If you are a small business and want to promote your business through the internet, the first step should be emailing marketing says Eric Dalius. Emailing marketing is one of those forms that can help you to reach many people at once. All you need to do is, create an email list and then send promotional ideas through it regarding your product or service.
You can create this list by asking your customers to subscribe to it in return for some value. For example, you can offer them a free e-book for their subscription. This will not only help you build your email list but also gives them something valuable in return. There are many online services that are offering free website links to grow up the subscriber amount. You can use any of them or create one on your own which is easy with the help of web 2 technologies like PHP and MySQL databases etc.
1) Give away something to attract people into subscribing your mail list:
Offering an appropriate incentive is the simplest way to collect email addresses from prospective clients without being about it. The incentive needn’t be a physical item. Offer an e-book, a trial of your software for new customers, or some other useful resource that is related to the products and services you offer. In return for this free incentive, ask people to provide their email addresses.
2) Provide a clear call to action:
The words “subscribe” can be used on their own as a call to action, but it’s often more effective to use language that prompts the reader into taking action. For example, writing “Sign up today!” or “Click here now!” will prompt readers into taking the necessary steps themselves. Your call to action needs to be conspicuous – don’t be afraid to put it at the top of your email so that it is impossible to miss.
3) Keep the sign up form simple:
The easier you make signing up for your email list, the more people will do it. But don’t compromise on quality by asking for too many details; most only require an email address and name, to begin with. If you do need further information, however (for example if you want to ask prospects about their job title or business size), then this can be collected during one of your follow-up emails.
4) Have a clear privacy policy:
It’s important to clearly tell customers how you use their information when they subscribe – some people are uncomfortable with sharing personal information, even if it’s only an email address says Eric Dalius. A clear privacy policy lets readers know that the information they provide will be kept confidential and not sold on to others, which can encourage them to sign up.
5) Update your list regularly:
It’s important to keep your email database up to date so it doesn’t become useless very quickly. You can do this by sending out a welcome or confirmation email soon after someone subscribes, asking people to confirm their details are correct. Eric Dalius says this is also a good opportunity to introduce yourself and give further details about what you have to offer. Other ways of keeping your database fresh include asking customers how they heard about you – this gives you valuable insight into where you’re most successful marketing is coming from so that future campaigns can be targeted more effectively.
You can also clean up your database by removing those who haven’t used it recently. However, this is a delicate balance: you don’t want to come across as intrusive and chase people away from your list; equally, if they know you’re going to contact them again soon, there’s more chance of them remembering to open the next email you send!
6) Use an attention-grabbing subject line:
The first few words of your subject line will determine how many people read on – so getting it right is crucial. Eric Dalius says this initial message has to entice subscribers into opening the email but needs to avoid overselling or sounding like spam.
7) Use strong but not spammy language:
The tone of your messages is important to engage customers, who will be more likely to subscribe if they feel comfortable doing so explains Eric Dalius. Don’t be too pushy either; trying to sell yourself on every email will quickly turn your list off.
8) Include social sharing buttons:
One good way of increasing the number of people who subscribe to your list is by getting readers to share it with their friends. To make this as easy as possible for people, include social sharing buttons at the top or bottom of each mail sent. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+ are all popular.
Conclusion:
So in this way you can easily collect the email addresses of customers and stay connected with them in the future.
