An email list is your biggest secret weapon to reaching your customers effectively. Think about it – what if social media dissolved tomorrow? You’d have no way of contacting your customers that you’ve worked hard to cultivate and turn into fans. The only recourse left is email. That’s why it’s important to have an email list. Let’s chat a little about why it’s important to have a list and a sure-fire way to gather quality addresses and build your email list today!
Email vs. Social
Your email list is the most direct link to your customers. Facebook algorithms change and posts may not get seen. Tweets will fly by. However, an email will wait for a customer in their inbox until they’re ready to open it. There isn’t that kind of guarantee on social media. To prove this point even more, a recent study by HubSpot and Eventbrite showed that, “Email is the single most effective marketing channel.”
Additionally, social media is social! Focus too hard on selling your products with a Facebook post and it’s a surefire way to turn people off. Emails on the other hand are expected to have some promotional element. This is your chance to get your new products and services in front of people who are interested in hearing about them. And according to Forbes, “Over 65% of consumers are inclined to make a purchase in association with a well planned email campaign.”
Quality vs. Quantity
We can’t emphasize this enough. Your list is representative of your customer base. You probably don’t have five million customers, so why would you expect your list to be that large as well? Take a step back and focus on cultivating a list full of people who want to hear from you. Like we mentioned when speaking about unsubscribers, it’s better to have a small list of engaged customers than a huge list of customers who don’t open your emails.
Building Your List
The easiest way to grow your email list is to talk about it. We bet your customers aren’t asking you at the register if you have a mailing list they can join. You have to tell them about it.
Show Your Customers a Benefit
The best place to find interested list-signer-uppers is in your store. When shoppers are checking out, talk to them about what they can expect when they sign up for your list. Really focus on how your customer’s lives will be enriched by joining your list. Will they receive a bi-weekly email featuring new products, tips for using your products in an unexpected way, or a special coupon on their birthday? Let them know, and then don’t forget to follow through on those promises!
Remind and Make it Easy
Finally, have email collection forms on your website and social pages, but don’t rely on your customer to do it for themselves – bring it to their attention. Schedule a facebook post with a link to your sign up form right before you have an email slated to go out. This will work as a teaser to drum up interest and may entice some customers who have FOMO (AKA: Fear Of Missing Out) to give you their email address.
Nurture these customers and treat them like VIPs. They’ve trusted you with their inbox, after all!
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