How to create a customer database?

How to create a customer database? 

Nowadays, it is no longer enough to send weekly promotions by email or show ads on TV; consumers expect companies to solve their problems and concerns. And to achieve this, it is necessary to design and implement strategies that have a personalised focus on the consumer. For this reason, it is vital that companies, regardless of their size, have quality information about their customers and their needs. 

Often, it can be difficult to manage this type of information. That is why it is essential to have an up-to-date database that allows you to access all your customer data whenever you need it. For this reason, we want to teach you what you need to know about customer databases. Let's go for it!

What is a customer database?

A customer database is a unified record that contains personal and relevant information about your customers for your business. This personal information can include full name, email, phone number, address, demographic data, order history, among others. However, the data varies depending on the objectives and needs of each business.

A well-built database can be very useful for your business when it comes to developing a marketing or sales strategy.

What is a customer database for and why should you have one?

Basically, having a database allows you to store all relevant information about your customers and use it dynamically. This information can be useful for, among other things:

• Gather all the information about your customers that is useful for your business in one place.
• Update and manage all the information in a more automatic and simple way.
• Store a large amount of valuable information in an unlimited way.
• Know the profile and buying behaviour of your customers.
• Plan effective marketing strategies.
• Segment marketing campaigns in a target audience.
• Offer personalised promotions for each type of customer.
• Facilitate the information to the different departments of your business in a quick and orderly way.

Now that you know the advantages of a database, you might be wondering, how can I create one? We'll tell you about it below!

Steps to create a database

Creating a customer database is not complicated. But, to help you through the process, we have created a small guide to help you through each step.

1. Define the types of data that are relevant to your business

Before trying to get as much information as possible from your customers, determine what kind of information they are willing to provide and what is most relevant to your business. This will depend on the way you collect the data, the type of business you have and the use you want to make of that information.

2. Define the actions you will take to collect the data.

You can ask for your customers' personal data directly, but other more effective ways to do it require prior registration when making an online purchase, create an attractive lead that encourages your customers to leave their personal data, carry out a sweepstakes or contest with prior registration, among others.

3. Choose the right tool to build your database

There are several tools you can use to create your database. The simplest is Excel. On the other hand, a CRM can be a good option to help you get the most out of your customer data, in which you can store and unify all the information generated by the interactions between a customer or lead and your business. Some of the best-known systems are Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, HubSpot, Oracle and Sage.

4. Keep your data up to date

This step seems the simplest, but it is one of the most important. It is common for your customer data to change over time. That's why it's vital that you make sure you keep your customer data up to date so that you can manage it effectively.

Now that you know how to create a database for your business, we invite you to define your objectives and draw up a plan of action. We also remind you that when handling or managing any customer data, you must comply with the General Data Regulation and current data protection laws and policies.