Frustrating news – sorry! A businesses e-mail address list will degrade by about 20% each year. Here’s some ideas on how you can continue to grow your mail list. The idea – gain addresses faster than losing.
- Keep making valuable e-mail campaigns!
SIGN UP FORMS – PHYSICAL AND ONLINE
- Keep your newsletter sign up form as simple as possible. One field is best – just ask for e-mail address. Once you start asking for first name, last name, phone number, etc, you lose people quickly.
- Add a lightbox popup with address list sign-up form to your web site.
- Have a physical sign-up sheet – in-house/store – and at every event you attend. Be sure it clearly states you value privacy and do not share addresses.
- On your online and physical sign-up forms, be sure to note the value of being on the list: exclusive mail-list-only offers, useful information, event invites, tips, etc. Even better, create copy to be used in landing pages, postcards, blog posts, actually any print or on-line marketing, listing the top ten reasons to sign up for your mailing list.
- Make sure a newsletter sign-up is on every page of your site – easy to see and complete. Don’t skip ad landing pages and your blog pages.
- Add a note to your online sign-up form: “Join the XX subscribers who already enjoy this newsletter”. Show that they will be part of the crowd.
WAYS TO GET YOUR SIGN-UP FORM UNDER THEIR NOSES!
- Have a contest with a fabulous prize – worth signing up for a mailing list to enter.
- Have a single database for addresses and make sure your staff knows how to use it.
- Host an event and be sure you have your mail list sign-up sheet well-displayed.
- Send a snail-mail postcard specific to opt-ins.
- Host an on-line webinar for which registration requires an address list sign-up.
- Create something people will be interested in seeing. For example, for our client SkinSpirit we made this recipe ebook and required an e-mail before the visitor could see it. Your give-away could be tips, information (for example, a BMI calculator), or a white paper. Promote these on social media.
- Consider paid advertising for your list or re-marketing specific to address list sign up.
- Add a link to a newsletter sign-up page on Facebook.
- Include call-to-action in videos posted to YouTube and in your YouTube Channel.
- Put a fishbowl on your counter and encourage clients to drop in a biz card or slip of paper – once a month drawing. All entrants are added to mail list.
- Give a free birthday service to the people on your mailing list.
- Get your employees involved – he or she who collects the most e-mails gets a bonus.
- Do a give-away (discount, gift basket) for all new list sign ups over a week (month, whatever works for you.)
- Work with your staff to provide a script for getting people to sign up. Be sure they are aware of incentives to signing up and can offer them on the spot with a hand-written sign-up form, or a database they can add to.