If you want your local business to be a success, marketing plays a key role. There are a lot of ways to market your business, and email lists are by far one of the most effective.
Several studies have shown that email marketing delivers the most ROI. So, how exactly do you get started building an email list? Discover some simple steps to start an email list below…
Step 1: Identify your target audience
Your email list needs to be relevant, and it should include people who are actually interested in your business. This means, you need to identify your target audience.
Learn everything you can about your target audience. What are their age and demographics? What goals do they have and what challenges do they face? These are just some of the questions you need to be asking.
Only once you have a good idea of who your audience is, should you begin compiling an email list.
Step 2: Invest in a good email marketing provider
Email marketing may be effective, but it’s also a lot of hard work. Therefore, it’s going to help if you have a good email marketing provider.
You’ll find a lot of email marketing providers to choose from. One of the best is MailChimp, which is free to use if you have up to 2,000 subscribers. You’ll find some great tutorials online if you are unsure what it is and how it works.
With an email marketing provider, you’ll be able to automate your emails, saving you a lot of time and effort.
Step 3: Add an opt-in form to your website
Due to data laws, you can’t just start emailing people without their permission. This means you are going to need them to sign up to your email list.
The best way to build up your email list is to add an opt-in form to your website. This is displayed on the homepage, encouraging visitors to share their email address in order to receive regular news or offers.
You can add an incentive to get more people to subscribe. Many businesses provide useful tips and advice in their emails about problems their audience has.
Step 4: Write some newsletters in advance
Once you have a list, you’re going to need to have content ready to send. Writing newsletters can take a lot of time, so try and get some compiled in advance ready to go.
To get ideas for content, use keyword research tools. These will give you an idea of which topics in your industry are popular right now. Try and get at least a month ahead if you can.
Step 5: Create a freebie
Getting people to sign up to your email list can be tough. That’s why many local businesses offer some kind of freebie to entice visitors to leave their email.
A freebie can be anything your audience would find valuable. For example, it could be an eBook offering advice on a common problem they face. You could also offer a guide of some kind, or a cheat sheet.
You could also offer a discount on your products and services. Think about the type of freebies your audience are more likely to enjoy. Then, offer them it as an incentive for signing up to your email list.
You can advertise your freebie through social media, in your blog, in groups and on relevant forums. You will need to market the freebie if you want it to be a success.
Step 6: Create an Autoresponder
You aren’t always going to be able to answer each new sign-up personally. For this reason, it’s a good idea to set up an autoresponder. That is, an automatic message that welcomes new subscribers.
Each time you get a new sign-up, they will be sent your automatic message, thanking them. The message should also tell them what to expect as a member of your list.
There are a lot of tools that can help with this, so be sure to research the best ones prior to choosing one.
If you follow these six steps, you’ll be well on your way to developing an effective email list. Remember, you can’t just send emails to potential customers without getting their approval. This means you should never pay for an email list. Instead, you need to take the time and effort to build one.