3 Tactics for Growing Your Email List

If you have clients and potential prospects opting out of your email list at about the identical rate new subscribers are signing up; your list has hit a glass ceiling.

The good thing is, there are elements you can correct that will raise the glass ceiling and ultimately remove it.

Everyone in the marketing business appreciates the fact that it’s easier (and more cost-effective) to hold on to an existing client(s) than to get new ones.

Following are three tactics that will enable you to keep more subscribers on your mailing list.

1. Establish Expectations

I cannot emphasize the importance of setting expectations for your subscribers enough.

The bottom line – it works.

Examine campaigns of large numbers of loyal subscribers and you will find common principles.

A critical foundation to lay from the start is to explain in a clear, easy-to-understand, yet detailed manner exactly what they will be getting from you.

When they understand what is going on, what to expect and the value of what you will provide in your email campaign they will be less likely to select to opt-out or complain.

Tell them why they should trust you…

• Your web form or opt-in box should clearly identify what the potential subscriber will get for trusting you with the key to access them (and their wallets) – their email. Tell them upfront what you will be delivering to their inbox and how often they should look forward to receiving valuable messages from you.
• Require your subscribers to confirm and reply to the confirmation message after they submit their email information. You will lose a percentage of your opt-ins in this additional step, but the ones you keep will not hit the spam button at the first sight of your email. You should personalize the confirmation message. Let the subscriber know what to expect, what the next action step is, and thank them for taking the action to confirm.
• Make your subscribers feel like they are welcomed and appreciated for signing up and confirming. Again, remind them what they’ve signed up for – some people are in information overload, distracted or just plain forgetful of what they sign up for. Even within a few minutes. Reiterate exactly what you’ll be e-mailing them, how frequently you will e-mail them and how they can opt-out of receiving your messages.
• Constantly test and re-test the results you get from your campaign. Segment you list, analyze the open rates, opt-out rates, response to your request of asking them to take action of clicking on the link enclosed in the email.

Over deliver on value and you will continue to keep the your subscribers hooked.

2. Generate Brand Loyalty

When people start to correlate your brand with good things, you will be able to leverage marketing magnetism.

You will attract and keep people engaged and wanting more of what you have to offer them.

Remember that any time you communicate with subscribers and customers, you’ll be generating opinions and ideas about your brand.

One way to build buzz is to strive to offer superior customer service.

3. Focus Attention On Subscriber Behavior

If a person buys a product or service from you, they are much more inclined to purchase from you again.

Remember, it’s more profitable to hold on to existing clients and prospective clients than to have a constant revolving door of “out with the old and in with the new ones.”

Constantly analyze who’s opening your messages and who’s clicking on your links.

Use this analytical information to send more personalized messages to segments of your list.

Make it easy for your subscribers to share their preferences with you and enter more detailed information about who they are and what type of information they are interested in receiving from you.

Remove the Glass Ceiling from Your Email Campaign

It’s not difficult to pull ahead and outsell your competitors, and substantially improve your business, when you create and put into practice strategic email marketing tactics designed for maximum retention.

This is particularly true in a sluggish economy when many of your opponents are reducing, down-sizing and giving up.

Do the complete opposite, and you’ll expand and prosper.

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