Grow Your Email Marketing List

Email Marketing List Building - Back to Basics

Collecting contact information is as simple as just asking for it.

The fact is, that email marketing can help you establish andbuild relationships that will help you grow your business. But, thereare two rules you need to follow:

1. You can’t communicate if you don’t make contact.
2. Not all contacts are equal. The more information you gather about each contact, the better your chances of delivering the right message to the right person.

There’s really no mystery to how to collect contact information.

Simply ask. Most people will be glad to supply basic contact information. Just be careful not to ask for too much personal information or they may balk at answering. Start by asking for a name and an email address. That’s enough to get a contact on your list.

If the contact is in person or on the phone, you can also ask for a street address and a phone number. Additionally, you can capture contact information from a business card or an electronic communication.

Don’t get caught “spamming.” Get permission first.

When you send someone an email marketing communication and that person has not given you permission to do so, you are “spamming.” There are strict regulations against "spamming" and you never, ever want to send "spam" to anyone for any reason.

The way to avoid becoming a "spammer" is to always get permission to send your messages to the people on your list. You can ask for explicit permission – which means the person understands that an email message will be headed their way – or you can go with implicit permission which means that you have an existing business relationship with the person and that they are open to hearing from you.

You may also be interested in double opt-in Email Marketing best practices.

Motivate people to give you their contact information.

When you offer something to motivate contacts to provide their information, chances are more likely you’ll actually get what you asked for. It doesn’t have to be much, but it must have value to the person receiving it. A discount on certain products is a powerful motivator but something as simple as a downloadable white paper is also a good choice.

• Are you and your staff asking for contact information at every encounter? Why not?
• Have you ever sent an email with a marketing message to someone who might not want to have received it? Did you know it would be considered "spam"?
• What low cost but effective offer could you make to help ensure the collection of contact information and permission to communicate with them?