Almost every website you go to is giving away something for free in exchange for your email address. Building and nurturing and email list is an effective and low cost way to grow your small business. Here are 3 things to avoid when building your email list.
1. Not telling people exactly what they’ll be getting when they opt-in
If people get something unexpected in their email inbox, they’re more likely to unsubscribe from your list. However, if you’re very clear up front about the types of information you’ll be sending, they’ll be ready for it.
Be mindful of the types of people you’re targeting also. Some people only want to hear about special offers, whereas others want news and tips (plus special deals). If you’re clear about what you’ll be sending, people will “self-select” and you’ll naturally get the types of people you want on your list.
2. Promoting all the time
This actually depends on the type of establishment you run. If you are a restaurant, retailer, or other consumer type business, most people who subscribe to your emails are expecting so receive a discount or notification about a sale. I can honestly say, I only shop at certain places when I get an email notification about an upcoming sale. While some email lists might be purely for delivering news of specials and offers, the most successful ones also provide value. Promote offers, but just don’t do it all the time. You want people to know you’ll do some promoting, but they’ll get annoyed and possibly unsubscribe if that’s all you do.
Try alternating value-based emails with some that are purely for promoting a product. You can still have a reference to something in the P.S. of a “news” email, but that’s not viewed the same way as a “sales” email.
3. Not having a follow-up email series
The fortune is in the follow-up! You have their email, now start building a relationship. Otherwise, what was the point?
The whole purpose of building an email list is to keep in touch with your market, your prospects, and your customers. The only way to do this is through regular communication. And the easiest way to start off the relationship is to have series of automated messages which you never have to think about.
As a Constant Contact solution provider, I host monthly workshops for small business owners online and locally in Dallas. Check my calendar of events on the right side bar to find out what’s coming up. Plus as a bonus to you, download this guidebook on 60 Ways to Grow Your List. Need an email marketing program to send professional newsletters? Try Constant Contact for free.
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