The whole reason email marketing is done: to drive clients to your web site,
where you can sell your products and services to them. But in order to bring them
to your site, you need to have addresses to mail those exciting messages to.
You can always buy or rent email lists, but this isn't always the best strategy.
It's expensive, and there's no guarantee that the company you choose got their addresses
legitimately. Opt-in email lists (people who ask you to send them information) are
always a better method for marketing purposes, and you have a guaranteed target
audience.
Increasing your opt-in list of targeted email clients is the most important email
marketing strategy you can use. Your email list is actually a group of potential
"sales leads" and you should treat expanding your email list in the same manner
you would your leads offline: develop it, and develop it aggressively.
The more effort you put into developing it, the more potential customers you
will have. Conversely, if you fail to collect email addresses, your online business
growth will halt. It's that simple.
Tip #1: Offer Them Content
People don't just like to give out their email addresses online (and with good
reason nowadays!) But if you offer them something in return, such as an informative
newsletter, a free ebook, or free software, they will be much more likely to give
you their email address when subscribing.
Offering subscriptions, whether to a newsletter, ezine, ebook, software, or online
course, is the number one legitimate method of increasing your email list (and is
used by all of the largest and most successful sites online). People have indicated
that they go online for a major, basic reason: to learn. Are you meeting this need?
You will be, if you offer them high-quality information through one of the above
methods.
Don't just send them ads (unless they have specifically requested news on current
specials); spice it up with information that they can use. They will remember you,
will pass your newsletters around to their friends, and your name and company will
get known.
Tip #2: Make It Easy For Them
It's amazing the number of sites that have subscription forms tucked away deep
within their site hierarchy, or don't even have interactive subscription forms for
signing up. Don't just rely on the customer taking the initiative of sending you
an email asking to subscribe to your content; have a web designer create an easy-to-use
form that they can fill in and subscribe to.
Place your subscription box in a prominent area. Normally, the left top side
of a web site is the area that a visitor looks at first. This is a natural area
to place a small box that says, "Subscribe to our informative newsletter" or "download
our free software" to increase your email list. Alternatively, you could create
a pop-under that appears before they leave, asking if they would like to subscribe
to your quality content. Don't let them leave your site without offering them the
chance, with an attractive ad, to sign up - and give you their email address.
Be sure to have a link on each and every web page on your site, offering visitors
the chance to subscribe. Otherwise, they may go to your site, click around, and
by page four, forget that they meant to sign up for your newsletter or ebook. Remind
them frequently with a tasteful link or box on each page, and watch your subscriptions
rise.
Tip #3: Assure Their Privacy
When a person visits a web site online, they often hesitate to give out their
email address. Since they don't know you, they often fear the worst: that you could
be an unscrupulous email harvester, who will turn around and sell their information
to sleazy porn sites or lending companies charging high interest rates.
Of course, you don't do this, and one way to overcome this natural hesitation
is to place a prominent privacy notice near your subscription form that states:
"Your privacy is important to us. We will never sell or disclose the information
that you provide us with." You have just overcome the number one reason that people
don't give out their email address, and increased greatly the chances that your
opt-in list will grow.
Tip #4: Don't Use Force, and Don't Ask for Too Much Information
Nowadays, some sites have become quite aggressive in their techniques for getting
email addresses, to the point that they won't allow you to enter their site without
giving it. Most people will click away from sites that use techniques that don't
offer choices. Instead, make subscription their choice, and never, ever force the
issue.
When asking for subscriptions, don't ask them their age, phone number, and other
demographic information, or you will frighten them away. Your subscription box is
not meant to be marketing research and shouldn't be used this way. At this point,
you are creating an initial contact with potential clients. Simply ask for their
email address, and nothing more, and you'll see more subscribers.
Down the road, when they know you better, you can always send out surveys to
find out more.
Tip #5: Give Them a Gift
Ever since we were small children, opening Christmas presents underneath the
tree, we have all found free gifts irresistible. You can offer your site visitors
extra incentive for subscribing to your newsletter or email communications: let
them know that they will get a free gift when they sign up.
This free gift could be a white paper, a free ebook, or software that they can
use. Or, you can give them access to information areas on your web site, that they
couldn't get to otherwise, when they sign up and register.
If you use this technique, you should see response rates to your subscription
requests go up tremendously. Don't know how to write an ebook? This isn't a problem.
There are plenty of sites that offer free content, reports, and ebooks that you
can download, and offer to site visitors (example: just try typing in "free content"
into Google, and you will be deluged with links from sites begging you to give away
their content).
Tip #6: Ask Them to 'Pass It Along' (Viral Emailing)
In the lingo of online marketing, 'Viral emarketing' doesn't describe teenaged
hackers bent over their computer screens, sending viruses to unsuspecting recipients.
Instead, it's a highly accepted and used method of increasing email lists. Basically,
you are asking those who receive your newsletter to share it with their friends
who might enjoy reading the great information in it. Chances are, if they like it
enough, they will click on the "subscribe" link (you do have one, don't you, at
the bottom of your newsletters and/or ezines?), and you will have a new address
for your list.
If you really want to get the information passed along, offer your readers a
good incentive for sharing it with others. Some sites offer product discounts, a
free ebook, or points for sharing it with others. The Internet is all about sharing
information, and we love to let others know about good places to learn at.
Tip #7: Give Them More Choices
People have different needs when going online, and if you design your site and
subscriptions to meet those needs, your response rates will climb. Offer your site
visitors different options: some may want to subscribe to a newsletter, others may
want to read your white paper, while yet others only want to hear about special
product updates. Create your subscription box to offer different choices, then deliver
them what they asked for.
This is called 'market segmentation': you are meeting the needs of different
sectors of your market, and is good, sound sales practice that will cause your email
list to expand.
Tip #8: Develop a Relationship With Your Clients
Who would you rather interact with and trust, someone you have never heard of,
or someone you have had a positive experience with before? This same principle is
doubly true online. You should be emailing all of your current customers in response
to their questions, to confirm product orders, and other business communications
in a polite, friendly manner. They will be more likely to sign up, subscribe, and
ask for product updates if they've heard from you before, and if you are professional
in all of your communications.
If your firm is active offline, be sure to give you customers cards with your
web address and email address printed on them, and ask if they would like to be
added to your email list for product updates. Chances are good that they will say
"yes" and you will have a quickly growing email list.
By following the above tips and advice, you should see your email list growing,
with highly targeted customers who want to hear from you.
