2. Subject Lines that Get Emails Opened
3. Defining Your Business Website Goals
Latest News > October 2007
Why You Should Build Your Own Email List
By CHITS UK
When we receive offers in our email inbox telling us about ways to make lots of money with very little effort, we’re justifiably skeptical. After all, if it were so easy, everyone would be doing it, right?
And yet, the temptation to cut corners in our business practices remains strong. For example, the easiest way to build up an email marketing list is to buy the list from one of the many companies offering to sell contacts. However, the fastest and easiest way is usually not the best.
Boost Your Marketing Power with an In-House Email Marketing List
When you simply purchase an email list, you are pushing your marketing message to people who have no previous relationship with your company. The chance of your marketing message being read at all, or of those readers responding positively, is slim to none. People are so overwhelmed by advertising messages that they will simply delete or ignore advertising they are unfamiliar with. Think about your own email reading habits – do you ever open a piece of advertising email, and think, “Hey, that’s just what I happened to need right now!”, then make a purchase?
This is why it’s worth the extra time and effort to build up your own email marketing list. Your in-house email marketing list builds on the work you have done with your Search Engine Marketing and your website content to generate enthusiasm and build trust among people who are already interested in your products and services. The advantages of an in-house mailing list include:
- Those who sign up to the list are excited enough about your offerings to want to learn more about them, which means the list has a much higher conversion rate than one you purchase from another company.
- Because you know more about the traffic you generate, you can compose emails to be more appealing to readers.
- You have far less risk of being identified as a spammer.
- You have full control over the email list, which means you can be sure people are properly unsubscribed and that the list is accurate.
- Save money – instead of paying another company for leads, you’ll generate them yourself. Your only cost will be the value of any incentives you offer.
So how can you quickly build up a good in-house mailing list? Some great ideas include:
- Build Your Reputation. If you create a truly useful, informative newsletter, people are going to tell their friends and acquaintances about it, which will grow your list naturally.
- Make it Easy to Get Referrals. To help your newsletter spread virally, remind your readers to share it with their friends, and make it easy to do so with a ‘forward-to-a-friend’ link.
- Offer an Incentive. People who are on the fence about whether to sign up for your newsletter may need an incentive to go ahead and join the list. You can offer a monthly giveaway on your newsletter, a free download, or an informative white paper to entice people to join your mailing list.
- Show the Benefits. Making older copies of your newsletter available online can help site visitors decide whether it’s worthwhile to sign up for your list.
Creating an in-house mailing list takes a little more time and effort than purchasing a mailing list from another company, but the benefits to your company can be enormous. If you would like to evaluate the effectiveness of your email marketing activities, or wish to create your own email marketing strategy, please call 02082382401 or send us an enquiry.
