Database marketing services include collecting and managing sales leads, tracking sales leads and marketing campaign responses and providing a means for turning leads into sales. Numerous database marketing services allow a company to gather leads and store the lead information — either online or with a software program. These services also offer ways to convert leads into sales, such as marketing email templates or sales letter templates that can be sent to the leads. Choosing the best services for your business requires you to match the way you access the system, implement the system and track the system in the ways that meet the needs of your business.
The first way to narrow down a database marketing services is to identify how you want to access the database. For example, if the business is primarily online, then you want a database management program that provides ways for to gather and manage leads online. You may also have a preference on how the users of the database access the information, two options exist: online access or software that is loaded on to the computer systems.
Second, review the templates, training and support that the database service provides. For example, some database services provide professionally created templates for email promotions, e-newsletters or event invitations that allow you to send out communications to allow you to attempt to convert the leads into customers. Other database programs simply supply a place to track names, mailing and emailing addresses without any further support for the implementation process of your business marketing.
Additionally, you may wish to find a database marketing company that implements some of the marketing pieces. Some services include direct mail fulfillment, for example. This means everything from producing the marketing piece and addressing it, to stamping it with postage and dropping it in the mail. If you wish to manage your own marketing, then these types of services are not necessary.
A final consideration should be the cost of the services. Identify whether the database marketing services come in packages or a la carte pricing. Verify if the package pricing includes the required services or if there are extraneous services that aren't need. Determine if you can piece together a la carte options that fit your needs now and are able to transform into new a la carte services or packages as marketing needs change.
Once you identify services that fit all or the majority of your needs, you can choose the best service for your business. After considering the features, narrow the list of options down further by the cost of the services. Once you find the service that best fits your needs and is within the budget, it is the best database marketing service for your business.