Regular email communication is STILL one of the most effective forms of digital marketing. And while you might think you don’t have the bandwidth to perform email marketing, there are simple tips and strategies that can help you get started quickly. In this series, we’ll explain how you can hit the ground running and send marketing emails that your audience will love …
Now that you know HOW you’re going to send your emails, you can start thinking about WHO you’re going to send them to. (Don’t worry, we’re going to talk about WHAT to send next.) Most every business maintains lists of current and past customers, and it’s easy to import those lists into MailChimp and start sending marketing emails from there.
But to get the most out of email marketing, you’re going to want to constantly be building your list. This means creating touchpoints that allow you to gather email addresses from not just your customers, but ANYONE who’s interacting with your brand. These are people who maybe haven’t been convinced to work with you or purchase a product yet … but could benefit from learning more about your business or receiving a special offer.
These potential leads’ email inboxes are where your emails will shine – by winning your audience over after they’ve first interacted with your brand.
Simple Ways to Build Your List
Your list of subscribers is what makes your emails worth sending. But how do you build a list? Here are some simple-yet-effective ways to gather your audience’s email addresses:
- When attending trade shows or conventions, use a digital or physical sign-up form to gather emails. (Using a digital form that connects with your email marketing service is best, as new emails can then be added to your list automatically.)
- Add an unobtrusive pop-up window to your website, so first time visitors can easily opt in to your emails. (We’ve done this for a number of our own clients.) If your business sells a product, you can offer a special discount via this pop-up, to entice your audience to sign up.
- Offer free content (like this guide you’re reading) in trade for your audience’s email. But remember, you need to offer something of value, so your audience feels like they’ve gotten something out of the trade! And you also need to let your audience know you’re adding them to your list.
When you can, offer potential recipients something valuable and specific in exchange for their email address – something they’re likely to want regardless of receiving your emails. You’re likely to get A LOT MORE email sign-ups if your audience gains something immediately when they hand over their information.
And if any of the above options seem daunting, remember – you don’t have to try everything at once. You can just gather emails at trade shows, or just add a simple pop-up to your website. Your list will always be there and always be growing. So you can start small and add or change list-building tactics as you go.
Can’t wait to start email marketing? Get the rest of this series NOW by downloading our free “Basics of Email Marketing” e-book.
