7 Essential Tips to Remember When Building a Mailing List

Creating a top-rated mailing list is no easy feat. It’s not just getting thousands of email addresses and sending out offers. This is part of the whole task that you need to accomplish.

Tip #1: Acquiring Addresses

This may be the most effortless task you would undertake! The golden rule to this is to never add an email address into your listing unless you have got the owners’ overt permission. This rule should always be adhered to. Violating it is breaking the US law of CAN-SPAM that regulates commercial email.

The Internet is the best place to find subscribers to your list. Give visitors the opportunity to sign up and get email from you. You can use a registration page. You may also link a registration page with a partner site.

You may also find subscribers offline. You may ask for the email addresses of the people who go to your business. Giving out fliers indicating your mailing list can also be done.

Tip #2: Welcoming Each and Every one of Your New Subscribers

Welcoming your subscribers begins when they go to your site’s registration page or read through the preference page. On these pages, you should inform them about your content and benefits among others. This would be the scale subscribers would use to know what you could offer them.

Tip #3: Have a User Friendly Opt-in Section

When a potential subscriber finally decides to sign up with you, it would be best to have a page for opt-in. This page should not be complicated. You do not want them to back-out from registering, so it is best to just ask for ample information. Initially, 4 fields would be suitable. These fields should just ask for the email address, the subscriber’s first and last names, and his or her format choice (text or HTML). After this, you may put optional fields to solicit significant information. These may include the subscribers’ demographics and preferences.

Tip #4: Have a Thank You Page

This would make your subscribers feel valued. It also serves as a confirmation tool to verify the information keyed in by your new subscribers.

Tip #5: Have a Wonderful Welcome Package

Now that you have a new subscriber, you must send him or her a welcome package. This should tell them what benefits they will reap by joining your list plus a sample of a newsletter, a good offer or a wonderful “subscriber only” promo.

Tip #6 Wisely Manage Your Mailing List

Mailing Lists should be balanced well and managed efficiently. You should respect each subscriber’s choice and preference. This would expand your relationship with them. Unless authorized by your subscribers, never give away or sell their addresses.

Monitor your list and check subscriptions, trends and inactivity. Show value to your subscribers by emailing them from time to time special offers. You can also send them surveys. Send emails to those who are inactive in order to inform them that they can choose to renew or unsubscribe from your lists.

Tip #7 Respect Your Subscribers

Subscribers are the life and core of mailing lists. You should respect them at all times. Never send your subscribers spam. Your emails should be interesting, bright, and helpful to them. Never sound threatening and never force them to purchase your goods. Never give out their addresses without their authorization. Send them emails on a scheduled date but avoid sending daily messages.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 15th, 2009 at 5:12 am and is filed under OsCommerce News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.