Savvy business people want to know that data-driven
marketing is key to personalized and efficient when communicating with a client
(or prospective one). Yet, an overload or lack of needed data can backfire on a
new venture. I remember when I first started
my own venture. I took time to sift through 1000s of potential leads to compile
data. Most of the leads at the time were
cold and later I found out that some information was inaccurate or in some
cases, the most critical information was missing. This was a time-consuming and costly endeavor,
which helped me start thinking about getting new up to date leads.
Believe or not, there are a lot of good avenues to get
leads. As a new business owner or charity
leader, the normal way of thinking is ‘how can I cut corners’ or ‘how can I
save money’? But, the better strategy is
to invest in yourself (i.e. your new venture) and do it the right way.
So what is the right way? With the amount of data only
increasing in the future, incorporating an efficient collecting method is
crucial. Consider these options to get
better leads:
1 – Attend networking events… Those individuals in the room
maybe interested in your product or service now or at some point in the future.
Besides, why not go connect face to face with people now – rather than hiding
your new venture from the world. Get a
business card, a referral, or write a prospects info on the back of one of your
own business cards.
2 – Buy a list… Yup,
there are plenty of companies that sell up to date premade (based on your ideal
perimeters) database list. Most times, these companies have the information in
easy to read excel files. This is good
for direct mailing purposes.
3 – Get a free list… Yup, did you know the government
publishes basic information on new business start ups monthly/weekly? It is true, from your local city up to the
state, there are free lists to get, but (and this is a big but) these lists are
not cleaned up and ready to use. In some
cases, you may need to find out if the city/county/etc. has a do not call / solicit
option in place. Most paid staff will be happy to tell you – just call them and
ask.
4 – Set up an ‘opt in’ email newsletter… Social Media is a good tool to advertise your
newsletter. If you have the ability to solve a problem for someone or have
something interesting to share, people may want to opt in! Plus, you are
telling your world of friends that you are doing something new and you want them
to stay updated on your progress. Friends
are great referral sources, but do abuse that friendship make certain they feel
comfortable helping you out and not pressured to do so (this is a fine line to
walk down, so be careful) Also, share your newsletter in Social Media groups
and on your Social Media Business Page as well. This maybe another good option to consider.
5 – Pay an email blaster… Yup, the same folks selling you
that direct mail list can email blast that same group of people for you! They handle getting the word out for you via
email and you are now free from being called a ‘spammer’.
I know there is not a one size fits all answer to creating
the perfect list for your venture especially when your organization is so
unique. If, do you want more ideas to implement a good marketing strategy? Connect
with us online at:
www.bouncemarketing.org
or
www.facebookcom/bouncemarketing
