Your contacts list is your master list of personal and business contacts. Each contact list can have a purpose, such as segmenting your email list for a targeted campaign.
Learning what they are and how to use them enables you to keep in touch with those who matter most to your organization.
What is a Contacts List?
A contact list is nothing more than a collection of names complete with personal details about each one. Master lists can be split into separate lists for different purposes, empowering your organization to drive value from your customers and industry connections.
Some of the information you’ll find when you click on each contact include:
- Full name.
- Email address.
- Phone number.
- Physical address
- Photos
- Social media account links.
- Positions/titles they hold within their organization.
- Tags
- Customizable notes to add context.
The more comprehensive your email list, the better because this allows you to both establish relationships and benefit from them.
Types of Contacts Lists
Contact lists can be created for any number of reasons. Although you can keep your contacts on a single master list, this is rarely the best way to keep everyone organized. Here are some of the most common types of contact lists:
- Family and friends lists.
- Business contact lists.
- Email newsletter lists.
- Customer contact lists.
- Phone contacts.
- App-specific lists.
Regardless of what type of list you are using, each one functions in the same way. The only aspect that changes is the purpose of that list.
Benefits of Creating Contact Lists
Why create a contact list at all? It makes communication more efficient and removes the obstacle of having to remember personal details or resort to writing everything down manually.
Many platforms, including Gmail, automatically build lists whenever you send and receive emails, which is why you can autofill the address bar whenever you send a subsequent message.
Individuals and businesses both use contact lists for different reasons, including:
Streamline Communication
Contact lists let you streamline how you communicate by saving time and preventing accidental loss of contact because you couldn’t remember a phone number or an email address. This simplifies the process of staying in touch, setting up events, and remembering important dates like birthdays and work anniversaries.
Build Sales Relationships
Businesses use lists to develop relationships in the B2B and B2C sectors. Your sales team can target prospects based on a variety of metrics and push products and services. Over time, developing these relationships increases the odds that you’ll turn a contact into a customer.
Produce Value from Your Newsletter List
Email marketing is one of the backbones of business marketing in every sector. Opted-in subscribers have consented to receive emails from your brand, thus beginning a personal relationship with it.
These email addresses are collected through opt-in forms and are among the most powerful lists you can have.
Provide Customer Support
Maintaining a database of client information allows you to add details about each client, such as when they became a customer, where they’re from, and which products/services they’ve purchased. Organizations often turn to CRM systems to house this information and process it, allowing them to provide personalized experiences.
Unify Your Team
Lists can also house members of your team, including full-time colleagues and freelancers. Contact lists make it simpler for everyone to stay in touch and ensure everyone is on the same page. Examples of messages sent to these lists might include scheduling, company-wide announcements, and project updates.
How You Can Use Contact Lists
Gathering and storing contact information is crucial whether you’re working with a team or selling to customers. Your list is one of your firm’s most valuable assets because it’s also the key to growing your business.
It’s the foundation of the customer experience and empowers you to deliver the one-to-one experiences consumers increasingly demand. However, even when working with non-customers, it’s a chance to launch cold outreach campaigns through your sales team.
Regardless of why you are using your list, business is built on relationships, whether it’s a vendor, team member, or customer. With a well-organized contact list, you have everything you need to cultivate these relationships and ensure that your contacts are well taken care of when working with your brand.