Lolo Siderman, Founder and CEO of Gypsywing Media (http://www.gypsywing.com/) gives tips for growing your email list. Use these suggestions to expand the reach of your newsletters and emails.
- Continually add to your list
- Offer incentives to entice customers to sign up
- Offer a basic sign-up sheet
- Request only basic contact info
- Keep unsubscribing simple
E-mail marketing can be a great way to market your business. But, having the e-mail list is one of the most important parts. You need to have those people that you can communicate with. So always build that list whether it’s online, in social media, or in person you want to be building the list.
So, on your website you wanted to have the sign up box where they can put in their information, and become a part of it. On Facebook, there are ways to integrate through Facebook if you use constant contact for example. There is a free app that you can add into your Facebook page, and they can automatically sign up through Facebook for your marketing list.
And then when you’re in person if you are doing a speaking arrangement or whether you are part of some kind of a presentation or you are putting on something in your place of business. You can—one way is to have giveaways and have people put their business cards in and there, you know, and there to win something but you know, under “enter to win this” it says “and you will be included in our marketing list”. And then you’ll have this whole bowl of business cards from a trade show or whatever it is you are involved in.
You can also have a sign up list is which is a more direct way of doing it, and you may not get as many. But it’s also people are very aware of what they are doing and they can sign up to be a part of your e-mail list. So if you have a brick and mortar location this can be a great idea to have on your checkout counter, e-mail marketing sign up list.
Another thing is just ask for what you need. If you have the e-mail sign up block on your website don’t ask for their first name and their last name and the name of their dog and what city they were born in. Just ask for their name, ask for their e-mail. And if you want to get more information beyond that great, but right now we are looking for e-mail marketing. So get their name and get their e-mail and let it go. And you are much more likely to have them follow through if that’s what you are asking for.
And finally, make unsubscribing easy. That’s very important. You don’t want unhappy customers. You don’t want people saying that you are spamming them. So sometimes people will sign up and later decide they don’t want to be a part of it, and making that unsubscribe easy is as important as building up the list. So that will keep your reputation intact, it will keep happy with you and you won’t be a spammer.
So those are some ways that you can build your e-mail list for e-mail marketing.