As a brand, you want to ensure that you are consistently adding to your pool of potential clients. Email marketing specifically has become one of the No. 1 ways to sell anything online! In the competitive market we are forced to survive in, every email address or phone number can turn into a success story or a referral for the same. How have you been growing your database thus far? Listed below are a few of the most effective ways to develop a database and some of the mistakes even you may have made in the process.
The most effective way to grow a database will always be the one that works best specifically for your brand and audience. However, there are a few tried and true methods of collecting information that generally yields those positive results for which we are searching. One fresh and exciting way to gain emails is to host a giveaway! Perhaps on a social media platform or on your brand’s website itself.
Create requirements that make providing your email mandatory for giveaway entry; people will then be incentivized to give over their personal information. An essential part of growing your list is providing your subscribers with a reason to want to hear from you. Virtually the most effective way to expand your email list with actual potential clients is to give them something worth sharing with their friends, family, and social networks with ease. Viral content is key!
The biggest mistake a brand can make concerning its email list is believing there’s no reason or need to get rid of a little clutter. People who have shown no interest in becoming a potential buyer or have had a substantial change of circumstance, for the purposes of your email list, would be considered clutter and should thus be removed. According to Hubspot, your email list degrades by 22.5 percent every year thanks to changed email addresses or that pesky little “unsubscribe” button, making nearly a quarter of emails sent out essentially a wasted effort.
One should also always be mindful of emails that are bouncing back and be apt to learn why they are bouncing back. It could be as simple as a typo in the server name or the email address is no longer valid. It may sound counterproductive, but it is far better to have a smaller email list with better-quality customers than a larger database where the majority of your emails are getting deleted, sent to junk mail, or worse, reported as spam. Keep an eye on your open rates; if someone is consistently never even opening your email, it’s probably a sign they should be scrubbed from your database. Quality over quantity, always.
Another naive move made by many people eager to grow their list is buying subscribers. Yes, there are websites where you can purchase the online address of millions of “people.” This may sound like a quick fix to some people, but the downside to this is the lack of relationship you have with these people, who are now a part of the group clicking the “unsubscribe” link and leaving you with nothing to show for your email campaign.
You also run the risk of wasting money on emails that may not even belong to real people or, worse, addresses that are misspelled or incomplete. Not to mention if you end up with too many spam reports, you’ve put yourself in the position of losing the trust of the few true subscribers with which you started.
Going forward, put yourself in the shoes of your subscribers. Persistence can yield results but also walks the fine line of being annoying. A million discounts may not bring you the desired amount of revenue or the quality of client you want long term. Content is not limited to discounts - send out a blog post roundup, FAQs, or big news for your company or industry. There are so many possibilities; it just takes a little team brainstorming.
If your open rates are declining, consider sending out a poll or survey asking what kind of content they enjoy receiving in email marketing campaigns. Don’t be afraid to switch up your tactics and keep your subscribers always wanting more.
For a comprehensive list of tips on how to build a successful email list, with commentary from email marketers, check out the following article, How To Build An Email List: Email Marketers Comment. For an easy-to-use email finder tool to help you build an email list and grow your business, check out ContactOut.
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