Welcome. Thank you for choosing the smart yet simple solution to your online marketing needs. This marketing platform is your one stop shop for growing, consolidating, managing and speaking to contacts. Businesses have many different types of contacts. We understand that the way you speak to contacts should vary depending on who it is you’re speaking to, so we have built a system that allows you to do just that. Whether it is staff, business partners, affiliates, media/PR contacts, suppliers, prospects or customers; you will be able to manage and liaise with each in the method and manner you desire. This versatile platform allows you to organise these contacts and communicate with them however you see fit. If used properly, the system will help grow your database, improve marketing, increase response rates and in turn, increase revenue.
This article will guide you through the process of setting up your account. As well as coaching you on the best way to get the most out of your marketing experience.
Gameplan
Before you dive in, it is recommended that you sit down and think about what it is you are wanting to achieve with your marketing. Spending a bit of time assessing current marketing practices is the best way to see where your marketing could be falling short. Or, help to identify some areas that you would like to focus on.
Questions to ask:
- Do you have an existing database?
- Is the database more than five years old?
- Is the database stagnant?
- Is the database growing? If so, where are these new contacts coming from?
- What does the data you’re collecting on contacts tell you?
- Would you like to know more about your contacts?
- What type of online marketing are you currently doing?
- What is your average response rate to your marketing efforts?
- Do you have a marketing plan or schedule?
- Are you sending out your marketing ad hoc?
- Is your marketing based on events?
- Are you targeting your marketing at the moment?
- Are you sending to all contacts within your database?
- Are you using any automation?
After answering these questions you should be able to identify the areas that could use some improvement. From here, you can start to create your strategy.
Database
Cultivating a solid and clean list of contacts is critical for successful marketing. If you have an existing list of contacts, you will want to upload them so that you’re able to start your communications as soon as possible. If your database has been around for a while, you will find a lot of contacts are unresponsive. This happens because people relocate, change jobs, abandon email addresses, change their mobile numbers, or they move onto a new phase of life. This is normal, but is also the reason why maintenance and new growth should be a key focus.
If you don’t have an existing database then building one will need to be your first priority. The best thing to do is determine your dataset first. That is - what is the information that you need from your contacts to ensure you are able to communicate to them properly? Once you have determined this, you’ll set up your
contact fields.
Forms
The next critical step is implementing
data capture forms. These are online forms which should be used to capture contacts’ information across multiple channels. The more forms you have the more data you will capture and the faster your database will grow. Forms should be used on your website, on social media, for feedback, competitions and for enquiries.
Generally speaking it is recommended that you have a minimum of three (3) forms on your website:
- Newsletter Sign Up
- Enquiries
- Contact Us
Depending on the way you operate your business you may have a need for additional forms. Please ensure that you take advantage of every opportunity to capture customer information. (i.e. Always use a form as opposed to having customers email you.)
Creating Email Templates
After you’ve created your forms, you’ll want to focus your attention on creating
email templates. Ensuring all campaigns and communications are on brand is crucial because it raises awareness of your business and in turn loyalty. The most efficient way to ensure this is happening is to set up templates in your account.
Email templates will allow you to promote a consistent brand message as well as save you time for sending campaigns in the future. When creating your templates, ensure your company’s logo, colours, and fonts are set. You should use these templates for any automation you plan on sending. Additionally, we recommend creating an email template for each type of campaign you anticipate sending in the future (i.e. Newsletter, Single Topic Advertisement, Invitation, Trade Update/Announcement)
Setting Up Automation
The next step is setting up
automation. This incredibly powerful tool leverages the information you have on your contacts and allows you to directly engage them through personalised communication. You will be able to set up a complete journey which sends out relevant messages to contacts at precisely the right time. This method of marketing is proven to drive business and increase loyalty.
Automation can be as simple or complex as you’d like. Many marketing professionals choose to utilise automation because of the ability to integrate this platform to other systems. Using the API you can push vital information from external systems directly into your account. Thus allowing you to utilise data on customers’ spending habits and frequency for automation. The more information stored in your account, the more options you have to set up creative and personal journeys for your contacts.
Some automation examples are:
- Welcome Messages - sent when a contact is added
- Birthday Messages - sent for upcoming birthdays
- Anniversary Messages - sent to contacts on the anniversary of being added to your database. Ideal opportunity to get them to update their details
- Loyalty Messages - sent to contacts based on the number of times they’ve made purchases or a particular dollar amount spent (relies on an integration with your POS)
- We Miss You Messages - sent when a contact has not purchased from you recently (relies on an integration with your POS)
- Abandoned Shopping Cart Messages - sent to contacts who put items in their shopping cart but did not follow through with the purchase (relies on an integration with eCommerce)
The possibilities you have with automation are endless, especially when you are capturing the right information on your contacts.
Once you’ve tackled the above items (Gameplan, Database, Forms, Templates and Automation) your account is set up and you are ready to dive into your marketing. It is recommended that you create a marketing strategy and schedule to ensure that your efforts get the best possible results.