To do email marketing, you need to send messages. But, to whom?
Naturally, any business or entity that seeks to expand via email marketing must establish a database that consists of email addresses that are acquired legally. How you build your lists matters for two reasons: first, email marketing is a permission-based marketing method; second, sending the right message to the right people is what makes email marketing actually valuable. After all, you do marketing to get profit. If your messages reach to someone who doesn’t care about what you offer; or doesn’t reach to anywhere at all, you better don’t spend money for something you most probably won’t profit.
Before starting to tell how to establish your own database, it is of utmost importance to tell how not to. It is as simple as that: Don’t buy lists from outer sources.
HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN DATABASE
There are many ways to establish a mailing database and they all work well. However, once you establish a database, you are not done yet. According to researches, more than one fifth (22,5%) of your database erodes every year. There are reasons for this; but what is certain is that you need to keep building on your database and clean-up it regularly as part of your marketing strategy.
INBOX cleans your database automatically and reports the bouncing addresses to you; so, you don’t really have to put too much effort for the letter. But staying active for building up on your database requires strategies to follow.
Things to Do via Email
Create Valuable Content
Start expanding your database with the contacts you already have. By creating valuable contents for your newsletters, you foster share rates for your emails. The more your subscribers share what you send, the more newcomers will subscribe to your list. Be attractive.
Encourage “Sharing”
Beyond creating attractive contents, you can also encourage your subscribers to share your emails. It is as simple as one click; so why not lead people to do it.
You can organize small competitions, offer discounts or simply enlarge the share buttons to encourage your subscribers to share your emails.
Also, do not forget to add a “subscribe” button in your emails for the people who are forwarded.
Create Different Subscription Models
One size doesn’t fit all. So, adding people to sub-lists that are categorized by different subscription models is a good idea. While subscribing to your database, ask people about what they are interested in and how often they would want to hear from you; then put their addresses to different pools. This will decrease unsubscription rates and encourage more people to sign up for your database.
Delete Inactive Contacts Regularly
Although it seems like gamble to delete contacts from your database, it is a tactic to have an optimized database for responsiveness. You are recommended to separate your subscribers into sub-lists according to their activeness. You can then send the inactive members an email to approve their stay in your database; otherwise delete them. It is actually meaningless to send email to someone who is not interested in what you send; so, don’t waste money. Also, sending such a “re-engagement” mail will encourage the inactive subscribers to be more active if they are still interested in having a contact with you.
Place Subscription Buttons to Your Employees’ Signatures
Please beware of that almost 80% of your future sales will be generated from 20% of the already existing customers. So, if you haven’t established a digital tie with them over your mailing database, start doing so with this method.
Every day, your employees send emails for business purposes. Adding a subscription button their signature will lead many people to join your database.
Things to Do via New Contents
Create Contents that Requires Subscription to Download
Many companies today have blog pages. It helps increase visibility on search engines and the valuable content in them is something to share; which introduces you to the new potential customers.
You can create new contents that is of value to the people interested in your business, sector, products etc. This content might be an almanac, yearbook, statistical research or anything of that kind. You can then ask for subscription to download the full version of that piece of work. Even if a person may not be interested in what you do, they may encounter your work and you will have a chance to offer them something in the future.
You can also share such contents from your social media accounts to generate increased flow and even give ads for your content and not for your products and services. Think it as an indirect advertisement and an investment for the future.
Things to Do via Social Media
Share Your Blog Posts
Be active in social media and consider having a blog page if you still don’t have. No matter what business you do. Sharing your blog posts will make you more visible on social media. Many companies have combined their digital marketing efforts and increased the size of their mailing lists with methods to apply on social media.
Add Easy Subscription Buttons to Your Facebook Page
After an update a year ago, Facebook allows you to add subscription buttons and links on your company page. An active Facebook page generates followers and many of them becomes subscribers to your database.
At this point, it is also important to understand why you should have people subscribe to your database; while you can already interact with them over social media.
Well, in email marketing, you interact with people directly. Once you send a message, they can reach it on any electronic device they have. But on social media, it is far less likely to be encountered by a follower. First of all, they need to open the application or the web page. Secondly, even if they do, they would need to spend some time to encounter your posts. Thirdly, the length of time for this encounter depends on the personal interest algorithms of these people. Researchers say, only 5% of your followers see what you post on your Facebook page.
Make Offers that Require Subscription
Social media is a good place to start contests and offer deals. You can ask for subscription for participation.
Create a YouTube Page and Add Subscription Buttons
Just like a blog page, YouTube pages can be a good source for making indirect advertisements via creative content. YouTube allows you to add buttons on your videos; so you can generate new subscriptions from YouTube, as well.
Things to Do via Your Web-Site
Add Accessible Subscription Buttons to Each and Every Page
Many web-sites have subscription buttons only on the front page; but it may be any page on your web-site that convinces a visitor to subscribe to your database. So, making subscription buttons accessible on each and every page is important. People don’t spend time to search for your web form; unless you make it visible.
Embed pop-ups that Wouldn’t Annoy People
Embedding pop-ups for easy and fast subscription is a good idea; however, you need to do it in a way that wouldn’t irritate people and simply close your web-site. The pop-up may come after a certain time period on a page; so that people can first have the information that they are looking for. Also, make sure that closing the pop-up is easy.
Create a Subscription-Based Forum
This method may change depending on the nature of your business. But if there is something to discuss and share regarding what you do, creating a forum page would generate many subscriptions to your database.
Things to Do via Partnerships and Affiliations
Make Promotions on Your Affiliate’s Web-site
Affiliate marketing can help lead increased subscriptions. By defining a working target group, you can establish affiliations and embed your advertisements on certain pages to receive your target group’s contact information.
Join and Start Projects with Partnerships
Of course, you don’t do this simply for having new subscribers; but keep in mind that projects like webinars, contests etc. are actually good opportunities to enhance your email marketing by having new subscriptions.
