Building Your E-Newsletter List
By Anna Precht Traylor
E-newsletters are powerful tools for reaching your customers with a variety of product information and content. But simply sending to the same addresses with every edition isn’t enough; you need to keep building your list and reaching new potential customers. A large list means greater reach and improved selling potential and product exposure.
Promoting Newsletter Subscription
Too many small businesses take the time and energy to create e-newsletters and send them out to the same loyal customers every month without a second thought. Your newsletter is a product that needs your attention, and although it’s free to your customers, in order to build its success you need to sell it. Here are the fastest and easiest ways to promote your newsletter and build your list:
- Sign-up fields
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Signing up for email shouldn’t require a form; asking visitors to provide an email address is sufficient. |
Add a field on your home page for visitors to sign up for your newsletter. Although it should certainly be visible, it also needs to be brief. Signing up for email shouldn’t require a form; asking visitors to provide an email address is sufficient. You also don’t need a great amount of copy. A few simple sentences outlining the benefits of your newsletter (exclusive savings offers, informative articles, etc.) will do. In addition, add the option to subscribe in the checkout process. Once a visitor becomes a customer, you have a qualified subscriber who has shown their interest in your product or business.
- Pop-up box
Rather than placing a field alone on your home page, take a more active approach to soliciting newsletter subscriptions: pop up! A message window greeting visitors and inviting them to sign up for email can be a strong visual promotion—especially when paired with compelling creative.
- Offline business
Do customers order from your store through a brick-and-mortar store or catalog? Take the opportunity to gather email addresses (and permission to email) wherever you can.
- Email signature
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The signature file is the perfect placement for newsletter promotion. |
An email signature is the text or graphic automatically inserted by your email program at the bottom of every outgoing message. Receiving as many views as messages you send, the signature file is the perfect placement for newsletter promotion. Simply add a few sentences in invitation and a link to a sign-up page. Don’t forget to mention that it’s a free subscription!
- Make your privacy policy visible
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Show newsletter subscribers that you take protecting privacy seriously as well by posting a link to your policy near all sign-up forms. |
Privacy is a hot issue in online business, and your customers take it seriously. Show newsletter subscribers that you take protecting privacy seriously as well by posting a link to your policy near all sign-up forms. It will give them extra confidence when providing you with their contact information.
- Swap with other businesses
Get in contact with businesses whose target and product is relevant to your own. Strike up a deal whereby you promote one another’s newsletters and both of your subscription lists will benefit.
Make sure to fully review their content and products, of course, so your reputation with your customers won’t be tainted by a hasty endorsement.
Renting Email Lists
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The quickest way to access thousands of new addresses is by renting them from third-party providers. |
The quickest way to access thousands of new addresses is by renting them from third-party providers. Typically charging you 5-20 cents per message, companies such as Postmaster Direct, YesMail, and E-Target receive permission from individuals who are interested in getting messages from various types of companies, on a variety of topics. This is not a decision that you should make without thought, particularly if you choose to rent a list form a less-than-reputable service. If the names you receive have not granted permission, you risk being accused of spamming, an increasingly serious charge on businesses.
Sending to Your Newsletter
For beginners with smaller lists, the easiest thing to do is to use an email program and send your newsletter out manually. Simply paste your customers’ addresses in the BCC field to hide all their names and addresses.
If your list is larger or if you’d rather not manage all the addresses on an individual basis, consider a Web-based distribution program. Geared toward smaller lists, services such as Listhost and Revnet send out your newsletter and also offer the option of maintaining your current list, as well as adding new subscribers. The popular Web-distribution program LISTSERV is customized and is primarily for much larger subscription lists.
Start building your list today and benefit from increased traffic, improved sales, and bragging rights to circulation number that mean success. Plus, don’t forget: When your list gets big enough, you can offer an attractive placement for outside advertisers, turning your newsletter into an additional revenue generator for your business.
