Marketing by email is still one of the best marketing activities in which you can invest. But it's no good if you have no list. A targeted email list of people who are legitimately interested in what you do is well worth the investment, but should you buy or build it?

The first rule of thumb when creating an email list is: do it yourself.

Ideas for Building Your Email List
Buying or renting email lists is never as effective as building your own. A well-devised list-building strategy will attract your target audience and assure that you get the best return possible from each email marketing message you send.

Here are some ideas which will enable you to grow a responsive group of contacts.

Sign-Up Buttons
Put a big button with an attractive, eye-catching design on every page of your website, including the home page. Make sure it's above the fold and easy to see. Putting it on every single page ensures that even customers who are linked to a page other than the Home page will be enticed to sign up.

You may even wish to include the newsletter sign up form on all your website pages, making it even easier for them to subscribe from anywhere on your website.

Incentivise
Offer incentives to sign up for the newsletter – if it fits, even put one on that big shiny button you just created. People respond to the word 'free'.

Keep it Short and Simple
Asking for an email address may the simplest way to solicit sign-ups, but it's worth asking for a few more details, as well. Just don't ask for too much, and make sure its relevance shows an obvious benefit to your customer. For example, asking where your customer lives can seem off-putting, but asking whether you can provide them with news on local sales or events gives them a good reason to tell you their hometown.

Existing Customers
Sign customers up for emails when they make a purchase. A lot of companies ask for emails as a matter of course, and many customers give their contact details without thinking twice when it's done with a view toward being kept informed.

Publish Your Privacy Policy
Publishing your privacy policy on your website, then making reference to it in your newsletter subscription form, shows that you have nothing to hide and instantly builds trust with your new contacts.

Get Referrals
Adding a 'Refer a Friend' link to every email gives your customers a little nudge toward involving other interested people. Referrals also have the added benefit of being one of the best ways to gain conversions.

Many factors may affect the speed of your email list growth, such as the strength of your offer or the aggressiveness of your marketing campaign but, whether fast or slow, it is time well-spent, ensuring you many resulting opportunities to get your message out. If you want help in building your own email list please contact us.