More important than what you communicate through your e-marketing efforts, is to whom you choose to send it. Your list of email subscribers or recipients does much more than represent a core group of current or potential customers; it can also have a tremendous impact on the success of your campaigns. What’s more, your list can have a serious bearing on your company’s Internet reputation among ISPs. This means that you must try to obtain as many subscribers as possible while, at the same time being extremely selective about it.
Ask First. Send Second.
It’s probably happened to you – you’re checking emails and there’s at least one in your inbox that’s from a person and/or company you’ve never heard of before. Like anyone, you wonder, "How did they get my email address?" Meanwhile, in the back of your mind you’re developing a negative opinion about the company that sent the email, and you become more skeptical about giving out your email address in the future. You don’t want your email recipients to feel the same way about your messages, so it’s important to make sure that everyone that’s on your email list is someone who actually WANTS to be there. That means avoiding lists purchased from other companies or emails obtained outside of terms-of-service agreements. If people are making purchases on your website or are supplying you with their email for communication purposes, make sure that they know they may receive future communications from your company.
How to Build from the Group Up
Despite the allure to pay for a list of 1,000,000 subscribers for what seems like a bargain, ask yourself how great of a "deal" it really is. Let’s suppose your company sells financial planning software. If the list you purchase is comprised of people mainly between the ages of 18 and 24, it is likely to yield far fewer results than a list comprised of people between the ages of 45-65. The same can be said for geographic region, household income, family or marital status, or any other demographic that’s relevant to your business. Since every business is different, even within the same industry, it becomes clear why paying for a list isn’t as preferable as building one yourself. To do this, use your web presence to its fullest advantage. Enhance traffic to your website through banner advertising and then create a strong response engine for visitors to sign up for a recurring newsletter. Once someone requests to be added to your email list, be sure to send a confirmation email that requires a click of a button or a redirect to an activation page on your website to create what’s called a "double opt-in" subscriber. These are the best members of your marketing audience because they’ve asked AND confirmed that they want to receive emails from your company.
Another way to capitalize on existing contacts is to review that stack of business cards in your rolodex. A great many of these people have probably already expressed a desire to know more about your company and/or its products and services. These could be great leads for you in the future. To give these email addresses a similar reliability as your other double opt-in subscribers, you may consider sending an opt-in email for these users that notifies them that you will be sending future emails. Then, give them the opportunity to either confirm their email or remove themselves from future communications. This is also an effective way to "clean" your email list from time to time and make sure everything is up-to-date.
If you’re having trouble getting interest in your newsletter, work on the content. Make sure it’s informative, compelling, timely, and then try to get it published on other sites besides your own. The more exposure an audience has to the kinds of information you’ll be providing, the more likely they will be to take action. Another tactic is to create free offers in return for email address sign ups. Be careful though, this does not mean "Enter for a chance to win a spot in a free drawing for a company keychain." A better driver of results is an offer like "Register today to receive our free white paper on interior design." Consumers typically act first on those offers which require little or no obligation in return. It can be hard to be patient, but the strength of your email list will be more than worth the wait.
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