But before I start, I want to get rid of one thing: when it comes to having a good, effective database that will benefit you and get as many clicks as possible, then class is always in front of the crowd. Likewise, in the following best practices, one or the other, you'll have to say goodbye to some more traditional notions when it comes to databases.
At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself the following question: what do I gain from contacts when they are not interested in my offer? Only for the number in the report, no database should be artificially puffed up. In addition, many contacts that interact poorly are also not very helpful when it comes to optimizing your email marketing. After all, you do not want to send your message into empty space, but rather address the right leads and customers.
Five best practices for a clean database
Use double opt-in
Many marketers think that the double-opt-in is merely a favor for any privacy advocate. Instead, the confirmed registration of an email address is primarily to ensure that your contact is really the one who has registered. Not only that, he shows so much interest in your content, that he opens an e-mail and clicks a link (that's far from being the case with all contacts).
So use the Double-Opt-in to generate higher quality leads at registration. Data protection is only a very positive side effect.
Incidentally, you can read the difference between opt-in and double opt-in in our blog post on the subject.
Remove duplicate e-mail addresses
We like to call them "duplicates," the duplicate accounts that not only make the database falsely bigger than they are, but also keep your contacts from receiving duplicate emails in the worst case scenario.
In most modern marketing automation systems, duplicate addresses can be easily matched and merged (or deleted). Here it is advisable to agree in a team how to deal with duplicate contacts:
should duplicates be deleted automatically?
should only the doublet be deleted, which has less information or was later entered?
should the duplicates be merged?
should the duplicates be merged?
should someone manually go over all duplicates and mark them by hand (this is only suitable for manageable contact lists)?
Check bounce rates
While a soft bounce is not a special drama, a hard bounce should be taken seriously. A hard bounce means that there is really no way for you to write contact. This can be due to a number of reasons, such as the address no longer exists, or being blocked by the recipient's email browser (the latter being the case, and you should check your inbox placement rate, more here ).
Rules can be set here so that contacts who have caused a hard bounce more than two or three times are automatically deleted from the database. Do not cry over these contacts, because an email contact that can not be contacted by email will not be in your database.
Inactive users measure
When it comes to inactive users, but have an active double-opt-in, things look a bit more difficult. Many companies find it difficult to say goodbye, even though the last interaction was two years ago.
I would also like to point out here that you can use marketing automation systems to set up automated rules for these cases. If a contact has not had any interaction with you for more than six months (and I strongly recommend that you also include interactions on the website, in direct contact or via social media - if measurable - to include *), he can, for example, in a last Wake up reactivation campaign. If only silence then ensues again, the contact (with a heavy heart) should be deleted. This can also be done with a farewell e-mail, indicating that you can register anytime again.
* Not every contact communicates via e-mail. Many a lead prefers to inform themselves independently on your website, etc. So if you have other ways to communicate with your registered contacts, they should be considered before a deletion decision necessarily.
Incidentally, a comprehensive view of all the activities of your contacts will be all the better if you link your Marketing Automation system with your CRM system.
Exclude email addresses
Internal e-mail addresses, addresses known to be spam or even the competition's e-mail contacts are among the contacts that may not necessarily be in a clean database.
For internal email addresses, I generally recommend that you do not include them because they dilute the values of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) ( more about KPIs can be found here ).
When it comes to addresses that can be associated with spam, my recommendation is that B2C companies should be more reluctant to do so, since many private customers use e-mail services that are also used by spammers. Here, hard bounces and inactivity can help clean the database in some other way.
In the meantime, it is worthwhile for B2B companies to sort out basically private e-mail addresses (such as gmail or AOL).
And whether or not you keep e-mail addresses of the competition happy with your valuable content or not, ideally you should let the management decide.
Check bounce rates
While a soft bounce is not a special drama, a hard bounce should be taken seriously. A hard bounce means that there is really no way for you to write contact. This can be due to a number of reasons, such as the address no longer exists, or being blocked by the recipient's email browser (the latter being the case, and you should check your inbox placement rate, more here ).
Rules can be set here so that contacts who have caused a hard bounce more than two or three times are automatically deleted from the database. Do not cry over these contacts, because an email contact that can not be contacted by email will not be in your database.
Inactive users measure
When it comes to inactive users, but have an active double-opt-in, things look a bit more difficult. Many companies find it difficult to say goodbye, even though the last interaction was two years ago.
I would also like to point out here that you can use marketing automation systems to set up automated rules for these cases. If a contact has not had any interaction with you for more than six months (and I strongly recommend that you also include interactions on the website, in direct contact or via social media - if measurable - to include *), he can, for example, in a last Wake up reactivation campaign. If only silence then ensues again, the contact (with a heavy heart) should be deleted. This can also be done with a farewell e-mail, indicating that you can register anytime again.
* Not every contact communicates via e-mail. Many a lead prefers to inform themselves independently on your website, etc. So if you have other ways to communicate with your registered contacts, they should be considered before a deletion decision necessarily.
Incidentally, a comprehensive view of all the activities of your contacts will be all the better if you link your Marketing Automation system with your CRM system.
Exclude email addresses
Internal e-mail addresses, addresses known to be spam or even the competition's e-mail contacts are among the contacts that may not necessarily be in a clean database.
For internal email addresses, I generally recommend that you do not include them because they dilute the values of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) ( more about KPIs can be found here ).
When it comes to addresses that can be associated with spam, my recommendation is that B2C companies should be more reluctant to do so, since many private customers use e-mail services that are also used by spammers. Here, hard bounces and inactivity can help clean the database in some other way.
In the meantime, it is worthwhile for B2B companies to sort out basically private e-mail addresses (such as gmail or AOL).
And whether or not you keep e-mail addresses of the competition happy with your valuable content or not, ideally you should let the management decide.
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