June 13, 2013

Keeping your email list in fine shape is the foundation of a successful email marketing campaign. A good, clean, permission-based list of subscribers will ensure you are reaching out to people who really want to hear from you.

Here are some tips to build effective email subscriber list to increase customer loyalty, build brand recognition and inexpensively get their message out.

Don’t buy email addresses either! Purchased lists expose your business to false or out-of-date email addresses and spam complaints.  Such lists are a waste of your marketing dollars.

Here are a few suggestions for collecting contacts:

  1. List Building – It’s tempting to build your email newsletter list with existing customers and contacts. But this doesn’t always go down well with recipients. If you have not first asked their permission they may see it as spam, which, of course, will hurt your brand.
    • Add an easy to spot, easy to use sign-up form to your website and Facebook page.
    • Put a subscription link in your email signature.
    • If you have a storefront, collect emails at check out.
    • Offer a freebie or discount for subscribing
       
  2. Double opt-ins - After someone signs up, send them a Welcome email with a link asking for a subscription confirmation.
  3. What is someone signing up for – Use the Welcome email as an opportunity to let people know exactly what to expect when they sign up and how often they’ll hear from you.
  4. Be relevant – Make sure your content meets subscribers’ expectations.   This is the single most important factor when sending emails. Statistics show that frequency of emails doesn’t affect subscriber retention as much as value of the content.
  5. Keep your list clean – Closely monitor your emails for opt outs and signs that an email address is no longer valid. If your list starts to show a higher percentage of undelivered email addresses, email providers will flag you as spam.
  6. Make unsubscribing quick and easy - Don’t make it too hard for your recipients to leave your mailing list. Frustrated users who can’t figure out how to remove their email from your list will eventually flag your email as spam. Besides, there’s little point in sending people emails they won’t ever bother to read.

Building a healthy email list wont happen overnight. It takes time and patience. Like a garden you need to tend and prune so it will thrive.