In the practice of email marketing there are two fundamental aspects to which we must pay close attention: that the content is relevant and appealing to the subscriber and, on the other hand, that our database is constantly updated and segmented. 

Can you buy a database? 

Many people from one moment to another comes up with email marketing and the first thing to do is to buy a database. Without fear of making mistakes, we could say that it is one of the worst ideas and strategies to start using this tool. 

If we send emails to a database bought, downloaded from the internet, or provided by a friend, we are communicating with people who have not accepted information from us and maybe do not even know our company. Practicing this type of strategy makes you a spammer and can ruin your company’s online reputation, harming the brand image, or even blocking your website. 

There are many strategies to build and increase the size of a database, collecting contacts from many sources you know, whether recruited contacts from events, websites, social networks, etc. 

If your database is composed of customers that you know yourself, who have bought or contracted your product or service, who have requested information from the same, then if possible to establish a closer link with them, through email marketing. 

You have your database, How do you segment it? 

Knowing who we direct our emails and their contents is the key to being able to communicate effectively with customers. 

It is important to know in depth what the interests of your customers are and why you should interview them, know their way of thinking, their concerns and needs, to provide you with email marketing what the customer is looking for, their expectations, their interests , etc. 

“Segmentation of our database is the process of dividing our customers or contacts into smaller, uniform groups that have similar characteristics and needs.” 

This allows you to understand what marketing strategies to do and what not, and to whom.

• Forms or subscription centers on your website, or social networks. The visits you receive can leave your email and preferences if they have the right stimulus.
• Take advantage of sweepstakes, contests and events to request certain additional attributes of people.
• Interviews or surveys via email or any other medium. There are platforms that allow you to create and send complete surveys in a simple and efficient way.
• Record consumption preferences for certain types of products in CRM or business sales systems.
• Segment based on the behavior and actions they have performed on certain email marketing campaigns (readings, clicks on different links, specific queries.

There is no unique and specific way to target. Your database may be segmented by demographic information (country, zone), personal information (gender, age), purchase history, preferences or interests or any other significant data you may need for future shipments. 

By doing this type of segmentation you are making your database an extremely important asset for the development of your company. It is fundamental that you take care of it, do not share it and keep it continuously updated.