So you have a list of emails--whether they are past clients, referral partners, visitors to your website--and now you don't know what to do with them.

You can certainly hire a marketing company to maintain contact with them. At Magpie Marketing, we help our clients stay in front of their database in a variety of ways--and you can do it too!

1. Get Organized

If you have a wild list of emails without first names, that is a great place to start. Make a spreadsheet (Excel is our enemy but also our greatest asset) with all of the information you have. If you are in sales, having a phone number, email address, and first name are essential. Home address and last name are also pretty important if you plan on sending any physical materials.

2. Set a Goal

Once you get organized, it's important to figure out what your goal is with this database. Are you trying to get repeat customers? Referrals? It doesn't have to be complicated or wild. Just a simple goal to give you direction!

3. Set a Budget

You do NOT have to spend a lot of money if you don't want to. This is totally customizable-- do you want to hire a marketing company to handle this component of your business? Maybe you pay for an automated email campaign. Figure out what your budget is, and then start exploring options.

4. Explore your Options

There are SO many ways to stay in front of your database. We will list a few that we have found success in doing: email campaigns, video email campaigns, handwritten thank you cards, handwritten birthday cards, social media (follow your database!), social media giveaways, small holiday gifts (such as National Bubblegum Day), anniversary gifts, and holiday gifts.

5. Schedule, Schedule, Schedule!

There is no point in spending the money and time to stay in front of your database if you do not follow through. Figure out your capacity or budget and the consistency which you would like to maintain contact. No one wants a daily email about nothing--we have thousands of those that we don't read. Are you providing value? Great. Can you keep that up every month? Maybe quarterly? The frequency varies based on industry and relevancy. Our clients in the real estate industry maintain monthly contact as a rule with past clients but close to daily for referral partners.

We hope these tips were helpful in your small business journey! Do not let your database scare you--we are here if you need anything!