Case Study: Consolidating Contact Lists and
Launching a Monthly Newsletter
Project Brief
A business wanted to launch a monthly newsletter to engage with its audience. However, they had multiple contact lists in various formats and needed to consolidate them into one master list. The plan was to send an announcement email to the consolidated list, informing recipients about the newsletter and requesting them to opt-in.
The Challenge
The primary challenge was the inconsistency across the various contact lists. These lists were stored in multiple formats, including:
- Outlook contacts
- Gmail contacts
- Google Sheets
- Word documents
- Excel spreadsheets
Additionally, the lists were inconsistent in structure:
- Different naming conventions (e.g., FIRSTLAST vs. FIRST LAST)
- Varying headers
- Limited fields captured beyond email addresses
We needed to:
- Clean and standardize each list.
- Merge the lists into one master contact list.
- Remove duplicate entries.
- Assign “contact roles” based on each contact’s association with the business.
The Solution
Phase 1: Data Cleaning and Consolidation
- Each contact list was reviewed, cleaned, and standardized to ensure consistent formatting.
- Duplicate entries were identified and removed.
- Contacts were categorized and assigned “contact roles” for better segmentation.
Phase 2: Importing and Email Marketing Setup
- The cleaned and consolidated master list was imported into an email marketing tool.
- This tool enabled tracking of key metrics such as email opens, clicks, and downloads.
Phase 3: Newsletter and Email Templates
- A newsletter email template was created, incorporating the business’s branding, including colors and logo.
- The monthly newsletter content was written in Google Docs and updated in the email template each month.
- A secondary email template was developed for occasional announcements, such as sales or surveys.
Results
- Consolidated Contact List: All contact lists were successfully merged into a single, organized master list, improving management and communication.
- Enhanced Engagement: The email marketing tool facilitated tracking of engagement metrics, allowing the business to measure the success of their campaigns.
- Professional Branding: Custom email templates ensured consistent and professional communication with recipients.
- Streamlined Process: A clear workflow was established for creating and sending newsletters and announcements on a regular basis.
Conclusion
This project highlights the importance of data organization and branding in launching a successful email marketing campaign. By consolidating contact lists, implementing an email marketing tool, and designing branded templates, the business was able to effectively engage its audience and track the impact of its communications.
