Email Marketing solutions

How To Build An E-mail Marketing List

With the Internet growing into one of the largest and the most economical marketing tool it is no wonder everyone who is selling something (and everyone we meet on the net usually is) is looking for a way to make an inexhaustible e-mail marketing list.

Though it is good to have a few thousand people on your e-mail marketing list to reach out to them through your news letter or some update of your site, there is something called 'online etiquette' that applies to internet marketing as well. There is a little secret that few people know, or follow, about building an e-mail marketing list - it is imperative to the success of your internet marketing program - do you want to know what this secret is? Sure you do!

Well here it is - people like to be 'ASKED' if they may be added to an e-mail list. This is the first imperative step to building a successful e-mail marketing list and is called 'opt-in e-mail marketing. NEVER trick a visitor into giving his or her e-mail address.

Start by asking people to join your e-mail list (or rather it would be WISE of you to ask them to join). It is actually up to you. So how do you go about asking them to join? Well to begin with you should have something on the first page, or landing page, that offers your visitors an incentive to fill in their name and email address. This form should be very clear that they will be getting a newsletter, say fortnightly or monthly, if they fill in the form. This is the best way that will keep people on the list.

Here is a sure-shot e-mail list building recipe:

1. Always take your visitor's permission to add them to your e-mail marketing list.
2. Thank the visitors for the email addresses you get on your list.
3. Know that the customers on your E-mail marketing list really want to hear from you and will respond when you email them.

Remember to:
· Offer your visitors an incentive to get their email address. Some ideas of incentives include: a free report or guide, entry into a contest, product demo or samples, a complimentary consultation, etc.
· Provide valuable content on your site. Offer tips and advice for the customer along side your marketing message to keep it from looking like 'trap' for an e-mail. If the visitor is interested he will want to know more and will sign up.
· Ask for valuable marketing data on the sign-up form. Pick only one or two things to keep the registration process short and easy. What data could really help you with your marketing? Knowing their gender, age, location, interests?

Remember Not To:
· Sell or give away your e-mail list.
· Fill up their inbox with messages. Keep to a monthly or weekly schedule at most.
· Bog your message down with lots of advertising. It will quickly be deleted.