Email lists are arguably an online marketer\’s best friend. They provide direct lines of communication to people who have already given you a vote of confidence, either by opting in to receive your updates, purchasing a product from you, or both. So how do you get a great email list if you are just starting out? And if you have been in the online business for awhile, how do you build yours and grow it? Here are some ideas for building your email lists:
Start with great content
You really can\’t trick your way into getting people to sign up for your email list. Even if you offer them a one-time promotion and get them to sign up that way, if they don\’t like what you have to say, then they\’re going to unsubscribe as fast as they signed up. The most tried and true way to build your list and to keep people opted in is to provide high quality content time after time. Make sure they are getting something valuable out of every mailing.
Email them things they want
If your business isn\’t content-based, then you will want to make sure that you selectively use your email list to let people know about deals and products that they will more than likely want to hear about. Give the people who subscribe to your email lists special deals, or sneak-peeks at what you\’re working on. Reward their loyalty, and you will reap the profits from it.
Gain exposure
If you aren\’t getting much traffic to your site, or not the right traffic, then seek out opportunities to gain exposure both online and off. Find websites with readerships that seem like they would like what you have to offer and offer to write some guest articles for them. Look for any opportunity to get the word out about you and your online business in your community. Consider networking events and definitely keep an eye out for any speaking engagements you could take advantage of.
Be selective in your mailings
Hopefully this goes without saying, but once someone has trusted you with their email address, the last thing you want is to come across as a spammer. For this reason, make sure you carefully consider each mailing and ask yourself what value it is providing to your email list. If the answer is kind of flimsy, then maybe you should wait until you have more value to add.
Take advantage of segmentation
Autoresponders like Aweber allow you to see exactly who opened your emails, who clicked on what, who purchased what, and so on. Take advantage of this information by creating special products and offers that are designed for your biggest fans — the ones you can tell you resonate with based on their responses to your emails.