Email marketing provides an incredible return on investment (ROI). It is a high-impact, but low-cost, way of delivering your marketing message to current customers along with prospects. In 2017 there were approximately 3.7 billion email users, by 2022 that number is expected to be 4.3 billion. That is half of the world’s population! With help from Safeguard, it’s a fast, easy, and measurable way to grow your business. The ROI for email marketing is great. For every $1 that you spend on email marketing, you can anticipate an average return of $32.
The key is to have a great email list. Email lists that are short, full of errors, aren’t on-track with your targeting, or contain poor-quality data will not get you the marketing results that your business needs. Without a good email list, it’s likely that your other digital marketing efforts are floundering. If your email list isn’t great yet, here are 15 effective and creative tips for building your email list.
Email List Building Tips
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Sign-Up Sheet
Collecting email addresses in person is as simple as putting out a sign-up sheet. At your next trade show, community event, or even within your own storefront take the time to put out a sign-up sheet and encourage visitors to write down their email address and information. One great thing about new email sign-ups is that welcome emails have an open rate that is over 80%!
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Utilize Business Cards
Exchanging business cards is common when meeting new clients or other contacts. This practice of collecting business cards can also be useful for building your email list. Set a glass bowl on the reception desk in your office or on a counter in your storefront and ask visitors to drop their cards in it. Consider offering an incentive for visitors to drop their cards such as a drawing for a free product or service.
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Host An Event
Whether you choose to host a luncheon, a seminar, or a cocktail reception, staging an event is a top way to build your email address. Send invitations to other local businesses, hang a flyer on your front door, and promote your upcoming event. When people RSVP make sure to get their email addresses.
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Rewards Program
Invite clients and customers to join your rewards program by enrolling with their email address and relevant data. Provide rewards program members with special offers and discount coupons for joining. Customers like hearing from their favorite brands. In fact, consumers have said that they would like to receive promotional emails from their favorite brands on a weekly basis.
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Use Direct Mail
Use direct mail to support your email marketing efforts. If you have people on your contact list with a physical address but no email address, send a direct-mail offer that requires their email address to obtain.
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Engage Your Online Community
Create and engage your online community. Foster interaction between your brand and your customers. Make sure to include an email sign-up form within your community.
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Host a Giveaway
Through your website and direct mail, create a giveaway that customers can sign up for. Ask for an entrant’s email address as part of signing up for the giveaway.
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Convert Web Site Visitors
A prospect that is visiting your website is already expressing some interest in the product or service that you have to offer. Make sure to capitalize on that interest by inviting them to sign up for your email list. Include email registration forms on the main page and popular pages of your website. Also, consider asking visitors for their email address before they leave your website.
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Promote Email Only Specials
Reward loyal email followers with specials that are available only to email subscribers. Encourage your email followers to forward the email to friends and family. Include a sign-up form within the email so that anyone who receives the forwarded email can easily sign up to be on your email list.
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Word of Mouth
Ask new and current customers, as well as employees, to refer new subscribers to your email list. Offer customers a discount as a reward for valid confirmed, and consent-backed email addresses. Reward employees for collecting valid email addresses, reminding them they have to obtain the person’s consent before putting the email address on your list.
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Use Invoices
Invoices and other business communications can also help grow your email list. These are documents you are already sending, simply add an option for recipients to sign up for email communications with you. Perhaps offer an incentive such as a discount or free shipping on the next order as a reward for providing an email address.
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Attend a Fair or Trade Show
There are events happening year round. From local fairs in your community to larger trade shows. Participate in an event and collect email addresses throughout. Make signing up for your email list part of a game offered in your booth, or provide another incentive for attendees to provide you with their email address.
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Utilize Shipping
If your business ships products, it’s easy to include a card inside every package you ship offering an opportunity for customers to sign up for your email list. Highlight your “email only” and offer examples of how they could have benefited on their order by subscribing to your email list.
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Whitepapers
Does your business offer a whitepaper or guide on a topic on which it is an authority? Your white paper, e-book, or buying guide can help build your email list. Offer the download as a freebie in exchange for visitors completing your opt-in form.
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Don’t Give Up on Bouncebacks
Returned, or bounced, email happens. If you have physical mailing information to match an email address send a postcard asking the contact to provide you with an updated email address so they can make sure they don’t miss out on any upcoming specials.
Email marketing helps to grow your business. If you are looking for direct impact and reach, there’s no competition with email marketing. Something every business can do right away is include a link to your email opt-in page in the signature of all your emails.
Building an email list takes time, but focusing on customer retention is a valuable long-term solution for increased revenue and sustainable growth. That means building an email list remains one of the smartest things you can do to grow your business. With Safeguard’s Online Marketing & Web Services we can help bring you everything you need to be successful online. We make effective email marketing as easy as 1-2-3. Contact us today to get started on professionally-designed emails and building your email list.