Building a list to market to

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Have you ever opened an email to find you’re on someone’s newsletter list – and you’re not sure how it happened?  I know it’s happened to me many times, especially after I’ve been out networking.  Giving out your business card is also giving ‘implied’ consent for the person to whom you give it, to contact you again.  If I’m absolutely honest, that’s how I started off building my list too!

These days, I do ask if people mind being sent my newsletter – it’s a bit more polite than sending it regardless!  Over the years, I’ve found several very effective ways to build my list of contacts – both online and offline:

Business Card – Article Writing – Public Speaking – Direct Mail – Website/Blog

The common denominator for each of these activities is to have something to tempt people to part with their name & email address.  Gone are the days when a regular newsletter was reason enough, your prospects are much more demanding now!

For example, on this blog you get the rather excellent ‘Ultimate Small Business Guide to Marketing via the Internet’.  This is delivered as a pdf file as soon as you enter & confirm your contact details.  Other ideas of give-aways could include an audio file, a series of tips delivered at regular intervals via email, a free consultation or sample.

If your give away is of poor quality, you will damage your prospects’ perception of your paid products or services.  Do make sure that what you give away is of good value, and not simply a poorly disguised sales pitch. 

It needs to be something you’d be proud to sell, and have a ‘Wow!’ factor when they get it.  Give it a monetary value to enhance the desirability and encourage people to sign up and stay on your list.