While this may seem like a no-brainer, let's get clear on the definition.
An email list is a database of email subscribers who have opted-in to receive promotional messages from your company. It's a process of exchange - in return for obtaining an email address, you provide relevant and valuable information to your subscriber. These are not just followers who follow you because they like you. What many people fail to realise is, is that an email list is gold because these are people who actually want to hear from you and you can nurture and grow an email list into happy paying customers.
People are careful with their personal information and if you consider how many websites, services and product choice there is out there, when somebody subscribes to hear from you, know that they actually want to hear from you and you have an obligation - if you want to turn your email list into an asset - to nurture and build a relationship with them.
The easiest way to build an email list is to give away 'FREE' high-value information.
Now giving away free high-value information does have a benefit – you always only give away high-value information - by means of a lead magnet, which is a digital product that is valuable, easy to consume, easy to implement and gives a result, in exchange for two things: money or personal information. With email list building, we’re focusing on information.
Lead magnets are displayed as a number of to Call-to-Action buttons on your website that prompt the user to take action.
You can also ask your audience to subscribe but you need to tell them what they're subscribing to, what they will receive and how often they will receive it - and then deliver on what you promise.
Email marketing is a powerful way to grow your business. With your email list being your biggest asset, you need to have an email management tool that helps you use that list to grow your business through attractive forms, trackable data, and simple but powerful automations. It is your direct line to your customer – there is nothing between you and they have opted-in to your subscriber list because they want to hear from you.
If you're looking to promote a product or offer, consider taking your subscriber through a conversion journey instead of just hitting with them an offer. This is where you automate a series of emails where you share valuable information such as your best blog posts, trainings, videos, webinars or your best resources that solidify your expertise and credibility before presenting your offer. This way your audience will be prepared for the next time you decide to launch a new product or service. If you only send promotional emails, you may turn off your subscribers since you haven’t taken the time to nurture the relationship.
Automation is vital. The last thing you want to be doing is sending emails manually to every subscriber. This means you have to check your email every day and then keep track of which subscriber is in what stage of the conversion journey. Trust me – this is nothing short of a nightmare to manage. Automate your emails so that you spend your time on marketing initiatives.
Consistency is key. Don’t over promise and under deliver. Do what you say you’re going to do, when you said you’ll do it.
Always lead with value. Your subscribers want to feel respected, heard, and understood in the process and this is the best way to build a relationship with them.
DO NOT flood anybody's inboxes, especially not with just sales offerings. Once you’ve lost a subscriber, it’s very difficult to get them back and you risk your brand reputation.
Another interesting fact to consider is that while social media is on the rise, email marketing far outweighs social media in generating leads, driving sales and increasing customer retention.
What you want to do is use social media to drive visitors to your website, where you use lead magnets to convert those visitors into subscribers. Invest in an email management tool to help you build relationships with your subscribers through your email marketing strategy.
