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Customer Database Marketing: The Key to Lead Generation and Retention

Bylori

The daily work of finding new leads and retaining customers will, over time, generate considerable amounts of data. To continue bringing in new leads and serving your current customer base, this data needs to be organized and managed effectively. Effective CRM and database tools will allow you to use the data you already possess for efficient, effective customer database marketing.

The Power of a Customer Database

Your customer database contains valuable information that can help you manage and organize the information that drives new sales and conversions. Customer database management tools allow you to:

  • Capture data on leads and prospects when they visit your website, request a download, or interact with your company online.
  • Maintain data on your existing customers, such as names, addresses, purchases made, needs and requests, and results of contacts with company personnel.
  • Track customer behavior and purchases to refine your customer profiles and predict when your customers will need products or services again.

Your customer database management program serves four critical purposes for your business operations:

  1. It gives you immediate access to important data about your customers, their purchases and their needs. You can include as much information about customers and their transactions as you prefer.
  2. It allows you to segment customers and prospects based on criteria you establish, such as age, income, geographical area, demonstrated needs or past purchases. It lets you separate new leads, prospects and existing customers, as well as maintain important data on each category.
  3. It lets you sort information and generate reports based on data filters and standards you select. Customers could be sorted by dollar amount of purchases made, addresses, age, income levels and other data that determines what you market to customers and the techniques you use to make sales.
  4. It gives you a centralized location where you can keep, maintain, and access the most valuable data you have on your customers. Sales and marketing personnel, members of management, and other stakeholders can easily access this centralized data collection.

How could you make better use of customer database marketing to produce more leads and better serve your existing customers?

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