Effective list management tips to drive opt-ins
Email marketing lists are constantly evolving as people move roles, change companies, and diversify their interests. Opting out of email lists is so much more common as the digital world bombards recipients with hundreds of messages seemingly every time an inbox is opened.
So how can you cut through the unsubscribes and opt-out's and enhance your list so that it is more effective and durable in the current climate of dwindling email marketing lists? While there is no magic potion to stronghold list members and make them stay on your database, there are some simple tips you might want to try to ensure you are nurturing your list and driving opt-ins.
Tips for enhancing your list and making it a bulletproof:
• Stop buying email lists - well, hopefully you never have resorted to buying lists however if you are doing it currently or considering it - stop right there. Purchasing lists is throwing your money away. If you're looking for genuinely interested subscribers who will stay with your business and evolve through the customer life cycle, it's time to start making your list a little more personal and put an end to the list buying. Enough said.
• Make your opt in is prominent - have you ever searched a company website looking to sign up for more info and not been able to locate the signup form, yes me too. It's both annoying and ridiculous not to have a clear and easily locatable form that make viewers compelled to click on and sign up. Don't consider opt-in boxes throughout your website overkill, if done well within the confines of the look and feel of the website, an opt-in box should be fairly seamless and drive results.
• State your value proposition clearly - subscribers always want to know 'what's in it for me', if you show a clear and engaging value for the potential subscribers they will usually have no option but to sign up for your list. Consider using a header or CTA on your subscription form that fits your list - for example; digital marketing list building may have a title similar to " Become a kick arse email marketer".. Or something along those lines.
• Create memorable and unique content - no matter what you are marketing, your content needs to be thoroughly engaging and memorable and make your subscribers want to act. Your copy should be woven with SEO keywords and stand out from the inferior emails that clog our inboxes on a daily basis. Focus on only communicating with your subscribers when you have solid CTA's, quality content, great visuals and thoroughly developed key messages, if you don't have this ready to go perhaps consider putting your communication on hold as ineffective marketing campaigns with your audience may cause opt-outs and poor engagement.
• Get personal - by that I mean capture as much personal information as you can so you can personalize the email list with name, age, location and any other required information that may be useful for your marketing. The more your list is personalized the less your subscriber will feel like a member of a huge list. Use your personalization tools wherever possible and develop a professional relationship with your reader so you can figure out through analytics what they want and when something resonates (so you can provide content targeted to them that fits their needs and wants).
• Create a genuinely free offer - everyone loves freebies and giveaways. A great way to enhance your list with genuinely interested subscribers is offering a giveaway or online tool that is of interest to the reader. While eBooks and online tools are usually a big hit, to make it a little unique consider offering something that your subscribers are interested in and something that will capture their attention.
• Use social media platforms to drive signups - using a variety of platforms to drive genuine signups to your marketing list is effective as the subscribers would have had a chance to get a 'feel' for your brand and hopefully are engaged by your key messages. Stick your special offers in your Twitter feed, Facebook or even Instagram and use analytics to figure out which platform is being used more effectively by your subscribers and focus your time on creating messages that are focused on engagement and CTA.
• Use your company website - so many people have a great website but don't use it well for list building and engagement. Have clear and direct subscriptions options and make fields mandatory so that you can capture more info. Consider adding your subscription options in a range of ways throughout the website, in headers, small boxes on the page and in unique locations on the site to develop an understanding of what layout and style is most engaging for your subscribers and which option gets the most click through.
• Engage at a range of events - give your business a face and go back to old school ways of marketing by attending networking events, conferences, educational panels and general industry functions. We can all get a little caught up behind the screen and forget that there is a human side to marketing as well, if you're engaging across all channels you may experience an increase in sign ups and list development.
• Host a webinar - quick and simple to set up using online programs such as Gotowebinar, these marketing opportunities provide a fantastic outlet for engagement and provide a number of opportunities to encourage sign ups for your marketing list. Asking a well-known industry professional to be a part of a digital panel or providing a free webinar packed with relevant and handy information is a fantastic way to provide value to your subscribers and grow your list with fresh, opt-in contacts who are truly interested about your business offering.
Optimising my database and list management is an ongoing and ever-evolving process, never just sit on your list and hope for the best be active and manage it as you would any other valuable marketing tool.
A list is essentially a living and breathing group of subscribers and, managed well, can add massive value to your marketing and lead development activities.
So how can you cut through the unsubscribes and opt-out's and enhance your list so that it is more effective and durable in the current climate of dwindling email marketing lists? While there is no magic potion to stronghold list members and make them stay on your database, there are some simple tips you might want to try to ensure you are nurturing your list and driving opt-ins.
Tips for enhancing your list and making it a bulletproof:
• Stop buying email lists - well, hopefully you never have resorted to buying lists however if you are doing it currently or considering it - stop right there. Purchasing lists is throwing your money away. If you're looking for genuinely interested subscribers who will stay with your business and evolve through the customer life cycle, it's time to start making your list a little more personal and put an end to the list buying. Enough said.
• Make your opt in is prominent - have you ever searched a company website looking to sign up for more info and not been able to locate the signup form, yes me too. It's both annoying and ridiculous not to have a clear and easily locatable form that make viewers compelled to click on and sign up. Don't consider opt-in boxes throughout your website overkill, if done well within the confines of the look and feel of the website, an opt-in box should be fairly seamless and drive results.
• State your value proposition clearly - subscribers always want to know 'what's in it for me', if you show a clear and engaging value for the potential subscribers they will usually have no option but to sign up for your list. Consider using a header or CTA on your subscription form that fits your list - for example; digital marketing list building may have a title similar to " Become a kick arse email marketer".. Or something along those lines.
• Create memorable and unique content - no matter what you are marketing, your content needs to be thoroughly engaging and memorable and make your subscribers want to act. Your copy should be woven with SEO keywords and stand out from the inferior emails that clog our inboxes on a daily basis. Focus on only communicating with your subscribers when you have solid CTA's, quality content, great visuals and thoroughly developed key messages, if you don't have this ready to go perhaps consider putting your communication on hold as ineffective marketing campaigns with your audience may cause opt-outs and poor engagement.
• Get personal - by that I mean capture as much personal information as you can so you can personalize the email list with name, age, location and any other required information that may be useful for your marketing. The more your list is personalized the less your subscriber will feel like a member of a huge list. Use your personalization tools wherever possible and develop a professional relationship with your reader so you can figure out through analytics what they want and when something resonates (so you can provide content targeted to them that fits their needs and wants).
• Create a genuinely free offer - everyone loves freebies and giveaways. A great way to enhance your list with genuinely interested subscribers is offering a giveaway or online tool that is of interest to the reader. While eBooks and online tools are usually a big hit, to make it a little unique consider offering something that your subscribers are interested in and something that will capture their attention.
• Use social media platforms to drive signups - using a variety of platforms to drive genuine signups to your marketing list is effective as the subscribers would have had a chance to get a 'feel' for your brand and hopefully are engaged by your key messages. Stick your special offers in your Twitter feed, Facebook or even Instagram and use analytics to figure out which platform is being used more effectively by your subscribers and focus your time on creating messages that are focused on engagement and CTA.
• Use your company website - so many people have a great website but don't use it well for list building and engagement. Have clear and direct subscriptions options and make fields mandatory so that you can capture more info. Consider adding your subscription options in a range of ways throughout the website, in headers, small boxes on the page and in unique locations on the site to develop an understanding of what layout and style is most engaging for your subscribers and which option gets the most click through.
• Engage at a range of events - give your business a face and go back to old school ways of marketing by attending networking events, conferences, educational panels and general industry functions. We can all get a little caught up behind the screen and forget that there is a human side to marketing as well, if you're engaging across all channels you may experience an increase in sign ups and list development.
• Host a webinar - quick and simple to set up using online programs such as Gotowebinar, these marketing opportunities provide a fantastic outlet for engagement and provide a number of opportunities to encourage sign ups for your marketing list. Asking a well-known industry professional to be a part of a digital panel or providing a free webinar packed with relevant and handy information is a fantastic way to provide value to your subscribers and grow your list with fresh, opt-in contacts who are truly interested about your business offering.
Optimising my database and list management is an ongoing and ever-evolving process, never just sit on your list and hope for the best be active and manage it as you would any other valuable marketing tool.
A list is essentially a living and breathing group of subscribers and, managed well, can add massive value to your marketing and lead development activities.