STAY

Building your own database

CURRENT

Remember that the most effective database is your company's own database, built up

over previous events, of people who have specified that they want to hear from you. 

Always have a return address

There are a number of ways to build your own database, from the simple to the more

on your mail outs so you can

keep your contact database

complex. These include:

up to date.

  visiting Creative New Zealand's database, Cultural Contacts, in the Resources section of

its website (www.creativenz.govt.nz). This is a good starting point for compiling lists of

arts organisations and the database allows you to search by organisation type: e.g.

 galleries ,  theatres , and so on 

  obtaining names and addresses of people booking to your event from your ticketing

agency (e.g. Ticketek). But make sure you obtain permission before adding these

contacts to your mailing list 

  contacting city councils and relevant government organisations

  developing your own database by approaching people when they attend your event. It

might involve them in filling out a card, which is on their seats and which they drop into

a box on the way out. Offer them an incentive such as a prize draw to complete the card. 

This direct approach provides an opportunity to capture some useful qualitative

information such as what they liked about the event, what was an inconvenience and

where they heard about it. Just remember not to overload them with questions. You can

always mail a survey to them at a later date with an incentive to respond.

e marketing

More and more people are using e mail as a cheap and effective communication tool. 

It's both formal and informal: formal because it's in written form and informal because

it's often conversational in tone. Some basic points to keep in mind when e marketing:

  keep your e mail contact list private by entering the names in the BCC (blind copy) field

  put a pertinent subject in the subject field

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  offer an incentive

  with every message, give the opportunity to opt out of your contact list

  include a physical address in the e mail to give another avenue for contact

  don't e mail too frequently 

  double check that your message is error free and complete before pushing  send . 

A good safeguard against accidentally sending before you are ready to is to finalise your

message before you type the recipients name in the  to  or  BCC  fields

  provide a response mechanism

  ensure the file size is small and don't use coloured backgrounds with writing in white.

Some people's computers block background and therefore, they get a blank e mail

  keep it brief and punchy. The rules of advertising (see Advertising copy, page 38) also apply

to e mails.

Once you've begun to build a comprehensive e mail database for regular communication, 

it may be worth investing in an e marketing package. This will make your life easier by

automating parts of the process. However, don't automate too much as people appreciate

the personal touch, particularly with e mails.

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Smart arts

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