You have done your research, chosen your email software and are ready to start your email marketing campaign. One more task remains, building your email marketing list.
To build your email list you will want to make sure the list is targeted to those individuals you want to reach. It is a waste of time and possibly against the spam laws to send your marketing materials to those who have not indicated an interest in your materials or given you permission to send them your materials.
The best place to start is with your existing customers. You may already have a list of email addresses for existing customers either on your email server or on hard copy letterheads and other correspondence. Send your customers an invitation to subscribe to your email list to receive your marketing materials or newsletters. If you already have a list of email addresses the invitation can be an email with a link to opt-in or sign up for your email list to receive future marketing materials. If you don’t have email addresses you can invite customers to join your email marketing list with an old fashioned snail mail letter with the link.
You can grow your email list by providing your check-out staff and/or your telephone staff with a script to offer existing customers a chance to sign up for your email list by providing the staff with an email address.
If you attend trade shows or industry specific exhibits those are great places to collect additional addresses of individuals who are interested in receiving information about your product or service.
Add a link to your print advertising materials, invoices, letterhead and sale slips to encourage customers to sign on to your email marketing list. Maybe one of the best places to catch potential and existing customer’s attention is with a well placed sign-up box on your web page. Keep it simple and easy for folks to complete.
Once you begin to send out your email marketing materials take advantage of adding an “email this to a friend” link allowing your existing subscribers to invite others to opt-in to your email list.
There are some important legal requirements you should be aware of when you initiate your email marketing campaign.
The federal government enacted the CAN-SPAM Act in 2003. This act establishes the parameters of legitimate email marketing, and provides sanctions for those violating the terms of the Act. There are several provisions you should pay special attention to:
- Your email marketing header must contain accurate routing information like the IP address and server from which the email was sent.
- Your email subject must be specific, relevant and accurate so that your email recipients know what they are opening.
- Your business marketing email must contain a un-subscribe or opt-out link.
- Your business marketing email must include your business locations physical address.
It is advisable you check with your attorney before you begin your email marketing campaign to be sure you aware of all the legalities of using this great marketing tool without inadvertently violating the law.
Ryan is a copywriter focusing on email marketing and survey software. With a strong focus on web based software solutions including email marketing software, survey software, and other marketing & customer service applications. Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/newsletters-articles/building-an-email-marketing-list-1581283.html
