Your mailing list is the key to a successful email campaign. No matter how engaging the copy in your emails is, how innovative the design is, or how attractive the subject line is, if you have a poor quality mailing list, all the hard work that you put into your marketing emails will be wasted.
A good quality mailing list should be made up of people who have an active interest in your company and what you do. In order to achieve this, you will need to consistently work on building, managing and growing your mailing list. Here are some tips to help you get started:
Make It Simple
People are pressed for time these days, so if signing up to a mailing list is complicated or time consuming. The chances are they won’t bother. You should make it as simple as possible for people to sign up to your list. Include a box like this, from Watchfinder, on the most visited pages of your website:
You can also include a sign up tab on your company’s Facebook page.
Don’t worry about asking for more than just an email address at this stage. Your new subscribers may be reluctant to offer up too much information about themselves. Just entering an email address is quick and easy. You can always ask for more information about your customers at a later stage, such as when they make a purchase or enter a competition. This will enable you to better segment your mailing list.
Use a Lead Magnet
If a customer has a strong interest in your company, they may sign up to your mailing list independently without any prompting. However, the majority of customers will need a little ‘push’ to motivate them. This is where lead magnets come in.
A lead magnet is a little ‘gift’ that your customer will get in exchange for signing up to your list. This should be something that isn’t a great expense for your company, but will offer your customers significant value. Like a free e-book, webinar or a discount off a purchase. Customers are likely to be more willing to offer more information about themselves on a sign up form if they are getting something in return.
Gather and Feast offer their new subscribers a free recipe ebook in exchange for a sign up. Notice how this sign up page is clean and simple, yet clearly explains the benefits of the free gift they’re offering:
Welcome Your Customers to you mailing list
Once a customer has signed up to your mailing list, you will want them to stay engaged and interested in what you’re doing. And, most importantly, you will want them to actually open and read your emails. The best way to do this is to send your new subscribers an email as soon as you can after they’ve signed up. A welcome email will make your new customers feel valued and, according to Experian, they have an open rate of over 50%.
However, in order to keep your customers engaged, your welcome email needs to say more than just ‘Hello’. Use this email to show your subscribers the benefits of using your company. You can also include a discount or gift in this email to encourage your subscribers to make their first purchase. Also, make sure you ask your customers to add your email address to their contact list. This will ensure that your emails don’t end up in their spam folder.
This email, from Dorothy Perkins, contains everything a welcome email should:
Making the most of your mailing list requires work and maintenance. But, having a good quality list will reap huge rewards for your business. Take the time to work on your list and you’ll soon see the benefits.
