e-Course Day 7 Email
[DIY Marketing] 31 Ways to Build Your Mailing Database – Please Forward
Hi! We’re ready to start week 2 and day 7
of the Entrepreneurs 30-day Do-it-Yourself Marketing e-Course!
I’m looking forward to a great week ahead with some wonderful ideas
to share! So, with that, let’s continue!
Oh, and if you just signed up, you can see the course info we’ve
already covered right here:
http://www.diymarketingmonth.com/e-course-email-recap/
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“Enough organization, enough lists and we think we can control
the uncontrollable.”
– John Mankiewicz, House, The Socratic Method, 2004
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Yesterday I wrote you about the importance of getting started with,
or, at least, getting really serious about your marketing list. The
best kind of list to market to is always your house list. People that
have opted in to hear more from you based on the merit of what you
have to offer them are your best prospects.
However, prospects signing up for your list are not just going to
drop into your lap and into your database because you think they
should. On the contrary, you need to provide them with value, be it
genuine thought leading material or just a bit of ‘value-forward’
content, that will excite them enough to sign up.
Without further stalling, here’s 31 ways that you can use this week
to jumpstart or ramp up your list building efforts. This is a long
list, so I recommend holding on this email for future reference.
1. Don’t forget your web site. Put your e-mail communications
sign-up form on your homepage so people don’t have to go in search
of it. In addition, embed the sign-up opportunity on every page of
your web site. Remember, the back end after they sign-up. Initially,
ask only for the basics such as name, e-mail address, and zip code.
Anything else will make them suspicious. You are developing a
relationship, and are in the courting phase so you have to date
before you marry. Include autoresponder messages such as “thank you”
for signing up and re-confirm what they signed up for, and the
frequency of messages. You might also include “confirmation”
messages as well, to confirm the single or double-opt in mechanism
you are using.
2. “Send This Page to a Colleague” forms. Allow people the ability
to forward your communications to other people.
3. From within the “Send This Page to a Colleague” e-mails. When
that “colleague” receives the link from his friend, offer a
“subscribe directly to our newsletter” link.
4. Collateral download. Anytime anyone registers to obtain
whitepapers or other collateral off your web site, ask them to sign up
5. Links within your RFQ or RFI forms. Ask people to sign up for
your newsletter when they request info.
6. “Out of office” e-mails. Have employees pitch the newsletter or
other communications in their out of office e-mail message.
7. E-mail footers and signatures. Using a program like Tumbleweed,
you can insert marketing messages into every e-mail sent from
your company.
8. Web co-op programs. Partner with complementary sites that link
their newsletter subscription forms to yours. Respond in kind with
a subscription option for their e-newsletter on your site.
9. On-line ads soliciting subscribers. Offer an incentive such
as a whitepaper or free invitation to a webinar. Don’t forget
to match the incentive with the audience. You are trying to qualify
leads in this process, so you don’t want to lure people only
interested in the offer. Advertise only in areas where your target audience
is likely to see it.
10. Email list appending. There are many services out there that have email
addresses from subscribers who’ve opted in for promotional messages that you
can append to your ‘offline’ address base.
11. A simple subscriber e-mail address. Allow people to simply send a message
to subscribe@yourcompany.com to register.
12. Co-registration. Place a check box for your newsletter on other sites
that reach the same target market. Essentially, your subscription piggybacks
on another subscription or sign-up form somewhere else.
13. Include in your shopping cart mechanism. Include a way to opt into your
communications after a purchase has been made, or even if they look like they
are going to abandon the purchase or come back later.
14. Search engine ads. Don’t forget search engine optimization on your
subscription pages and consider running PPC ads for words relating directly
to your content.
15. Contextual advertising Place ads not only in search engines, but also on
targeted sites that offer this service.
16. Brochures. Put a simple web address for people to go for “regular updates
and information.”
17. Product registration and warranty cards. Have a check box to get the
latest product and company updates via signing up for e-communications.
18. Direct mail campaigns. Offer customers the opportunity to continue the
discussion online.
19. Catalogs. Put the newsletter subscription URL on the footer of every page.
Offer incentives and discounts via e-mail only.
20. Product packaging. Place your e-newsletter URL conspicuously on the package.
21. Trade show booths. Allow people to provide a business card in a bowl or
have a computer kiosk for them to sign up “live”.
22. Print ads. Feature the newsletter subscription URL somewhere in the ad.
23. Billing inserts. Solicit subscriptions via inserts in your monthly
billing statement.
24. Business reply cards. Be sure to include a check box and line for e-mail.
25. Promote through voice mail. Record voice mail and on hold message
announcements soliciting e-newsletter subscriptions.
26. Sales and distribution channel partners. Have them promote subscribing
as a way to stay “connected” directly to the company.
27. Provide an incentive. Offer a “bait piece” such as a white paper,
free e-book, contest entry, discount coupons, or an Internet-only special
- something that your would-be subscribers will value.
28. Make sure your Sales, Customer Service, and Field Engineers
departments are soliciting customers about your e-communications.
29. At retail POS. Make acquisition part of the checkout
Talbots is good about this.
30. Closing remarks to a customer service call, including on-line
chat. Script an e-communications subscription pitch into your call
close.
31. Don’t forget about Radio or TV broadcasting. If you use these
to drive traffic to your site, why not mention the availability of
a newsletter and position it as a value-add?
***** ACTION SUMMARY *****
1. Pick a couple of these ideas and work to implement them this week.
2. Look over the rest of the list and see what esle you can implement
in the coming days and weeks.
2. Brainstorm your own ideas on how to grow your addressable customer
database list.
***** RESOURCES *****
>> 29 Ways to Build Your House List –
http://www.marketingsavant.com/29ways
>> Email Labs – Building Permission Email Lists –
http://www.emaillabs.com/email_marketing_articles/building-email-list.html
>> ClickZ – Build Your House File
http://www.clickz.com/3548511
Well, that’s all for now! Be on the lookout for next lesson
tomorrow morning!
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If you would like to learn more about MarketingSavant’s marketing
strategy, thought leadership or social media services, where you
work directly with me to build your business through strategic
marketing, go to:
http://www.marketingsavant.com/diymarketing
I’ve created a special set of offerings just for DIY Marketing
e-course members.
And, as always… think big and market well!
Yours truly,
Dana VanDen Heuvel
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MarketingSavant(TM)
Leading Through Thought
Social Media // Thought Leadership Marketing
www.marketingsavant.com
dana@marketingsavant.com
Twitter: danavan
888-989-7771
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