Your mailing list is almost like a collection of your customers that value your brand or are potential prospects you will eventually want to keep as committed clients.  It can potentially become your most personable method of reaching out to who you want with exclusive offers, promotions, newsletters, and other outreach programs.  But how do you actually go about growing your mailing list?  Here are some different ways we’ve seen success in the past.

    • Drawings (online and offline) –  We had one client that used to set up a booth at local events such as chili cook-offs and beer fests, but this is applicable for trade-shows and conferences.  Simply giving away a 50 dollar gift card can garner hundreds of slips with email.  Not into the drawings?  You can request info in exchange for other popular items like pens, notepads, and other popular office commodities. As far as this goes online, this works well through social like Facebook.  Dedicated landing pages on your business page can collect e-mails and you can even take another step with it becoming viral and engaging by offering more “entries” into the contest if you share with friends.
    • Sign Up on a Website – Entice visitors to belong to your mailing list by presenting a call to action and something they can receive for free (say, a freemium?) If you have a product that has a free trial, the email can easily be put into your mailing list for later use.  On searchengineland.com, they have a simple subscription.
    • Sign Up at Storefront – Have a physical location?  Think of an opportunity where you could get an e-mail, such as at a register when someone purchases an item, or with a receipt afterwards.  Think about when you go to a restaurant and they ask you to take a survey afterwards to get a discount on your next visit – the survey will likely also obtain you email.
    • Buying Lists- Yes, you can actually buy lists on sites like experian.com.  Though I’ve never personally dealt with this, it can be quite useful for niche lists but possibly a fruitless endeavor for ones that are quite broad.  When inquiring about lists, you’ll want to know how they were obtained, how old the list is, how much it will be, and what kind of refund/guarantee policy there is.  There’s nothing worse then getting a list where 25% of the emails bounce back.

Of course, these are only a few suggestions – every business has different ways of getting creative with building out a great mailing list.  Need help brainstorming?  We’d be glad to help.  Contact an expert at Market My Market today to discuss a unique plan for getting your mailing list going.