The question is no longer, should you have an email list, The evidence for its benefits are too great to ignore. The difference adding email to your marketing mix can make is significant.
- For every $1 you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $42. Direct Marketing Association 2019
- 59% of consumers say emails affect their purchasing decisions. SaleCycle 2021
- 49% of consumers said that they would like to receive promotional emails from their favorite brands on a weekly basis. Statista 2017
- You are six times more likely to get a click from an email than from a tweet. Campaign Monitor
- Just over half of consumers purchase something following a marketing email at least once a month. SaleCycle 2021
Have You Been Putting Off Building An Email List?
Don’t wait any longer. A well-maintained list of current customers who have specifically requested to be contacted can be invaluable. Email allows you to speak directly to them at a time that is convenient for them.
How to Start An Email List from Scratch
Define The Purpose of Your List
Before jumping in, take a deep breath and think about why you’re adding email to your marketing mix. What are you goals and how do you imagine that email will help you meet those goals?
When asking customers to join your mailing list, it is important to let them know what they are signing up for. How often will you mail them? What will the mail contain? Will you be sending coupons, event announcements, private sale invitations? The clearer you are in your own mind about how you will manage this new marketing avenue, the more likely you will be able to explain it to your customers.
Select An Email List Manager
If you are sending out emails as a business, do not try to use your regular email program. Your personal email client (Outlook, Google etc.) limits the number of emails you can send during a certain time period, and some will automatically shut down your account if you exceed that number. Others have a limit on the number of addresses you can send to at one time. In addition, The CAN-SPAM Act requires you to offer recipients the option to opt-out of future emails.
Therefore, you need to use an email marketing provider, also called a mailing list manager. A mailing list manager allows you to send unlimited emails without compromising your email account. It makes adding and deleting names simple, and it will automatically track who opened your email and how they interacted with it.
An email marketing program will save time and make you look more professional. Some of the more popular managers include Constant Contact, iContact and MailChimp.
Set Your Privacy Policy
When someone gives you permission to email them, they are not giving you permission to share that information. An email address is personal information. It must never be shared with any other person, business or organization, no matter the cause.
How To Start Collecting Email Addresses
- Place a signup form on your website and social media accounts.
- Place a link in your email signature.
- Add a link to the signup form on all invoices.
- Add an opt-in checkbox on your e-commerce checkout page.
- Send out personal one-to-one emails to current contacts asking them to signup.
Email marketing is one of the most cost effective things you can do to spur business.
Learn more about our email marketing services. We can set it up for you and let you manage it, or we can handle the entire project. Call 518.392.0846 or email [email protected] for more information.