This month we want you to take action by looking at your email list. When was the last time you cleaned up your bounced emails, looked at your unsubscribes, or tracked your list? Your email list is one of the best ways to build relationships with your audience. Like many parts of your marketing strategy, your list needs some care and attention.
Grow Your List Using Your Customer Database
The data shows that when used effectively, email marketing still provides the best return on your marketing dollars over social media. But who are you sending emails to? You can’t buy an email list on the internet, that never works. In fact, that is called spam and will get you banned from many email services. Permission-based email is the way to go.
Make adding new customers to your list a regular part of your processes.
As part of your regular processes you should have a way to add people to your email marketing software. This can be automated from your CRM, or with an export / import process, or by just manually adding new customer emails to your email marketing software.
In addition to customers, you also want to have a way to add prospects or people you meet networking. When you take a call, is part of the conversation getting an email address and asking them to join your list? You talk to people every day – make adding them to the list part of the conversation.
Using a Lead Magnet to Grow Your List
Use a valuable lead magnet as an incentive to get more people to join your list.
You also want to have some strategies in place to grow your list through other ways. People often use what’s called a lead magnet as an incentive to sign up for their email list. This is where you give something of value to the customer in return for their email address. It can be a checklist, a white paper, a guide, or a coupon. Promote your lead magnet everywhere. You can do this by having prospects sign up on your website, via a link in your email signature, social media, and even through paid ads.
Events are another great way to get people on your list, whether you are doing them in person or virtually. Make sure you are collecting emails when you do them!
Don’t forget to clean up your list! Emails change and people change jobs. Remove or correct any emails that bounce.
So your take action item for this month is to give your email list some love. Clean up the bounces, add those new people you know, and start growing your list using a lead magnet and promoting it.
