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When discussing email marketing campaigns with clients, one of the most common questions which pops up time and time again is how to grow a list. It’s frustrating when you want to start sending out a newsletter and barely have anyone to send it to, and it can be tempting to buy lists. I’ve discussed reasons not to buy lists in a previous post which you can read here: Why You Need to Build Your Own Email List
So which are some of the best ways to grow your list? Well before you start, make sure all your clients and contacts are on your list, then you’ve something you can build on.
1. Provide an Incentive. I expect you’ve noticed that many websites offer an incentive to subscribe to a newsletter. Just offering a free newsletter is not enough and when you do give something away, it must be good! Give your freebie a compelling title (especially if it’s a free report) and if you sell products, could you offer a free guide about using the product, or perhaps even a free sample? Give some thought to your free offering as the better the quality, the better the impression you will give.
2. Networking Events. They’re a great place to ask people if they might want to be added to your list. Don’t just add people who give you your card, but ask them if you have a conversation with them and they seen interested in your products or services. It’s even better if you have a free report that you can ask them if they would be interested in receiving, and add them to your list at the same time – see 1 above.
3. Talks & Presentations. If you give talks or presentation about your business then these are a great way of building your list. Most people who attend talks are going to be interested in the subject, so chances are should also be interested in receiving your newsletter. The best way of building your list through a talk is to ask the audience at the end if they would be interested in receiving your free offer, such as a report or white paper, and those that offer their business card will then be added to your list with the free report emailed to them.
4. Via Social Networking. If you regularly use the social networks then there’s no harm in using them to promote your newsletter. B2B newsletters usually contain useful articles and tips which can be used to promote your business in the social networks and B2C newsletter usually have special offers which your connections may be interested in. Some third party email providers such as Mailchimp also allow you to link your account with your Facebook or Twitter profiles, so that when your newsletter goes out, it is automatically ‘tweeted’ or added to your Facebook wall.
5. Cross Promotions. Finally, don’t overlook cross promoting your newsletter with other businesses offering complementary services. You may have subscribed to a newsletter and been offered subscriptions to other complementary newsletters at the same time. If you partner with other businesses, this can be a good way of building your lists. Alternatively, you could sponsor or advertise within another newsletter, which can also get the word out and help you build your own list.
The above are just a few ways you can build your list although it does take time. If you’d like to learn more about list building and creating effecting email marketing campaigns, please check out our new email marketing guide, Here’s How to Make Email Marketing Work for Your Small Business.
If you have any list building tips that have worked for you, please share them here!
About Sam
Sam McArthur is an internet marketing consultant with 12 years in the industry. She helps professional service businesses with their internet marketing strategy, helping them to see significant results from their online marketing activities, particularly within the search engines. She also consults on the latest internet tools, technology and best practice techniques.
[...] are many ways to build a list of email subscribers, although we would strongly advise against buying a list as we covered in previous posts. Building [...]