Did you know that roughly 91% of people log onto their email accounts on a daily basis? This significant figure explains why email marketing ranks so high (3rd place) when it comes to the best way to generate leads for marketers. They’re responsible for approximately 13% of leads generated.
Clearly, if you want to succeed in the business world, it’s essential that you accrue and maintain email contacts. Here are a few things you can do to get started:
1. Take Advantage of Sign-up Forms
By putting a basic sign-up form on your business’s social media page, you can give your fans an easy way to become subscribers to your email list. Simply go to the upper right corner of your Facebook page and designate a tab that people can click to get to your sign-up form. Be sure to make this noticeable with a call to action and an image so viewers will be enticed to subscribe.
Several different apps are available to implement this form on your page, such as iContact’s Facebook app, Constant Contact Facebook app and MailChimp’s Facebook signup app.
2. Use Social Pages to Offer Previews of Your Content
Entice people to sign up for your email lists by offering them access to exclusive content in exchange for signing up. Think about what your company has to offer in terms of infographics, white papers, content rich articles and eBooks, then put a gate around each piece of content with a landing page for your email sign-up form. This way, you can cultivate subscribers from the content you offer.
Start sharing, posting and tweeting your exclusive content on networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+. You can raise awareness, promote interest and drive traffic to your landing pages. Be brief with your posts and updates, using copy that intrigues and informs your audience.
3. Reward People Who Sign Up for Newsletters and Emails
Consider offering discounts to those who become your subscribers. Or, instead of a discount, you could also offer coupons, a free product sample or a sincere thank you- anything that will make your target audience want to become subscribers. Just make sure that the reward you’re offering is noticeable and attention grabbing with large bold font, colorful images and clear calls to action.
4. Collect Subscribers Through Webinars
You can portray your business as down to earth and approachable by holding a webinar. A webinar will have someone from your company presents on a topic that’s relevant and interesting to your audience. If you’re using Google hangouts to host your webinar, you should provide links to content that has the sign-up page landing form. This will accrue email addresses from the webinar.
If you aren’t using Google hangouts and you’re instead relying on a program such as GoToWebinar, Any Meeting, Join.Me or Ready Talk to hold your webinar, you will probably find that viewers were required to provide their email address when they signed up to view the webinar.
5. Use Sweepstakes, Contests or Giveaways to Collect Subscribers
If you really want a great way to quickly accrue subscribers for your email list, you should consider hosting a sweepstakes, contest or giveaway. A lot of people involved in marketing hold these contests to cultivate a following on social media, but you should always make building your subscriber list one of the primary priorities of having these contests. Because Facebook’s platform can easily be customized for promotional contests, it is the most widely used of all forms of social media.
There are several apps available that you can use to manage your contest on Facebook including: Rafflecopter, North Social, Votigo, Fanappz, Strutta and many more. Whatever app you choose, be sure that it has your participants entering the contest through a sign up form, that way you’ll have access to their email addresses.
6. Maintaining Your Email Contacts
Once you have a solid collection of email contacts, the next step is to make sure you maintain them. Here are some effective ways you can do that:
7. Show Appreciation
Anytime someone in your group of email contacts performs a nice gesture, such as sharing or re-tweeting a post or tweet, you should show them you appreciate their thoughtfulness by sending an email to say thanks.
8. Pay It Forward
You know that old saying that what goes around comes around? Well in the business world, it’s true. If you want to use the people in your business to help you generate business, look for any opportunity you have to send clients and referrals to them as well.
Also, instead of always thinking about what other people can do for you, spend some time thinking about ways you can help them out. Send them an article with useful information that you found online, a link to a blog post they might find interesting or help them network with someone you know who would be a worthwhile connection for them. Do good and you’ll feel good. It’s that simple.
9. Remember to Reconnect
If you haven’t reached out to your contacts in a while, take a little time to reconnect with them. Find out how they’re doing and what’s happening in their lives. Showing people that you care goes a long way in maintaining a relationship with them.
10. Get Feedback
Ask your contacts for feedback on products and services you offer. What’s useful to them? What isn’t? What do they like? What could be improved? Asking these questions will not only make them feel appreciated, but it will also provide you with the valuable insight you need to make your products and services even better.
11. Be Personal
Everyone likes to feel special and unique, and that includes your email contacts. Customize your messages so that they’re tailored to each person’s individual needs. Use their name as much as you can. Obviously, this isn’t possible in every situation, but if you do it when opportunities arise, it can be a very effective way to maintain a relationship with your contacts.
Building and maintaining email contact lists might sound like a daunting task, but it’s really not.Put the aforementioned steps into action today. You’ll have a set of contacts that will make all the other companies jealous.
Courtney Gordner is a passionate blogger, freelance writer and career driven young woman.
Image Credit: www.benchmarkemail.com
