Data integrity is an important piece to a successful CRM; so having a clean list of subscribers for your marketing efforts is critical. If you don’t have a process to not only get permission to market but also what they are interested in learning about, you are behind in your efforts.
Why is it important to have contacts Opt In? You want to know that they are interested and open to your message, product, or brand. This helps you as a company stay trustworthy and targeted in your approach!
What’s the state of your CRM contacts? If you don’t have a process to define communication preferences in your CRM, start planning it now. Things like the type of communication they want; i.e. phone, email, etc. are important to note. Marketing and sales will appreciate not getting hung up on or blocked from email because the data is missing from CRM.
Are you using the Do Not boxes? Did you know in version 8.4.0.01 and higher when inserting a new Contact or Lead it automatically checks all the Do Not Contact boxes. Be sure to communicate to all your CRM users the importance of reviewing these boxes and knowing when and how to check and uncheck the options. This process would be up to you and your company; it also depends on what states or countries you communicate in and whether you have to comply with GDPR laws. Are they auto checking when you create new? If you are on CRM version 8.4.01 or higher, all your Contacts and Leads you create are auto checking all the Do Not Solicit boxes. Simplesoft has a tool to help you with this process by creating a simple SQL trigger to turn off the auto check of certain boxes if needed.
Is your team aware of how to handle it? Make sure all your users understand what this means….they won’t get any marketing materials. Create a process to gain them as a subscriber so you can get the most out of your database.
What is GDPR and how does it affect your contact lists? According to cookiebot.com, “the General Data Protection Regulation (or GDPR) is an EU-wide law that protects Europeans with regards to the processing of their personal data, as well as laying down the rules relating to the free movement of personal data.” It went into effect in 2018. So what does this mean for the US? We don’t have GDPR here in the states but some states have enacted their own data protection laws and policies so be sure to be aware of those.
Use an Unsubscribe designer – Many marketing platforms provide a designer tool. Be sure to review and create a page that is engaging for your customers. Allow them to tailor their messages so that the information they receive is useful. Don’t just allow them to subscribe or unsubscribe; give them options. Examples of this would be Monthly Newsletter, Only Contact me once a Month, Quarter, etc. This gives you a higher probability of keeping the customer engaged with email campaigns.
Have your website ask if they want to subscribe and to what. Make it show a list of communications you send out from your company and allow them to select what they want to hear about.
Creating a subscriber plan is a big piece of successfully using your Contacts database. So make sure to take time and plan.
If you would like to learn more tips, or have a CRM topic you would like us to write about, please contact Simplesoft Solutions.
