A database is a collection of people that you’ve interacted with in some form or other. Whether they are past clients, people who’ve entered competitions you’ve run, people who have contacted you for information – generally speaking, they can be added to your database. You need to have T’s & C’s around your interactions with people so that they understand that if they give you personal details, you are going to store them and contact them.

Privacy of people’s information is also vitally important. Ensure that you have sufficient protection around your technology that the database can’t be hacked and exposed.

But once you have these protocols established it’s well worth the hassle. Got a new product you’re releasing? Discounting stock? Supporting a worthy cause? Made a video about a new store? Share it with your database. An eDM (or electronic direct mail) is the efficient way of spreading your message. Don’t forget the mandatory “unsubscribe” link. And if someone asks to be taken off your list – do it.

If your business is less retail and more one-to-one relationship based, you can set up a system where you can store additional details about your clients. Say you rang a great customer just to touch base and he tells you he’s going on a trip to… well, it is still a pandemic, so let’s say a houseboat trip on the Murray… put those details in the notes and next time you call, ask him about the trip. People appreciate that you have attended to the detail in their life.

If you have a database with entries that go back over many years, there are artificial intelligence (AI) programs that will sort through your data and match people with new details. Well worth investing in.

Integrate your database into a Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) program and you can automate a lot of the follow-up and contact. But don’t forget the still make time for the personalised information that is specific to various categories within your database. Which brings me to my last point. Categorise your database. Everyone is different, and so they are going to need different information on occasions. Use AI to track activity and your messages will be well targeted and produce results.