@rich-brooks I think perhaps the best way to build a decent email list is to make it a part of the brand’s eco-system online strategy. That is, email is a component as important, if not more, than your Facebook page, your Twitter, G+ or LinkedIn accounts, your blog and your website.

Cross-referencing content from your various channels as part of an integrated content strategy allows folks who are fans of Facebook page to discover content from your email newsletter, or Twitter followers to be redirected to a recent blog post. This will create organic growth for your email list, without having to blast to third parties or worse yet, buy lists * sound of shattered glass! *

I would also ensure a company’s touch points already take email addresses when applicable, i.e. hotel front desk asking customers, in down time, or retailers doing likewise with customers.

Baiting with exclusive content, as you suggest, is a great way to increase a database. Doing so with contests and give-aways, less so. It’s OK if done strategically and talking to a base of potential clients, but I would stay clear of these techniques that, used repetitively, draw contest-seekers more than genuine potential clients.

@rich-brooks Successful email marketing hinges on three main challenges: finding your customers, getting them to opt-in, and keeping them opted-in after that. With so much competi­tion in your customers’ inboxes, achieving these three things is a major success.

How you build your email list is not without challenges. Some organisations choose to buy data, but this can be very risky. There have been many instances where data com­panies have shut down one day, just to re-appear as another the next.

If you are going to buy data make sure you are dealing with a reputable company, or you could be left with no recourse if the data turns out to be faulty. The emphasis is on you to obtain binding assurances that the data is opted-in. If you are familiar with the source and have absolute trust in the provider that’s one thing, but if not, just don’t do it.

It is far better to build your own subscriber list. Most organisations should start with their existing customer base. Indeed, you should probably consider treating existing customers in a different way to new prospects.

Use your social media channels to promote the benefits of opting in to your emails, and use referral schemes as well as your offline marketing (for example, publicis­ing your e-newsletter at the bottom of an advert). Essentially, you need to promote opt-in at every available touch point.

It all takes time and don’t believe those who try to sell you a quick, cheap fix. “Data is the new oil’ they say. Well, can you think of any instances where getting oil was cheap and easy? At the risk of labouring the point, ‘Drill your own well’.

How you get people to opt in to receive your emails, of course, is another challenge altogether. Smart businesses implement an opt-in strategy in order to build their email lists. There are two main opt-in methods:

Single opt-in: recipients are added to the list after filling out a form online or sending an email. A benefit of this approach is the minimal effort required increasing the probability of acquiring the subscription. The downside is the lack of a confirmation of intent and the opportunity to check the validity of the request.

Double opt-in: where you ask recipients to confirm their subscription, usually by clicking on a link in an email automatically sent to their inbox after they first register, is considered ‘best practice’, and is essential if you are a B2C marketer. This approach also provides the opportunity to reinforce the benefits of subscription and even promote an exclusive sign-up benefit.

To encourage opt-ins you will need to clearly communicate the value of the information that your emails will impart. For example you may choose to offer email only special offers, you could promise to provide hints and tips on how to do something better or offer useful analysis or commentary on matters that impact your readers lives.

It is a good idea to give a sense of what a subscriber might expect to receive including frequency, content and options to segment messages by a series of options available to them.

That’s my two cents worth.
Have a nice day!

@rich-brooks Interesting to read all of the statements above. Especially the initial question, thanks! 

In my experience the email marketing tends to become more and more kind of the lumbering part of online communication. Simply because of the lack of response. To many people, it seems, clicking on that answer button, sitting in front of that blank white message window and filling it with some decent lines becomes less attractive then just liking a post or one-click-retweet.

To be more precise, some year ago we built a news network website for a customer who until then ran a simple news channel on his website. That channel generated alot of interest and buzz, so they decided to migrate that channel into an own news website, transfer the email list to that new system and introduce a whole new email newsletter scheme, discontinuing the old newsletter.

In a nutshell: The people did not react to all of that at all. The list remained stable, no discomfort was expressed – no comfort either. The customer tried to foster things by adding some bonus value, nothing. Even the website traffic remained stable, after the initial “all is new” – days. 

But – the very day that customer introduced a FB fanpage, things started to move quite quickly. Traffic grew by 20%, people started to discuss the revamped news system, what, by the way, they were asked to do when mailing the upcoming changes.

I know, content rules and all, but maybe sometimes the target audience decides more about what technique to choose than we as content providers? Or is it just the lack of “that” perfect solution?

@rich-brooks, can you link out to the articles you mention?  Also, I am curious to know your opinion on good tools for opt-ins, particularly if they integrate with your email marketing systems.  A lot of us are small, so the cost (inital and recurring) is important as well.

Great topic and lots of learning. Glad I joined this club.

Janardhan

Depends on the company but I have one client that offers up a series of reports and also lists the “Free Reports” in the navigation bar – the subscribe rates are extremely high.  The reports are also nice as they provide an additional opportunity to once again display knowledge for their niche.  

@ @rich-brooks  we love email…our e mail database  is   very  valuable to us….  3500  people….  we go for   quality not  quantity….ours is  from customers  in the store mainly…we have a drawing in store  2  times a yr and  get their emails  that way, also  at the  counter we   have a place where they can sign up..they  can also  sign up on  our  website….customers  want to be on it   so they know  whats  going on  at the store… 

.. we  dont over do it,  but send out a newsletter monthly and  also use it for our  4  annual  events….this  kind of database is  so  useful…and  we keep at it..we dont  go  for   big  sign up  efforts,  it happens  pretty organically  here…they are interested in the   store…

we are having one of our events   this weekend a nd  our database and  facebook  have   basically  replaced   the  5 or 600$$ that we used to spend in newspaper ads….we are on pace to  have over  1000 people in the store over the  4  days of our   event[february sale]  thru our internet efforts and a post card….  and the  fact  that they like  the event…and were probably at it last yr…i wouldnt  try it  but  think  we  could   give up the post card, which  costs us   a whole  lot…  …

as a business user of  social media,for instance  i  really  like grandma mary…but i  dont need  emails also from her…i get   what i need  thru  her facebook….i get so  many   social and web emails and most of them  are in  my spam  filter.or i unsubscribe  …so maybe   better efforts would be to build a good  facebook  following with a  website behind it….also  how about aiming  more   towards  your local area?