It’s the most wonderful time of year to update your contact lists. That’s right, log into your CRM systems, download those Excel spreads, and clean up your lists.
That way you can start 2018 with accurate contact information, so you can maximize your marketing reach.
Here are a few ideas to help you get started.
NAUGHTY LIST
First names. When you download your data, take a look at first names. Do you see any un-capitalized letters, for example: “susan” or “michael.” Change those to “Susan” and “Michael”.
The reason you want to update this detail is because when you send a bulk email, it saves you the embarrassment of the email addressed to “Hi susan” or “Hi michael.”
While this seems like a small adjustment, it makes an impact. Think of the last time you got an email and your name was inaccurate. How did that make you feel? Did you want to read the rest of the email? Did you discount the professionalism of the sender? Review your data and update with Capital Letters.
Additionally, if you know Michael and know he prefers to be called Mike, update his contact information, your next email will be a bit more personal. A word of caution though, only update contacts you have that level relationship with, you don’t want to get off on the wrong foot with a prospective client.
Bounced Emails. Take a look at your bounced email list. Do those people still work at the company? If not, take them off the list. If your firm is sending bulk emails with lots of bounced receipts that hurts your deliverability rating. Which makes it more likely your emails will end up in the ‘SPAM’ or ‘JUNK’ folders.
Accepting All Connections. Your social media connections should be professionals that you know, do business with, are likely to do business with, and/or share aligned values. Download your LinkedIn connections and review the list. Take a quick scan and confirm that your connections make your social media objectives.
Then the next time you get an invitation from someone that you don’t know, don’t accept it. Here’s a quick example. Have you seen a Connection Request from a person you don’t know and you begrudgingly accept it? Then two seconds later, you receive their automated message telling you what they do and asking for a meeting? That’s annoying, right? Next time, skip the connection. It’ll save you the frustration of the sales message—and you enjoy hitting the delete button.
NICE LIST
500-plus Contacts. To run a successful marketing campaign, you need to have a distribution list. That is a list of contacts that meet your buyer’s persona. These contacts need to have either buying authority and/or influence.
For example, does your list include company titles like owner, CEO, CFO, Director of HR? If it does, great! If not, think about the next time you’re building a list try to include this information. One tip–a great way to find out someone’s title–simply, visit their LinkedIn profile page. It’ll be listed there.
Calls to Action. On your website, do you have clear call-to-action? Those would include language that persuades the site visitor to:
- Subscribe to our Newsletter
- Download our White Paper
- Download our Infographic
- Sign-up for our Webinar
- Contact Us
Then ask the visitor to fill out a tiny bit of information, so that your firm can learn who is browsing your site and researching your firm.
Examples of pertinent contact details: First name, last name, and email. You can make your form longer or you could research the person to find more information. Bonus tip–setup your contact list to directly drop new names into your email distribution list. This feature is available on most bulk email systems by setting up integrated landing pages.
Segment Your List. Reward your readers with conversation enhancing content. As your bulk emails are opened by different contacts you can learn about their buying interest. The more emails they open, the more likely they will know your company’s name. The more the contact clicks within the email, the more they are learning about your company. Capitalize on their momentum by sharing more quality content.
For example, if the contact opens your newsletter, then send them an infographic. If they open the infographic, invite them to your webinar. If they sign-up for your webinar, then send them a meeting request. However, and most importantly, do it all through email automation. Setup your email campaign with triggers that send the contact information based on their buying behavior.
This will save you lots of time, deepen your relationships with your contacts, and could generate new sales opportunities.
Cleaning your contact list is a great way to start the New Year. Then as you press send on your next email campaign, you can feel confident that it’s going to the right decision makers. You are working to increase your deliverability rating. And possibly, you are implementing an email automation program, so that your contacts know the next time you’re coming to town.
About 401(k) Marketing
401(k) Marketing is a niche branding and marketing agency for the retirement plan industry. Our clients are the best professional retirement plan advisors, TPAs, recordkeepers, DCIOs, broker/dealers and RIAs in the business. They care deeply about saving America’s retirement future. We work with them to develop a marketing strategy and then to professionalize marketing collateral including websites, brochures, presentations and other plan sponsor-facing materials.
For on-going client awareness and pipeline development, we create turnkey marketing programs designed to educate plan sponsors, centers of influence, and the professional community with thought-leadership articles, social media, webinars, infographics, videos, and other modern marketing campaigns.
Ultimately, we professionalize, spotlight, and highlight our clients as the expert retirement plan teams. 401(k) Marketing is based in San Diego, CA. Check us out at www.401k-marketing.com.
Rebecca Hourihan is Chief Marketing Officer with San Diego-based 401(k) Marketing, a modern marketing agency for the retirement plan industry. The company supports clients through custom engagements, content marketing campaigns, sales material innovations, thought-leadership consulting, interactive workshops and speaking events. Its mission is to empower the retirement plan industry with high-quality marketing, ultimately inspiring Americans to become financially prepared for their future. Rebecca also hosts The 401(k) Marketing Podcast.
