Database Marketing: Junk Mail Or Welcome Communication?They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If so, does this statement also hold true for mail that comes to us from those trying to market a product using database marketing? There is a debate whether these letters or e-mails that fill our mailboxes are just a bunch of junk or an offer consumers want. The final answer lies with the addressee. Whether they pitch the letter, or it creates a genuine interest in the product is solely their decision. First, it is important to understand how database marketing works. Let's use an example of a vacuum cleaner company that wants to market their product to pet owners. One way this company can compile a mailing list is by using their own information. This information would come from people who had bought from the company before. For instance, they would include a warranty card which each vacuum they sold. The card would request information such as name, address as well as number and types of pets. Once you return this card to the company, they have the benefit of putting your information on their computer database. Of course, you assume this company has strong database security, but that is another issue. To complete a mailing for a vacuum oriented toward pet owners is a simple procedure. All they would have to do is search the information they already have for those who checked the box saying they owned pets, create a form letter and mail out the information. If the company selling vacuums decided it wanted to go beyond its own information and try to draw in new customers, they might buy a customer database from another company that uses database encryption. For instance, they might look for a list of people who have donated to the American Humane Society; those who have subscriptions to animal related magazines or application forms for free pet related products. A word to the wise, if you don't want to receive database marketing mail, it is always best to skip giving out personal information. Offering a free product or sample is usually just a ploy by the business to get your name and address. Database marketing is not always a profitable move for the company doing the marketing. For instance, the marketing managers at the vacuum cleaner company risk losing money. They speculate that once the addressee receives the letter or e-mail, they will first read it and then they will be interested enough in the product to seek further information. Often they tailor letters of this type with the addressee's name to make them appear more personal and less like an advertisement in the hopes the recipients will read them and not automatically tossed them out. If you receive mail which some may describe as database marketing, but would rather not, there is a way to have these mailings stopped. Contact the company and request they take off your name from the mailing list. Also, when applying for free products, there is a box you can check pointing out whether you want to receive future mailings from the company. Whether you think database marketing is simply the manufacture of junk mail or you believe it is a valuable way to reach prospective customers is usually a matter of your viewpoint. While some consumers may welcome the information, others see it only as a waste of time and paper. |