It's one of the number one questions we get asked, "How do I get a bigger email list?" It's a loaded question and the answer for us is simple, "It depends!" I know it sounds like a bit of a cop out, but here I've attempted to give 5 (hopefully new) ideas to help you grow your list.
1. Include a registration form on your site - If you haven't already done so and you have a website, immediately put a sign-up form on your site. VerticalResponse gives ours away for free and there are no limits or charges for how many email addresses you can have on your list. In fact, you may want to have multiple forms on your site if you want to track where people are signing up. We recommend that you put a link or the actual email address sign-up box on as many pages as possible within your site.
Try not to ask too much of your recipients, only what you need, then once you establish more of a relationship with them you can find out more about them.
2. Got an offline business? Ask for the email! - Do you have a physical location that your customers come to? There are a number of ways to capture email addresses. You can put up a fishbowl to collect business cards and give something of value free. You can have a sign up book on your counter asking people to sign up for special offers. Then once per week you can enter them into your contact management system. If a fishbowl isn't your thing, check out Displays 2 Go for some ideas on other counter top boxes.
3. Do you sell online? After your customer has purchased from you, why not direct them to a page that hosts your sign-up form? They've just had a great experience purchasing from you, they'll be sure to want to hear from you via email with special offers.
4. Pop-up windows - When someone leaves your site, why not try a pop-up window as they're leaving asking them to sign up for your offers or newsletter? You'd be amazed how many people will actually give their information to you on their way out if it's compelling. Remember though, if users have pop-up blockers activated in their browsers, they won't see your sign up form.
5. Leverage other websites - Contact other sites where your target audience may be visiting. Then ask to partner with them to include your email marketing newsletter sign up in their communications and you can do the same with the partnering site. Both of you collectively can grow your newsletters together!
Hope I've sparked some new ideas for you to grow your email list. Anyone have other ideas? Love to hear them!
What a fantastic blog!!
I loved how detailed each of the entries were.
They were well balanced - fun and informative - and the pictures were great too.
Posted by: John Redford | August 17, 2008 at 03:13 PM
To Jase - The beauty of the web is that you can test everything. If a pop-up window annoys visitors you can remove it. However if what you gain from growing your list is far better than what you lose you might decide to keep it.
Pop-up windows aren't for everyone. One test would be to put an exit pop-up on a landing page where you direct visitors to from advertising you spend money on. If your visitor leaves without one last prompt for their information, you've lost out not only on your ad spend but also a potential customer. We've had some great success with this ourselves.
*Note* - Google does not allow for exit pop-ups on any Google specific landing pages you direct visitors to.
Posted by: Janine | June 22, 2006 at 10:02 AM
I can't believe you'd advocate the use of exit popups. Sounds like a sure-fire way to annoy and alienate your potential customers.
Posted by: Jase | June 22, 2006 at 09:50 AM
To help build our opt in list for our free semi-monthly Sales Training newsletter, we partner with several companies with the same target market. A brief text description/link is added to the newsletter for each partner giving us free exposure based on the size of the subscription list.
Posted by: Sales Training | June 19, 2006 at 08:51 AM
As a "newbie" to the whole ezine angle of marketing I really appreciate tips like these. Thanks much!!
Posted by: Scott | June 16, 2006 at 12:15 PM
Hi Janine - The important thing to consider is what you would personally want to sign up for and how suspicious your mind is! People do not want to be bombarded with emails but also would not want to miss out on an opportunity. So entice them with an opportunity of free offers and special offers. Temptation is the key! Regards John
Posted by: John Bastin | June 16, 2006 at 01:03 AM
Hi Janine - I have another spin on the fishbowl idea. we get all of our e-mail addresses from our guests as they complete a Comment Card inside the cafe or Upstairs in our wine bar. They complete as much information on the comment card as they want but many folks gladly give us their e-mail address. We also have bounce back gift certificates we hand out 2x's a year that we ask the guest to complete some personal information including e-mail address - many do automatically. We still need to get an opt in form directly on the website though! take care, Terry
Posted by: Terry Krull | June 15, 2006 at 02:29 PM
Excellent suggestions, as always, from VerticalResponse.
Consumers rely on the Internet, second only to TV, for making buying decisions. Therefore, more and more small to medium sized retail businesses (SEMs) are becoming cognizant of their need to use the Internet and permission based marketing for customer retention and brand loyalty to remain competitive.
However, the rub, as pointed out so succinctly by your many inquiries on how to collect email addresses, is the front end of any permission-based email marketing program.
As we all know in this age of rampant spam, consumers are reticent to give out their email address without either a having a trusting relationship with the requester and/or being offered something of true value that overcomes their hesitation to part with their email address.
Fortunately, there is a four year old, debt free, Better Business Bureau A rated, direct sales company that has a simple, effective, high tech and affordable solution to demographic data base gathering. Their $100 per month program fits seamlessly (no additional software, people or equipment) with all presently in place media endeavors and can quickly grow a relevant permission based database.
In a nut shell, retail enterprises can offer their customers and prospects worldwide, VoIP (Voice Over Internet), local and long distance calling in the form of a downloadable, desktop installed, merchant branded dialer delivered from the retailer’s web site. The dialer and worldwide calling is absolutely Free to the customer/prospect with no strings attached.
It’s a simple trade between a trusted merchant and an interested customer or prospect. The interested customer or prospect receives useful, and money saving, free local and long distance calling from his/her computer desktop and the merchant receives demographics and permission to reconnect with the customer and/or prospect with informative newsletters, special offers and coupons.
While no system is going bat 1000%, with exposure of the dialer offer to 100% of a merchant’s monthly customer and prospect traffic, the merchant will likely capture the email addresses of 10% to 20% of store and web site traffic per month -- compounded. Those results would certainly allow the retail merchant to be seriously into profit enhancing, permission based, relationship marketing in short order.
I hope your SME readers find this blog informative.
Sincerely,
Arthur L Pepperman II, Marketing Consultant
http://desktop-branding.com.
800-381-9827
Posted by: Arthur L Pepperman II | June 15, 2006 at 12:13 PM
For Dave, the free web form link is below. I also changed it on the post.
http://www.verticalresponse.com/products/list_building.html
Posted by: Janine | June 15, 2006 at 12:05 PM
This kind of short tip list via email is a really helpful feature (and good example of effective marketing) -- FSBOService.net is new to VR and don't know if you've been sending stuff like this for a while, but really appreciate it and found it useful/valuable.
Look forward to reading the archives, getting more email tips and learning new stuff.
Keep up the good work and Thanks!
Posted by: FSBOService.net | June 15, 2006 at 11:24 AM
These are all great ideas. We also offer the checkbox for our newsletters and catalogs on the order page of our website. Take care.
Posted by: Cliff | June 15, 2006 at 11:15 AM
Can't find your free sign-up form. Using the link is of no good as the new page does not contain any reference to the form. So, where is it?
Posted by: Dave Fliger | June 15, 2006 at 11:02 AM