Chapter Nine: Building E-mail Lists
A successful online business requires a trusting relationship with your customers. When your customers know that your online business is reliable and honest they’re more likely to buy products or services from you, rather than from your competition. But it’s up to you to let your customers know that you’re a better choice than your competitor. One way that you can get those important sales is by building up e-mail lists so that you can communicate on a regular basis with your customers.
Never miss an opportunity at communicating with your customers. It’s vital to your online company that you come into contact with as many customers and potential customers as possible so that you increase your contacts and eventually increase your sales.
There is so much competition on the Internet and this is why it’s important that you stand out for your customers. When your customers know that they can rely on you for dependable service, consistent communication, and quality products or services, they will continue to buy from you time and time again. Your repeat customers will become the mainstay of your business since it’s these repeat customers that refer you to their friends and family, thus bringing you more potential customers.
Opt-in Lists: An opt-in list is list of people who have specifically asked to receive more information from your business in the form of e-mail, newsletters, or other types of communication. These people will voluntarily give you their e-mail address to you so that you can communicate with them in the future. Make sure that you build your list of opt-in e-mail addresses so that you can increase the number of customers that you come into contact with.
Online marketing studies show that opt-in e-mailing lists are more successful than other marketing techniques when it comes to sales. When a potential customers requests more information from your business you know that they already have an interest in the product or service that you’re selling.
So how do you develop your opt-in e-mailing list? One way that you can start building your e-mail list is by having a place on your website where users can leave their e-mail address.
When you have someone’s e-mail address it’s up to you to send them an e-mail that is about the products or services that you’re selling. Some of the e-mail that you might want to send to your e-mail customers include:
Newsletters with information about the product or service you’re selling, such as information about new products. Newsletters have already been discussed in chapter 5.
E-zines that have detailed information about what your company sells.
Discount offers that your send out to only those people on your opt-in list.
The first e-mail that you send out to people on your opt-in list should let them know that they asked to be included on your e-mail list so that they don’t think that they are being spammed. As mentioned before, always give people the option to take themselves off your e-mail list at any time. This way they feel that they are in control of all communication with you.
Importance of Building Lists
One of the most important rules of online marketing is the need to have a list of opt-in e-mail addresses. The larger your e-mal list the more successful your online business will be. The bottom line is, if you want to have a successful online business you need to have an opt-in e-mail list.
Many online businesses overlook the other benefits of an opt-in list besides the bottom line of profit. Each time someone buys something from you, you need to make the effort of obtaining their e-mail address. If you don’t get your customer’s contact information you lose all chance of future communication with them. And this may prevent them from buying from you in the future.
Online marketing studies show that successful online businesses think of their opt-in e-mailing list as their most valuable marketing strategy.
Most online businesses keep a back up of their e-mail list so that there is no chance of losing it. Without this e-mail opt-in list your business would lose valuable customer communication which is the backbone of their online success.
The more extensive your e-mail opt-in list is the more advertising you’ll generate for your online business. You’ll have sales opportunities from your e-mail opt-in list that you wouldn’t be able to obtain in any other way. When you regularly stay in touch with your customers you ensure that at least some of them will return to your website for a first purchase or a repeat purchase. E-mail opt-in lists let you communicate with your customers with little or no effort on your part.
Make sure that your online website has opt-in options on every web page. This way people who read your website have every opportunity to give you their e-mail address for future contact with your company.