Building Your In-House List – Mailing to those who matter most

I’m continually amazed by the businesses I meet who still fail to capture relevant information on their site visitors or even – gasp! – on those who’ve purchased from the site.  When I question them about this two things become clear – they 1) don’t realize how lucrative a house list truly is, and 2) don’t know how easy is it to capture and use this information.

Once I shed a little light on the subject, they soon built a tremendous resource of data and learned to generate countless leads.

Here are a few basic ways you can and should obtain visitor data:

1. At the sale

This is basic. We’re not brick and mortar anymore. Your business has no advantage just because you’ve sold once to a customer. Maybe you’re “bookmarked”, maybe you’re not. But you’re also not the only store “right around the corner”. On the web every store is right around the corner. And if a competitor emails off a promotion, limited time offer, or just a friendly “try us out!” message, you can bet you’ve lost a sale, and maybe a customer for life.

Take time to compile as much information on your customers as possible. You want contact information of course, but you can also capture their buying history, geographic information, age – almost anything you want to ask on the checkout form, providing most fields are left optional. The customer is demonstrating trust simply by purchasing from you, and they are likely to give simple information such as gender, “how did you hear from us”, and more.

2. Just ask.

While this won’t generate the highest response rate, it will deliver the most highly-qualified leads. Post a form inviting a visitor to “enter your email to receive updates and product information”, or simply “sign our guestbook!” You’d be surprised. Those visitors who are most interested in your products, and are likely considering a specific purchase, will sign up here. It is simple and easy, and the conversion rate on mailings to these customers is remarkably high.

3. Newsletters

These are great for a lot more than capturing information. When done right, a good newsletter can generate a whole community around your business, foster a loyal legion customers, market itself through forwarding (the word of mouth of the email world), and steadily bolster sales. It needs to be relevant and chock-full of lively, and highly informative information structured specifically for your list. If your newsletter is nothing more than a sales-piece, you’ve wasted both you and your customers time, and have likely garnered a faint distrust. See what they expect for more information.

4. Special Offer

Create an offer and post a sign-up form whereby you will e-mail, or link to, a coupon, free e-book, or other special incentive. Can’t think of one? What about your own marketing materials – your brochure, correctly positioned, is now a free information packet. You could offer a free catalogue. Or free info pamphlets, or pdfs. Give little “how to’s” that generate interest back to your company. An IT contractor might offer “10 Ways to De-Bug Your PC” or “Spyware – Find it and Keep it Out!” Identify a common problem or frustration faced by your customer base and create an article with simple tips or expert advice on how to handle it.  Many businesses offer Free White Papers or reports. Why not bundle a few articles, reviews, reports, etc.. into a free e-book? Be creative –what can your company offer? A free consultation? Free analysis of their needs? Free trial? Free sample? Notice the word “free” It’s vital when using an offer to gather “first contact” with a customer. Use it often. Give a little and you’ll get a lot of lucrative information in return.

5. Free Registration

If your site is information-oriented, you can require a free registration. Most news media sites will do this. If your site is not information-oriented, add a page of references with original articles and links to further information. Require registration to view these “exclusive” areas. Always reinforce that registration is free and their personal information is safe with you. On the registration form, be sure to give your customers the chance to “opt-in”. Use a check-box to receive “updates, promotions, and special information from your company name here.” There are many ways to do this. See Email Etiquette for the Spam-Age.

6. Community

Offer your visitors an online forum to discuss issues relevant to your product or services. Provide resource links and let your visitors discuss what they find, and post questions both to your customer service and to each other. People love to ask questions and tell their own personal stories. This also provides a wealth of information on who your customers are and what they want. Instead of just a name and an email, you’ll get a glimpse at the personality as well.

Privacy – A quick word about privacy. When a visitor gives you any information about themselves, they do so with explicit trust. You need to have an easily seen link to your privacy policy wherever a visitor is asked for any personal information. You must clearly state that their information will be used by your company alone and only for the purposes intended by the visitor. If you deal with affiliates, be sure to say so and offer an opt-out, or better yet a single or double opt-in.  Spamming and ID theft have left very little room with this issue. Don’t risk your credibility. Cover the necessary bases upfront.

Whatever methods you use to capture information,  make sure to put it to good use. Direct marketing is the mot successful when targeted to an in-house lists.  These are highly qualified leads. They have shown an interest in the types of things you provide. Don’t let them haphazardly click to a competitor when they’re ready to buy. Keep track of ‘em, and you’ll keep their business.