One of the most egregious and common mistakes in email and SMS database management is failing to acquire proper consent. In 2025, with stringent global privacy regulations like GDPR, CCPA, and evolving local laws in Bangladesh, simply assuming consent is a recipe for disaster. This means avoiding pre-checked boxes, ensuring clear and conspicuous opt-in language, and documenting every instance of consent. For SMS, explicit opt-in is paramount, often requiring a double opt-in mechanism (e.g., sending a confirmation text). Sending unsolicited messages not only risks legal penalties and hefty fines but also severely damages your brand reputation, leading to high unsubscribe rates and complaints. Always prioritize transparency and give users clear control over their communication preferences to build a trustworthy database.
Failing to Segment Your Database Effectively
A common pitfall is treating your entire email and SMS database as a monolithic entity. Sending generic messages to everyone, regardless of their interests, purchase history, or stage in the customer journey, is a surefire way to alienate subscribers. Failing to segment means missed opportunities for personalization and relevance. Instead, segment your database based on demographics, purchase behavior, whatsapp data engagement levels, geographic location (especially crucial for a market like Bangladesh with diverse regional nuances), and stated preferences. This allows you to send highly targeted and relevant messages, increasing open rates, click-through rates, and ultimately, conversion rates, making your communications feel valuable rather than intrusive.
Ignoring Database Hygiene and Data Decay
Data decay is a natural and inevitable process where contact information becomes outdated over time due to job changes, email address changes, or phone number churn. A critical mistake is ignoring database hygiene, which involves regularly cleaning and validating your email and SMS lists. Sending messages to invalid email addresses results in high bounce rates, which can negatively impact your sender reputation and lead to blacklisting. Similarly, sending SMS to inactive or disconnected numbers wastes resources. Implementing tools for validation and removal of inactive contacts, and encouraging subscribers to update their information, is crucial for maintaining a healthy, high-performing database that maximizes deliverability and minimizes waste.