How to Build Your Email List
If you are considering just buying an email list, stop right there, and don’t waste your money. Think of it this way – how often do you go to your actual, physical mailbox, and throw away a ton of unsolicited mailings from companies that are trying to sell you something that you don’t need, or have no interest in? You’re getting that garbage because someone obtained your mailing information.
It’s no different with email marketing lists that you buy. The purveyors of these lists know little or nothing about the type of customer you are trying to attract, and unwittingly, you end up spamming people (more about spam later). You send out hundreds or thousands of emails, and get little in the way of return on your investment.
Simply stated, when you buy these lists, you are getting nothing good.
People do not offer to give their email addresses if they know that they will be sold to third parties. Also, many providers of these lists do not check to make sure that the email addresses that they offer are still viable. You will end up with a ton of bounced emails, and you will also annoy the people who have no interest in your product or service. You have, in essence, bought a list of email addresses that belong to people who have not sought you out in any way. You want to engage with potential customers, not fail to engage with every Tom, Dick and Harry. You need to learn how to build your email list the right way.
Opt-in
You are going to have to devote some time to creating an opt-in list. This is a list comprised of people who are actually interested in your product or service, and have chosen to receive emails from you. So, how do you find the right customers?
First, you should start blogging. It really is true that content is king. Your blog articles are indexed by search engines, so when people that might be interested in your product or service use Google (I suppose I should say “or other search engines,” but realistically, when was the last time you Binged anything?), if you have used the right keywords, your blog will come up in the search results.
Then, you use a good CTA (Call to Action) on your blog page to drive traffic to relevant landing pages that have an enticing offer. If you’re offer is strong and appeals to the visitor, they will gladly exchange their email for something of value.
If you are a good writer, and have the time, you can handle blogging on your own. If you are unsure of your writing ability, or if you just don’t have the time to blog, you can always use the services of a good inbound marketing agency that can craft quality content for you (see next chapter for more information on effective writing).
Note: This article is an excerpt taken from The Complete Guide To Email Marketing and Marketing Automation which is available as a FREE Download by clicking the banner below.
