Signup forms let fans join your list or enter a contest, and tag them the moment they do. A newsletter signup and a contest entry can use the same form technology but come in tagged differently, so you know who is who from the first name captured.
Because the tagging happens on the way in, your list is already segmented before you write a single email or text. No sorting spreadsheets after a promotion, no guessing which entries were from the door and which were from a giveaway.