A lot of people go to a networking meeting, trade show, or conference only to return with a big stack of business cards that they either throw away, put in a drawer, or keep as a ever-growing pile on their desk. What they don’t realize is that there’s gold in those cards. One of the most important things you can do for yourself and/or your station is to create and maintain a quality database.
Contacts are one of your most important assets because they can become clients or can become strategic partners for your station or group. Take easy steps toward mining the gold that is your database.
Categorize
Think about your station or group and its contacts. Decide what categories should be established. This will help when you do a marketing campaign that is suited for one specific part of your group. It can also help you establish category specialists that target specific types of businesses. Some examples might include: car dealers, financial consultants, and non-profits. You may decide that some categories need to also be broken down further. For example, you may have a category of doctors and decide to break it down in to plastic surgeons, dentists, etc.
Software
Choose software that’s best for where you are with your business. For some, a simple spreadsheet will do while others will require ACT or a more robust sales contact system like SalesForce. Many groups have their own proprietary solution for maintaining contact information. There should be someone designated as the ‘database specialist’ that understands the software and is the go-to person regarding database matters. This person should be kept up-to-date with the latest upgrades and capabilities. A little bit of training goes a long way in this situation.
Add to it- often
As tempting as it may be to pile those business cards up in a stack on your desk, resist. Within a week or two of making new contacts, make sure they are entered into the contact database. The sooner they are entered, the better. Anytime you attend an event or meet new people that could be potential contacts, they should be entered into the database. This is another task that would be a good responsibility of a database specialist.
Keep it maintained
Your database is less and less valuable the more out-of-date that it becomes. Make sure you schedule a regular time to do or have all your database updates done. This process can be made simple by keeping a file folder marked “Database Updates” handy. As mail, emails, or remove requests are made, put them in the file to be handled all at once. A folder system like this can also be electronic. Again, this is a wonderful task for a person designated as the database specialist to handle.
Back it up
At least once a month back up your contact database. There are many ways to accomplish this. The easiest and most cost-effective is to get a drive and have a process in place to have it backed up. However, it’s easy for this task to get put aside when someone has other responsibilities. Therefore, it’s a good idea to potentially invest in a backup service. One inexpensive online back up service is www.mozy.com. For just a few dollars a month you can have automatic timed backups. If you’ve ever been without your information because your computer crashed, you know what a reassurance this can be.
Following these recommendations will ensure you are creating and maintaining a solid database— a smart investment of your time and resources. These steps may seem super-simple, but many stations don’t commit to maintaining a quality database. Commit to it and do it.
–Lauren L. Darr is President of LOI International, a strategic, visioning marketing firm specializing in the broadcast industry. She has more than twenty years marketing experience with over fifteen of those devoted to broadcast. Lauren has been named as a “Woman to Watch” and as one of the “Women Who RULE” in sales and marketing by the American Women in Radio and Television.
Lauren has a passion for technology that changes out world. She is the author of the anthology book, “The Official LOI International 2010-2012 Media Outlook Book” with a publish date of April 2010. In the book, she interviews over twenty experts from all facets of media.
You can reach Lauren at [email protected] or visit the website at www.loi-international.com.
