Email list building is an important part of your inbound marketing effort. Even with all of the new marketing channels, the importance of building a quality list of interested subscribers is as strong as ever. In fact, according to Smart Insights State of Email Marketing Infographic, over 50% of marketers rate email marketing more effective than other marketing channels.
Email marketing and marketing automation are terms that are used somewhat interchangeably, causing confusion for small businesses who are trying to decide which solution they need. This confusion stems from the fact that both solutions are based on using email as a primary way to communicate with your leads in the hope that some leads will convert into customers.
Providing valuable lead magnets as part of your inbound marketing activities can maximize the number of targeted leads you get for your offer by providing an incentive for them to sign up. But how many sign up forms have you seen that simply ask you to “sign up” to receive their email updates?
People understand the value of having an in-house email list, but many small businesses haven’t started building their list or planning their email marketing strategy. Remember that there are only two things a business owns in the online world – your website and your email list. All other instances of your brand – social media profiles or business listings – are rental space. At any time and for any reason, these can disappear.
I get my ideas for blog posts based on conversations I have with clients. I would never have thought to write about why it is important to grow your email list in this era of online marketing. I was amazed by how many small business owners still question why they need to build an email list.
Feathers seem to have been ruffled by the appearance of the new Gmail Tabs and the automatic filtering of messages bound for your inbox. Popular opinion seems to be that if you send an email newsletter, it will end up in the Promotions category (tab) and therefore, people won’t see it.
For the small business owner, it is always a pleasure to find useful tools that help you better market your business. It’s even more of a pleasure to find one that offers a robust free option. MailChimp is an email marketing and list management service that is simple to use and supports many powerful features. Its mascot is a cartoon chimp that delivers humorous comments as you use the product. The “Forever Free” plan includes up to 2000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month. For most small business owners, this is more than adequate to help you incorporate email marketing into your marketing activities. There are many reviews written about MailChimp that go in to much more detail than I […]
Does your website have a signup form that looks like the following? Do you wonder why no one is signing up for your monthly eNewsletter that you work very hard to produce? You are missing an opportunity to build your email list by attracting your ideal client with an offer they can’t refuse. Your eNewsletter alone, unless it is well known or covers a topic that is compelling, is not enough. To attract people to give you something valuable – their name and email address – you must offer them something of equal or greater value. Sharing your contact information with someone you don’t know requires: Trust that you will use their information appropriately, and A need or desire that […]
This weekend, I was the subject of a spammy marketing practice. Now, call me naïve, but I always respond to people who email me for help – college students, people looking to start their own businesses and those with questions about marketing. I love to help people and legitimately spend time answering their questions. So when I got the email below, it didn’t cross my mind that this could be part of a less than reputable marketing practice. Hi there, I hope you are well and I’m sorry for bothering you…I found you online and was intrigued. I’m currently researching business opportunities/ideas with the hopes of finding something I can do from home full-time. Your business sounds interesting – could […]
