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A mailing list is a perfect way to keep a large group of people in the know about your business. They should all fit into your target audience, be likely to want to read your messages and be likely to interact with your message either by clicking a link or visiting your website.
Mailing lists are a great way to get your business in front of people and encourage customer retention, but building your list while you are just starting out can be a bit of a mountain climb. Fortunately, there are lots of great methods you can use to help your list grow.
Can I Buy a Mailing List?
Buying a mailing list can be a slightly tricky business, and it isn’t guaranteed to work with every name on the list. However, if you are just starting out and need a set of contacts, a company that can provide a list based on your target audience could be a great place to start.
For example, if you are interested in homeowners, mortgage mailing lists might be a way of setting up your list. You will be able to see the demographics on the list including other details like the size of the mortgage and prioritize who to email or call first. This is great for getting your sales department started while you look for ways to make a more organic list.
Run a Competition
If there is one sure-fire way of getting people to part with their email address it is by holding a competition. People love winning stuff and parting with an email address is usually seen as a very small price to pay – especially when the prize is particularly tempting.
It could be as simple as you like: give us your email address and you will go into a cash prize draw, or you could do something more productive like a questionnaire about how people interact with your company and then put in the prize draw. This will kill two birds with one stone as you will find out more about your customers’ preference and be able to follow up with them at a later date.
Provide Gated Content
This might sound a bit sneaky but actually, gated content is a great method that lots of companies use. For example, a marketing company might create a guide to boosting your social media. Then they request your name and email – and sometimes other details like company, job title and phone number – before you can download the guide for free.
If you want to present your company as a team of experts guides are a brilliant way to show off your knowledge and persuade people that you are the best in the field. Promote your content on social media as well and that list of contacts will grow faster than you might think.
With a list of contacts, you will be able to keep people informed about your business and get in touch with new people too. But remember – lists like these are never complete. You need to keep encouraging people to sign up.
