only possible through personalized and targeted messaging.
Databases can help you achieve this since they store more than just email addresses. Let’s understand this with an example of a restaurant business. If you’ve created a column about your guests’ previous orders, you can better understand their taste. Using this data, you can create email content that speaks to the customer.
Let’s assume one of your customers always orders something sweet after the main dish. Craft an email offering that customer an irresistible discount on desserts, and see the result.
However, you don’t have to do all of this manually. The right email marketing software will help you get there through automation.
4. It Can Build and Nurture Relationships
As mentioned earlier, the information in these databases can allow you to build relationships.
If you’re a business owner, you’ll likely store your customers’ information in your database. Let’s say you own an online clothing store, and one of your customers got angry over a late delivery.
To solve this issue, you can refer back to the database and see their order history. If the delivery really is late, you can determine the reason and resolve the issue promptly. Remember, nothing nurtures customer relationships more than exceptional service.
On the other hand, individuals can also build a network using email databases. For example, a freelance writer might use them to connect to fellow writers, established mentors, and clients.
5. You Can Reach Your Recipients Anytime, Anywhere
The last item on this list is about availability and reach. Almost every mobile device has an email app that users access daily. This means your audience can read your email content on the go.
Besides, there are no limitations regarding location or time zones. So unless you make a mistake when collecting emails, your message reaches the exact inbox you want. This also allows you to reach a broad audience. In short, email isn’t perfect, but it can come close.
Is It a Good Idea To Buy an Email Database?
No, you shouldn’t buy an email database, especially if you don’t trust the source. This might seem tempting if you’re tight on time and resources. But often, it does more harm than good in the long run. Here’s why.
Right off the bat, there’s the issue of trust. Email addresses are personal. If someone gets an email from you when they haven’t explicitly given you their contact information, they might get suspicious. This isn’t going to look good for your reputation, whether you run a business or have a personal brand.
There’s also a high chance your message will end up in the spam folder. Email platforms have specific rules to detect spam messages. If the recipient hasn’t explicitly subscribed, this might trigger the spam filters. Alternatively, the recipients themselves might mark you as spam.
Besides, you won’t get the results you’re hoping for. Even though the message will reach their inbox, spam or not, they might simply ignore it.
Therefore, you’ll likely lose the money you spent on buying the list in the first place. Moreover, you might face legal problems if recipients report you since you’ll be noncompliant with guidelines like CAN-SPAM.
Challenges of Creating a B2B Email Database
After learning the definitions, benefits, and creation methods, it’s time to explore the challenges of creating a B2B email database.
But first, there’s something you should know. The challenges of consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer databases are generally the same as those of business-to-business databases. So, keeping that in mind, here’s what you need to know.
First and foremost, there’s the privacy concern. If your recipients haven’t opted in to receive your messages, you’ll violate privacy regulations.
Moreover, most people know that B2B email marketing is the most effective method of personalization. For this, businesses gather a lot of customer data, which can sometimes be hard to maintain.
Besides, you never know when a person or business will change their email address. If that happens, you’ll be storing an empty contact. Then, there’s the issue of engaging your audience through quality content so they don’t unsubscribe.
Lastly, building a quality database takes time and effort, so you must be patient.
Tips To Manage Your Email Lists and Drive Them to Success
Building email lists and databases is a continuous process. As you gather more and more emails, you must also clean and maintain the list to avoid issues.
As far-fetched as it might seem, a poorly maintained list can even cause legal problems. If someone has unsubscribed from your list and you’re still sending them emails, they might report you. Therefore, you must regularly remove closed or inactive accounts.
Moreover, optimizing your email domain can save you from ending up in the spam folder. Sending consistent and relevant content is the best approach here.
Implementing authentication protocols that improve email deliverability and keep you away from phishing attempts is important. Protocols like DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) and SPF (Sender Policy Framework) prove the authenticity of your emails.
How Email Marketing Benefits Businesses
Creating an email database involves collecting email addresses and relevant information about your audience before organizing it. As a result, you get better results from your email marketing campaigns, enjoy a broader reach, and implement cost-effective promotions.
For businesses, email marketing can do wonders if done right. Consistent and relevant business emails reinforce brand awareness and help you stay in your audience’s minds. This is especially beneficial for local businesses.
We provide custom captive portals so you can run email campaigns that reach your customers directly. Start your Beambox free trial today to boost your business!
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