How To Collect Subscribers For Email Marketing

When it comes to email marketing, there are many ways to collect subscribers for email marketing. We encourage you to be creative in building your list. But …

It is important to understand that having someone’s email address is not the same as having someone asking to be on your list.

To help guide you, we’ve put together a list of scenarios where you may end up with an email address, and you need to decide whether or not that email address should be added to your TrafficWave Autoresponder campaign. Let’s look at some of the ways to collect subscribers for email marketing:

People Coming To Your Web Site and Entering Their Email Address To Request Your Information:  This is the perfect way to collect subscribers. Someone that came to your web site and requested your information has given you permission to add them to your list for follow up. Well done!

You Purchased a List: Don’t do it. When you buy a list of “opportunity seekers”, “fresh opt-in leads”, etc… you are setting yourself up for failure as these folks have not asked to receive your information. TrafficWave does not allow purchased lists of any kind.

You Meet Someone at a Business Conference: You may have exchanged cards and you talked about possibly doing business together. They have not asked to be added to your list.

Solution: When you exchange cards, ASK if they would like to be added to your list for follow up. Make a note (a simple check mark) on the card and add them to your list. Let them know to expect a confirmation email and to click the confirmation link.

You Connect With Someone On a Social Network: Connecting with someone on a social media site is not the same as someone giving you permission to add them to your list. Invite them to join your list, but don’t add them blindly.

Solution: Invite them to join your list via the social media site you connected with them. Send them a message with your invitation and a link to your capture page.

You Set Up a Fish Bowl For Prospects to Drop a Card: There is a right way and a wrong way with this one. If your drop card bowl informs them that they are subscribing to your list or newsletter, you are clear to enter them in to your TrafficWave Autoresponder Campaign. If your fish bowl does not mention anything about subscribing to your list, you are opening yourself up for spam complaints.

You’ve Been Building a List For a Long Time But You Haven’t  Contacted Them In a Long Time: There are a few variables with this one. If someone filled out a form or asked you specifically to get your information within the last week, that may be fine. Someone that filled out a form 2 years ago is a different story. An old list will most likely cause problems.

Solution: Add those who have requested information within the past week or two. Contact the others through your email program and invite them to join your list. Alternatively, just toss the list and start building with real prospects.

You Go to a Trade Show: If you go to a trade show and the coordinator gives you a list of all attendees, this is a list of people that have NOT requested your information. If you provide a signup sheet, fish bowl, or other way for folks to REQUEST to be added to your list, you should have no problems. These people can be added to your list.

You Have a Business Group or Networking List: Joining a local Chamber of Commerce or Networking group may give you access to other members’ information. This is not the same as them requesting to be added to your list. Contact them and invite them to join you list but do not add them without their  permission.

You Have a List of Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, and Other Email Contacts: Unless they have specifically emailed you to get your information, do not add them to your Autoresponder.

You Own a Restaurant, Bar, Store, or Other Business and Offer a Sign-up Form: This is a great way to collect subscribers for your newsletters, updates, and more!

Someone Commented On Your Blog: This is not a request to be added to your list. Your reply to their comment can (and should) include a link to your capture page with an offer for them to request more information by joining your list.

As you can see from this list, the idea is pretty simple: If they have ASKED to be on your list or have filled out your form, they can and should be added to your list. If they have not actually asked you to add them, invite them to join your list, but do not add them without permission.

Once you’ve begun collect subscribers for email marketing, your next step is to learn how to drive sales with email marketing.

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