For example, I offer to send my stakeholders a free newsletter each month with my new marketing ideas and opinions. Other companies that use newsletters to build databases and create dialogues with stakeholders ask for demographic and contact information as well. I prefer to ask one question, their e-mail address, so I can get the highest possible return. However, my colleagues who use this technique say they get a good return as well as useful information. You can even ask people to subscribe to different lists.
Customers can sign on to one list, reporters can sign on to another.
For an example of how this list-gathering process works, go to ShowStoppers and look for the link at the bottom of the page for sponsors and the media. If you click on the link, you'll see a form that asks for basic contact information. After people fill in the form, the material is sent to a mailing list program, MessageMedia Unity Mail , where the information is sorted and stored for future use. You can also use e-mail newsletter mailing sites, such as Topica and eGroups . Whenever ShowStoppers has news, we can select the appropriate list or lists and send the press release immediately.