How to Create Your Own Database In Email Marketing

To do email marketing, you need to send messages. But, to whom?

Naturally, any business or entity that seeks to expand via email marketing must establish a database that consists of email addresses that are acquired legally. How you build your lists matters for two reasons: first, email marketing is a permission-based marketing method; second, sending the right message to the right people is what makes email marketing actually valuable. After all, you do marketing to get profit. If your messages reach to someone who doesn’t care about what you offer; or doesn’t reach to anywhere at all, you better don’t spend money for something you most probably won’t profit.

Before starting to tell how to establish your own database, it is of utmost importance to tell how not to. It is as simple as that: Don’t buy lists from outer sources.

See this article to learn more about why buying lists from outer sources damages your marketing campaign.

HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN DATABASE

There are many ways to establish a mailing database and they all work well. However, once you establish a database, you are not done yet. According to researches, more than one fifth (22,5%) of your database erodes every year. There are reasons for this; but what is certain is that you need to keep building on your database and clean-up it regularly as part of your marketing strategy.

INBOX cleans your database automatically and reports the bouncing addresses to you; so, you don’t really have to put too much effort for the letter. But staying active for building up on your database requires strategies to follow.

Things to Do via Email

Create Valuable Content

Start expanding your database with the contacts you already have. By creating valuable contents for your newsletters, you foster share rates for your emails. The more your subscribers share what you send, the more newcomers will subscribe to your list. Be attractive.

Encourage “Sharing”

Beyond creating attractive contents, you can also encourage your subscribers to share your emails. It is as simple as one click; so why not lead people to do it.

You can organize small competitions, offer discounts or simply enlarge the share buttons to encourage your subscribers to share your emails.

Also, do not forget to add a “subscribe” button in your emails for the people who are forwarded.

Create Different Subscription Models

One size doesn’t fit all. So, adding people to sub-lists that are categorized by different subscription models is a good idea. While subscribing to your database, ask people about what they are interested in and how often they would want to hear from you; then put their addresses to different pools. This will decrease unsubscription rates and encourage more people to sign up for your database.

Delete Inactive Contacts Regularly

Although it seems like gamble to delete contacts from your database, it is a tactic to have an optimized database for responsiveness. You are recommended to separate your subscribers into sub-lists according to their activeness. You can then send the inactive members an email to approve their stay in your database; otherwise delete them. It is actually meaningless to send email to someone who is not interested in what you send; so, don’t waste money. Also, sending such a “re-engagement” mail will encourage the inactive subscribers to be more active if they are still interested in having a contact with you.

Place Subscription Buttons to Your Employees’ Signatures

Please beware of that almost 80% of your future sales will be generated from 20% of the already existing customers. So, if you haven’t established a digital tie with them over your mailing database, start doing so with this method.

Every day, your employees send emails for business purposes. Adding a subscription button their signature will lead many people to join your database.

Things to Do via New Contents

Create Contents that Requires Subscription to Download

Many companies today have blog pages. It helps increase visibility on search engines and the valuable content in them is something to share; which introduces you to the new potential customers.

You can create new contents that is of value to the people interested in your business, sector, products etc. This content might be an almanac, yearbook, statistical research or anything of that kind. You can then ask for subscription to download the full version of that piece of work. Even if a person may not be interested in what you do, they may encounter your work and you will have a chance to offer them something in the future.

You can also share such contents from your social media accounts to generate increased flow and even give ads for your content and not for your products and services. Think it as an indirect advertisement and an investment for the future.

Things to Do via Social Media

Share Your Blog Posts

Be active in social media and consider having a blog page if you still don’t have. No matter what business you do. Sharing your blog posts will make you more visible on social media. Many companies have combined their digital marketing efforts and increased the size of their mailing lists with methods to apply on social media.

Add Easy Subscription Buttons to Your Facebook Page

After an update a year ago, Facebook allows you to add subscription buttons and links on your company page. An active Facebook page generates followers and many of them becomes subscribers to your database.

At this point, it is also important to understand why you should have people subscribe to your database; while you can already interact with them over social media.

Well, in email marketing, you interact with people directly. Once you send a message, they can reach it on any electronic device they have. But on social media, it is far less likely to be encountered by a follower. First of all, they need to open the application or the web page. Secondly, even if they do, they would need to spend some time to encounter your posts. Thirdly, the length of time for this encounter depends on the personal interest algorithms of these people. Researchers say, only 5% of your followers see what you post on your Facebook page.

Make Offers that Require Subscription

Social media is a good place to start contests and offer deals. You can ask for subscription for participation.

Create a YouTube Page and Add Subscription Buttons

Just like a blog page, YouTube pages can be a good source for making indirect advertisements via creative content. YouTube allows you to add buttons on your videos; so you can generate new subscriptions from YouTube, as well.

Things to Do via Your Web-Site

Add Accessible Subscription Buttons to Each and Every Page

Many web-sites have subscription buttons only on the front page; but it may be any page on your web-site that convinces a visitor to subscribe to your database. So, making subscription buttons accessible on each and every page is important. People don’t spend time to search for your web form; unless you make it visible.

Embed pop-ups that Wouldn’t Annoy People

Embedding pop-ups for easy and fast subscription is a good idea; however, you need to do it in a way that wouldn’t irritate people and simply close your web-site. The pop-up may come after a certain time period on a page; so that people can first have the information that they are looking for. Also, make sure that closing the pop-up is easy.

Create a Subscription-Based Forum

This method may change depending on the nature of your business. But if there is something to discuss and share regarding what you do, creating a forum page would generate many subscriptions to your database.

Things to Do via Partnerships and Affiliations

Make Promotions on Your Affiliate’s Web-site

Affiliate marketing can help lead increased subscriptions. By defining a working target group, you can establish affiliations and embed your advertisements on certain pages to receive your target group’s contact information.

Join and Start Projects with Partnerships

Of course, you don’t do this simply for having new subscribers; but keep in mind that projects like webinars, contests etc. are actually good opportunities to enhance your email marketing by having new subscriptions.

source: https://useinbox.com/how-to-create-your-own-database-in-email-marketing/

How Do I Build an Effective Email Database for My Business?

Why Do I Need an Email Database?

Email databases provide the opportunity to reach out to your customers and prospects with relevant information about your company and special offers for its products as well as other marketing communications. It is important to understand why building one is so important to growing a business, there were over 3.8 billion email users in 2018 and this global total is predicted to rise to 4.2 billion by the end of 2022 according to The Radicati Group. Not only are email users a huge catchment but it is also a very direct and personal way of reaching them. It is worth using the range of steps you can take to gather essential email addresses for your database.

Consideration should also be given to the type of information to keep in your database. Using your database to categorise customers can provide valuable insight into your customer base and enhance your marketing campaigns. A good database can be exploited as a marketing tool to help increase your company’s sales while email is a low-cost way to spread the word about your business. With 9 out of 10 marketing professionals polled in the 2015 DMA National Client Report stating that email is ‘important’ or ‘very important’ it’s worthwhile taking time to plan out exactly how you intend to use it to ensure you reap the benefits. Email is described as the workhorse of digital marketing and was consistently ranked as the single-most-effective tactic for awareness, acquisition and conversion in a Gigaom Research paper, and was sited by 56% of respondents as the most effective tactic for retention.

What Is an Email Database?

An email database is a collection or list of the names and email addresses of your business’ actual and potential customers. It can be compiled by collecting the addresses of people who express interest in your company or products and from those who purchase products from you. Email-marketing databases can also be purchased for use in marketing campaigns, but these are generally less useful than emails acquired directly by your company.

The list is generally stored within an email delivery software service or a CRM (customer relationship manager) software program from which bulk emails can be sent.

Why Is an Email Database so Important to My Business?

Email marketing is one of the most effective forms of marketing when measured in terms of conversion rate, that is the number of individuals who receive and view the emails and go on to actually purchase a product or ask for more information about the products or services offered. Adobe Campaign has found that Americans are “practically addicted to email” and that more than half of the millennials they canvassed even check emails from the bathroom and 58% of Americans prefer emails over other marketing touch points This is why making your email database as extensive as possible is crucial: doing so gives you a ready-made audience you can provide with relevant information about sales, special offers, new products and any other information that is likely to drive sales of your products.

Email Marketing is so effective because it provides:

• Better conversion and click-through (CTR) rates than other forms of marketing: Conversion rates and click-through rates help determine the efficacy of online marketing campaigns. Email marketing has consistently outperformed other forms of marketing such as banner ads and social media marketing in this regard. Because consumers are more likely to open and view emails than other forms of marketing, conversion rates are also higher with this form of marketing.
• Longer shelf time: Unlike banner ads, which are only good for as long as you pay to have them up, emails typically attract consumer views for a number of days and even weeks after they are sent out. In addition, even if they aren’t acted on right away, they can be saved for later access.
• Opt–in sign-up: Most email lists consist of consumers who have opted-in in order to receive information about a company’s product offerings. As a result, they represent a group that is more likely to be interested in purchasing a company’s products than consumers reached via traditional advertising efforts.
• Mobile access: With consumers increasingly consuming media on mobile devices, the ability of email marketing to consistently reach this audience helps its success rate. Unlike forms of advertising such as TV or newspapers which are not always easy to access on a mobile device, emails are typically easier to view, improving the success rate corresponding to their usage.
• Repeat business: By regularly staying in touch with your list you encourage customers to continue to do business with your company. Unlike impulse buying, which generally results in short term sales, repeat business from loyal customers provides your business with a steady level of ongoing revenue. Continuous email contact is a proven method of encouraging this type of behaviour.

How to Capture Email Addresses?

There are a variety of methods for adding email addresses to your database. One of the best ways to do so is to add a landing page or other functionality to your website where those who would like to receive further information about your products, special deals and the like can enter their email address. You can also encourage followers of your company on social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, to sign up for your mailing list by directing them to your website via links on those sites.

Email address mailing lists can also be purchased. While these lists generally don’t feature conversion rates as attractive as lists you have built organically, they can be useful if they are chosen to contain addresses of consumers who are likely to be interested in the products your company offers.

Including those mentioned above, methods for capturing email addresses include:

• Website opt-in landing page: Allows visitors to sign up to receive emails from your company, can be located on single or multiple pages, can be timed to pop up after a pre determined period e.g. 5 seconds.
• Competitions and prizes: Offering prizes to incentivise individuals to provide their email information is also a good way to quickly build your email database.
• Social media: Communications on social media such as tweets and Facebook posts containing links to your website or a specific landing page where interested parties can enter their email information.
• Physical sign-up: If your business has a brick and mortar presence or if you have a partnership agreement with a business the sales person can hand out a sign-up sheet or ask customers and prospects for their email address as a why to keep them up to with new products and offerings.
• Purchasing email lists: This is typically the most expensive way to build your email database. However, it does provide a way to quickly add names to your list when necessary. If you choose this route, the following considerations should be taken into account:

• Acquire current emails: Make sure any email list you purchase has a high percentage of current, valid emails.
• Topicality: The more targeted the list the better. Try to acquire emails of consumers who have expressed an interest in the type of products your company offers.
• Opt-in emails: Lists compiled of consumers who have expressed an interest in receiving information should be used whenever possible. Using non opt-in lists increases the chances of being reported as a spammer, even when opt-out links are offered in email marketing communications.

Once you’ve collected emails, you will need to store them in a database which makes it easy to use them in your email marketing campaigns. There are a variety of CRM (customer relationship manager) programs available to do just this covering SME’s to enterprise level, including AWeber, Salesforce to name a few.

What Type of Information Should Go in My Database?

A variety of information helping you categorise and selectively target different groups of prospects should be captured in your database. These include:

• Name
• Address
• Location (City, Post Code, Address)
• Type of products interested in
• Type of products purchased (if relevant)

How Do I Drive Sales from My Email Database?

Once you’ve built your email database it’s time to put it to use. There are a variety of ways you can utilise it to help drive business. These include:

Sales: Let your audience know when a sale is occurring. Consumers love a bargain, and email contact offers one of the most efficient ways to let people know when they have a chance to get one.

Special offers and prizes: Give those on your list a chance to benefit from letting you send them emails. Notify your list that they have a chance to take advantage of a special offer only for those on the list. Or offer prizes for those who take certain actions, such as mentioning your business online, or referring a friend.

Include links: Don’t just tell your list about a sale or special offer, enable them to take part by providing links so they can order your products online.

Provide business updates: Every email communication doesn’t have to revolve around selling product. Notifying your list about important updates and milestones your business has achieved helps keep your audience engaged and increases customer loyalty. This can include things like the debut of a new product, or other important developments. If you publish a company blog you can use your email list to notify your audience when a new blog is published.

Feature customer stories / case studies: Another method of building consumer engagement in, and loyalty to, your company is to provide information about how other customers have made use of your products. This is another soft-sell approach that increases engagement and helps build customer loyalty to your brand.

Building a strong database has been shown to pay dividends and with a raft of new marketing and sales applications being developed, including the rise of Marketing Automation, so keep in mind that in order to capitalise on these exciting technologies you will need to set up an email database and CRM

source: https://bomamarketing.com/2017/01/19/how-do-i-build-an-effective-email-database-for-my-business/

How to Build an Email List from Scratch (Top Tips From an Expert)

Geoff Roberts has a long history in digital marketing. He advises companies about how to improve their digital marketing game, co-founded Outseta, and served as the VP of marketing for Bizness Apps and Roambi. His consultancy, SaaS Growth Strategy, specifically targets companies in the SaaS space.

What would you tell marketers who are just learning how to build an email list?

When you’re first learning how to build an email list, the process can seem intimidating. You might not know exactly where to start.

Geoff offers three main suggestions for new marketers who need to build an email list from scratch. You can use these strategies to create strong relationships with your audience and to accelerate your list-building campaign.

“Set email list-building expectations up front”

Consumers are careful with their contact information. They won’t opt in to receive marketing messages unless they perceive clear value.

Geoff advises entrepreneurs to “make it crystal clear to visitors why they should subscribe to your email list and what they’ll get if they do.” He says, “A simple ‘Sign-up for our email list’ call-to-action is destined to fall flat on its face.”

I couldn’t agree more. People don’t just want to sign up for your email list. They want to get special offers, get insider information, and learn from your expertise.

Geoff uses his own lead-capture form from his website as an example of how to set clear expectations for your visitors.

This lead-capture form tells subscribers exactly what they get. They know how frequently they’ll hear from Outseta and what each email will contain.

You can do the same thing with your own lead-capture form. You might have a different email marketing strategy — sending just one email per month, for instance — and different incentives, but you have to be clear about your value proposition.

“Deliver as much value as you possibly can.”

According to Geoff, value is the machine that drives any email marketing campaign.

“Churn kills SaaS businesses, and the same is true when building your email list  — the fastest way to grow is to make sure that, when you do get a new subscriber, they stick around and don’t unsubscribe.”

Geoff makes an excellent point that learning how to build an email list isn’t just about acquiring new subscribers. That’s just the beginning of the battle.

Once you have a subscriber, you must keep him or her happy. Follow through on the expectations you set forth when convincing subscribers to sign up.

Geoff goes on to say, “The good news is [that] the fastest way to get new email subscribers and to keep them around is to provide enormous value. Whether you are offering free tools, e-books, or blog posts — it really doesn’t matter. What matters is the quality of your offering.”

We’ve talked about lead magnets and value-driven email marketing before here on the Crazy Egg blog. When you generously give value to your subscribers, they’ll look forward to your emails, open them, and interact with them.

Geoff stresses the importance of solving specific problems and helping your subscribers achieve their goals. Figure out what your audience wants, then deliver.

“Don’t interrupt the visitor’s experience with irrelevant offers.”

Perfecting user experience is an important part of conversion rate optimization (CRO). You don’t want to interrupt or distract visitors when they land on your site. Instead, you want to serve up a fantastic experience that guides them to the action you want them to take.

For instance, Geoff points out popups as potentially distracting elements on a website. He recommends their use on e-commerce sites, but less so on SaaS sites. He says, “You won’t see any pop-ups on our website. While we may miss out on some emails as a result, my argument is [that] this benefits our brand [and] our credibility, and keeps the bounce rate of our site visitors down.”

When you interrupt the user experience, you risk bounces. Consumers don’t have much patience these days, so they’ll exit a site if they get annoyed.

This doesn’t mean you can’t use tools to help capture more emails. Geoff says, “I’d encourage you to use persistent bars at the top or bottom of your page for these offers, as they are less disruptive than pop-ups. Hello Bar is an easy-to-use tool that can help with this.”

What are the top one or two mistakes marketers make that turn off readers from subscribing?

Building on that last point, I asked Geoff about common mistakes marketers make when figuring out how to build an email list from scratch. He responded concisely with two major errors that can result in fewer subscribers:

“The top one that comes to mind is scraping emails off the web and entering them into an email list they didn’t sign up for. The second would simply be over-communicating with your list. Both hurt your credibility and result in your subscribers tuning you out or unsubscribing altogether.”

I feel the exact same way. My own email list is one of my most important marketing assets, so I don’t abuse it. People sign up for my list, and those are the only people who receive my emails. Additionally, I don’t send out an email unless I have something important to say.

More importantly, every email contains value. I genuinely want to help my subscribers, so I’m cognizant of their needs and expectations.

source: https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/how-build-email-list/

What are the Benefits of Building an Email List?

An email list is a database of email subscribers who have opted in to receive promotional messages from your company.

Some people use deceptive practices to build an email list — such as buying email subscribers — but it’s best to collect emails from people who really want to hear from you.

Geoff Roberts says, “The best email list building strategies really boil down to two common denominators: Creating a relevant user experience with conversion in mind, and providing as much value as possible to your website visitors.”

What are the positive results companies have seen from investing in this marketing strategy?

He goes on to say: “If you use these concepts as your compass when you begin building your email list, you’ll realize better results than you will by focusing on any one particular hack or deceptive form of email capture trickery.”

How do you put those ideas into motion? First, don’t buy email subscribers or spam people who haven’t specifically requested to hear from you. Second, use the best strategies to build an email list from scratch.

Let’s look at some of Geoff Roberts’s most effective tips for achieving those goals.

source: https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/how-build-email-list/