50 Ways to Build Your Email Marketing ListA Blue Sky Factory Email Marketing eBook

by Amy Garland, Christopher S. Penn, and DJ Waldow

“How do I build my list?”This is by far the most commonly asked question of email marketing professionals. In many cases, people have resorted to activities such as renting or buying lists, often causing more problems than they solve. This eBook is designed to help give you dozens of different ideas, tactics, and methods for starting or growing your email marketing lists, so that you’ll have a permission-based email program with engaged subscribers who want to hear from you. Added bonus? You'll never have to resort to methods that may get you banned or blocked from your email service provider.

Not all of these suggestions will necessarily be right for you. Think of this as an email marketing cookbook. Some recipes will be just perfect for you, and some recipes will be unappealing. Pick the ones you want to use and then make them.

There’s one common theme among all of these tips and ideas that we want to emphasize from the start: all of these tips will fail you in the long term if you don’t set expectations for privacy and frequency up front. Tell your users what to expect and how often to expect it - and then live up to your promise. Be absolutely clear and concise with how you’ll handle their privacy and personal information, and in return, you’ll be rewarded with their attention and their business for years to come.

We’ll reiterate this again later, but it’s so important and integral to long-term success in email marketing that it can’t be said enough: say what you’ll do, then do what you say. Keep your promises, and you’ll keep your subscribers.

In this guide, you’ll find our tips broken out into six sections. At the very end, you’ll find a “cheat sheet” version you can print out for quick reference as well.

1. Social media2. Web/website3. Email campaigns4. Offline5. Mobile/SMS6. Email strategy

Ready to get cooking?

Section 1: Social Media

1. Share With Your Network (SWYN)

Include SWYN or Share-to-Social functionality in your email, allowing subscribers to share your emails with their social networks. SWYN extends the reach of your message (more eyeballs), helps to identify your influencers (who shares your emails the most), and allows you to grow your list. Don’t forget to include an opt-in form for the recipients to sign up for future emails!

2. Facebook email signup form: Include an opt-in form on your Facebook fan page. By offering unique content through each marketing channel, you'll encourage your audience to want to connect with you in multiple places. Your Facebook fans may not be aware of your existing email program, so give them the option to sign up on your fan page. This can be easily done with Facebook’s static FBML application. Learn more in our step-by-step instructions.

3. Facebook updates and wall posts: Include links to your email subscription center in Facebook updates and wall posts. You do have a Facebook page AND an email subscription center, right? Alert your Facebook fans of upcoming campaigns, and direct them to your subscription center to sign up for more information.

4. One-click signup with Facebook Connect: Use data-providing systems like Facebook Connect and very clear privacy instructions to allow people to sign up for mailing lists with one click. Make it easy to subscribe!

5. Tweet: Tactfully and tastefully tweet about upcoming marketing initiatives and encourage followers to sign up for future emails. Include shortened links to your subscription page.

6. Show examples of email campaigns on social networks: Give Twitter followers and Facebook fans a taste of the content you’ll provide in your email campaigns (share your emails with them via SWYN or link to past issues). This will entice them to sign up for more!

7. Host a professional group, chat, or local association: On sites like LinkedIn and Twitter, there are multiple opportunities to host live chats, discussion groups, and industry-specific conversations. Step up, take charge, and watch as inquiries come to you as a recognized expert in your field.

8. Encourage email subscription on your blog: Include an email subscription center on your blog, and make sure it's a prominent call to action that's available in the content of your posts as well as in site navigation, so that folks who read your blog only in feed readers still see it.

9. Republish email content on your blog: Do you have a great newsletter? Don’t hide it - publish newsletter articles and other information, and be sure to include a link to sign up for future emails.

10. Guest write for other blogs and publications: Share your expertise with your community, writing for other publications. Be sure to include links to your website and newsletter subscription as part of your bio and in all articles.

11. Leverage all social networks: There are hundreds of social networks, from YouTube to Slideshare to specialized discussion forums. Find where your customers are, participate in the networks they participate in, and use those networks to grow your presence. Here's an easy tip to try: ask your 100 best customers which social networks and groups they participate in, then go join those networks and groups. Like attracts like, so there's a good chance more great future customers are on those networks.

12. Encourage employees to be active on social networks: The more people talking about your brand, your products, and your industry, the more likely someone will reach out to you and find their way to your company. If appropriate for your corporate culture, set some internal policies and guidelines, then encourage your employees to actively participate in social media, tactfully and tastefully evangelizing your business to their networks.

Section 2: The Web

13. Provide obvious incentive: The easiest way to build a subscriber list is to tell people what’s in it for them. Give them clear, unmistakeable value up front and people will sign up. Continue to provide valuable content and they’ll stay with you after the incentive ends!

14. Promote your subscription form: Include opt-in subscription forms on the top 10 pages of your website (including the home page) as determined by your web analytics. Make it stand out and provide a clear call to action!

15. Ask at checkout: For online transactions, ask customers if they want to receive future emails from you at checkout.

16. Consider entrance or exit pop-ups: As soon as someone arrives or before someone leaves your site, consider having an in-page pop-up appear prompting them to subscribe to your list. Explain that you want to stay in touch and continue providing value to them.

17. Include a subscription center: Make sure you have a subscription center on your website that allows subscribers to change their address, pause their subscription, and opt-down (rather than unsubscribe, just choose to hear from you less often).

18. Include testimonials on your email subscription page: Ask existing, engaged subscribers to write a short testimonial or film a video talking about how valuable your emails are. If prospects know that others find your emails valuable, they are more likely to sign up to receive your emails. What’s in it for them?

19. Promote sign-ups via contests: Consider using a special contest for a highly desired prize to build your list. Be aware that subscribers may not be as engaged or interested once the contest ends, so act quickly to provide obvious value to encourage subscribers to stick around.

20. Ask during webinar/online event signup: Host a webinar or live online event (concert, chat, panel, etc.) and include email list subscription as part of the sign-up process.

21. Make every form a subscription form: Make sure that every form on your website has email list subscription built into it. Capture and catch at every opportunity, not just on sales forms.

22. Consider your domain name: If your domain name is especially hard to remember or is unclear when spoken, it will be that much harder for people to spread via word of mouth. At the very least, consider buying and redirecting a custom domain name for your email subscription center if your regular corporate domain name isn’t in your control.

Section 3: Email Campaigns

23. Make it easy to share: Include a Forward to a Friend (FTAF) and Share With Your Network (SWYN) link in all of your emails, not just marketing promotions.

24. Ask people to share: Be direct. Be explicit. Ask people to forward and share your email. Give them obvious permission to do so - you'd be surprised how many people question whether it's okay to forward, print, post, or repost an email!

25. Make unsubscribing easy: It’s far better to lose a few subscribers than to beblacklisted for spam or not have your emails delivered, which can happen if people can’t find an unsubscribe link easily. Make unsubscribing easy and people won’t push the Mark as Spam button on you. Consider moving the unsubscribe button/link to the top of your emails. We know it sounds scary, but test it! A lost subscriber is still better than being reported as a spammer.

26. Make the most of your unsubscribe: When someone is unsubscribing, take the time to get feedback from them about why. Ask a few short questions about the reasons they’re no longer interested in your emails and what would make them come back some day. Give them the option to keep in touch, and offer them the ability to “opt-down”, or subscribe to a less frequently-mailed list.

27. Leverage transactional emails: When sending purchase confirmations or other transactional emails, make sure to ask customers to subscribe to your newsletter. Provide reasons and value for doing so, along with incentives. (subscribe and receive x% off your next order)

28. Ask for subscription after webinars: When following up with webinar registrants by email, be sure to send along more than just the slides and session materials. Ask registrants to subscribe to newsletters, especially if you have a newsletter dedicated to future events.

29. Sign it: Encourage or require (depending on your company culture and rules) employees to include a link to your subscription center in their email signature.

30. Advertise in other email campaigns: Purchase advertising space in other newsletters. Purchase a guest issue with clear calls to action to subscribe in other newsletters. Note that this is NOT the same as list rental/list purchase.

31. Send re-engagement email with incentives: When re-engaging a list you haven’t used in a while, lead with an incentive to maximize the impact on readers.

Section 4: Offline

32. Ask while on the phone: When speaking with a customer or prospect on the phone, ask them if they’d like to receive your emails. Direct them to your subscription page or send them a personal email with a link to your subscription center.

33. Collect email addresses at your place of business: Don’t overlook the in-store sign-up. Put a sign-up sheet on your checkout counter or a fishbowl for business cards - along with a clear, posted privacy policy. Offer coupons and discounts as incentives to encourage people to sign up.

34. Business cards: Include a link to your subscription center on your company’s business cards.

35. Ask at events, mixers, conferences, and tradeshows: When talking with someone at your tradeshow booth (or while passing in the hall of a conference), ask them if they’d like to receive more information from you. Include a fishbowl or sign up sheet with a published privacy policy and opt-in notice.

36. Sponsor/host an event that requires registration: The event could range from the simple (Tweetup) to the more complex (3-day conference). Display and set privacy expectations, then collect registration information.

37. Talk about your email subscription center while speaking at events: If your employees or executives speak at industry events, they should mention your email campaigns and direct audience members to your website and/or email subscription center. You can even include a unique URL at the end of your presentation deck. Ideally use an easy to remember, easy to repeat URL.

38. InPerson (LinkedIn) and Poken: While at events, consider using services like InPerson from LinkedIn or Poken as a way of connecting with others quickly. Ask for their email address and if you can add them to your list.

39. Advertise your email subscriptions in dead zones: Dead zones are places where people have time to spare and can’t go anywhere. Southwest Airlines does a great job advertising their email list on their monitors while you're waiting to board the plane. Where else are people captive audiences?

40. Promote your email marketing communications with direct mail: If you send direct mail (postal mail), alert recipients of your email program. Whether you send a brochure, catalog, billing information, or any other type of communication, direct recipients to your website to sign up for your emails. Tell them why they should want to receive emails from you and entice them to sign up!

Section 5: Mobile

41. Offer mobile subscription via text message: If you've got a strong mobile program, you may already have a short code available. Let prospective customers subscribe to your lists via short code (e.g. text your email address to 41411) and capture them on the spot. This is especially effective when people are standing around for a bit.

42. Investigate 2D barcodes and QR: Mobile phones with cameras are just beginning to adopt Quick Response codes or 2D barcodes. Generate a QR code and include it any place people are likely to be using mobile phones with cameras and QR applications, even the back of your business cards.

Got an iPhone? Look for the free QR application I-Nigma in the iTunes App Store, install it on your phone, and then aim the app (and your phone) at this page to see a working example!

43. Use a mobile application to collect email addresses: At a tradeshow or conference? Use an iPhone app (or other platform application) to take new subscribers on the spot, rather than waiting to do data import later. Be sure, of course, that a privacy notice is displayed prominently and clearly. Read more about this tip in action!

44. Optimize for mobile: Ensure that all of your email marketing efforts have mobile versions and are well-optimized for the mobile reader. Include phone numbers in standard formats in your messages so that when forwarded, others can call you. Make links for Forward to a Friend and Share With Your Network obvious and near the top of your message so mobile readers don’t have to scroll far to use them.

Section 6: Strategy

45. Targeted, timely, and valuable: Offer valuable, unique content that your email recipients can't get anywhere else. Be sure that it's targeted (specific content for them), timely (sent when they are most likely to interact), and valuable (something they want/need). The more valuable your emails are, the more people will sign up to receive them.

46. Identify, contact, and engage your brand advocates: Do you have people singing your praises to their networks for free? Reward them. Develop some inclusive network they can be a part of. Run contests to reward their advocacy. Buy them lunch and listen to their ideas. Give them t-shirts and free iTunes downloads. Above all, listen to them!

47. Prioritize retention: If you have to choose between attracting new subscribers and retaining the ones you have, focus your efforts on keeping things fresh and interesting for your existing subscribers. It’s usually much more valuable (and cost-effective) to keep existing customers happy than it is to prospect for new ones.

48. Capitalize on buzz: Are people talking about you, your brand, company, and/or products? Convert as much of that attention as possible to subscribers while you have the spotlight. Make sure any specialized landing pages on your website highlight an email signup so that interested passersby can be contacted after the spotlight moves on.

49. Search optimize your newsletter page: Optimize your email subscription center for keywords related to your area of expertise and email, such as "travel agent newsletter" or "entrepreneur newsletter". Let the search engines do the work for you and drive new potential subscribers to the page where they can sign up to be on your email list.

50. Honor your privacy and trust commitments: We started the book with this and we’ll end on this to reinforce how important it is. Set clear privacy and delivery expectations up front, then live up to your promises with your audience. Do so and they’ll remain yours for as long as you honor their trust. Break your promises and you’ll lose your audience and reputation with lightning speed. As email marketing evolves, trust and reputation will be the cornerstones of deliverability, so put earning and keeping trust at the top of your strategic priorities.

Closing Notes and ColophonWe hope you find this eBook to be useful in your efforts to build your email marketing program. As we said at the beginning, it’s much like a cookbook in that not all of the recipes will work for you, but many are worth at least trying to see what kinds of results you get.

We wish you the very best in your email marketing efforts and as always, if Blue Sky Factory can be helpful to you in getting more juice out of your email marketing, we’re only a phone call or a click away at 866-216-2583 or http://www.blueskyfactory.com/. You can also connect with us at any of the social networks below.

Best wishes for your success,

Amy Garland, Christopher S. Penn, and DJ Waldow

This eBook would not have been possible without the generosity of the many photographers on Flickr who graciously license their work for attribution and commercial usage. We thank each of them below. Please visit their Flickr profiles to see some of their other works.

Match: brandbildChessboard: pshutterbugSocial Network: jurvetsonHyperbolic Web Map: The Opte ProjectArcher: johntrainor Mailboxes: Ed SiasocoMusic signup page: Matthew Ebel

Connect with us!

1. Share With Your Network (SWYN): Include SWYN or Share-to-Social functionality in your email, allowing subscribers to share your emails with their social networks. SWYN extends the reach of your message (more eyeballs), helps to identify your influencers (who shares your emails the most), and allows you to grow your list. Don't forget to include an opt-in form for the recipients to sign up for future emails!

2. Facebook email signup form: Include an opt-in form on your Facebook fan page. By offering unique content through each marketing channel, you'll encourage your audience to want to connect with you in multiple places. Your Facebook fans may not be aware of your existing email program, so give them the option to sign up on your fan page. This can be easily done with Facebook's static FBML application. Learn more in our step-by-step instructions.

3. Facebook updates and wall posts: Include links to your email subscription center in Facebook updates and wall posts. You do have a Facebook page AND an email subscription center, right? Alert your Facebook fans of upcoming campaigns, and direct them to your subscription center to sign up for more information.

4. One-click signup with Facebook Connect: Use data-providing systems like Facebook Connect and very clear privacy instructions to allow people to sign up for mailing lists with one click. Make it easy to subscribe!

5. Tweet: Tactfully and tastefully tweet about upcoming marketing initiatives and encourage followers to sign up for future emails. Include shortened links to your subscription page.

6. Show examples of email campaigns on social networks: Give Twitter followers and Facebook fans a taste of the content you'll provide in your email campaigns (share your emails with them via SWYN or link to past issues). This will entice them to sign up for more!

7. Host a professional group, chat, or local association: On sites like LinkedIn and Twitter, there are multiple opportunities to host live chats, discussion groups, and industry-specific conversations. Step up, take charge, and watch as inquiries come to you as a recognized expert in your field.

8. Encourage email subscription on your blog: Include an email subscription center on your blog, and make sure it's a prominent call to action that's available in the content of your posts as well as in site navigation, so that folks who read your blog only in feed readers still see it.

9. Republish email content on your blog: Do you have a great newsletter? Don't hide it - publish newsletter articles and other information, and be sure to include a link to sign up for future emails.

10. Guest write for other blogs and publications: Share your expertise with your community, writing for other publications. Be sure to include links to your website and newsletter subscription as part of your bio and in all articles.

11. Leverage all social networks: There are hundreds of social networks, from YouTube to Slideshare to specialized discussion forums. Find where your customers are, participate in the networks they participate in, and use those networks to grow your presence. Here's an easy tip to try: ask your 100 best customers which social networks and groups they participate in, then go join those networks and groups. Like attracts like, so there's a good chance more great future customers are on those networks.

12. Encourage employees to be active on social networks: The more people talking about your brand, your products, and your industry, the more likely someone will reach out to you and find their way to your company. If appropriate for your corporate culture, set some internal policies and guidelines, then encourage your employees to actively participate in social media, tactfully and tastefully evangelizing your business to their networks.

13. Provide obvious incentive: The easiest way to build a subscriber list is to tell people what's in it for them. Give them clear, unmistakeable value up front and people will sign up. Continue to provide valuable content and they'll stay with you after the incentive ends!

14. Promote your subscription form: Include opt-in subscription forms on the top 10 pages of your website (including the home page) as determined by your web analytics. Make it stand out and provide a clear call to action!

15. Ask at checkout: For online transactions, ask customers if they want to receive future emails from you at checkout.

16. Consider entrance or exit pop-ups: As soon as someone arrives or before someone leaves your site, consider having an in-page pop-up appear prompting them to subscribe to your list. Explain that you want to stay in touch and continue providing value to them.

17. Include a subscription center: Make sure you have a subscription center on your website that allows subscribers to change their address, pause their subscription, and opt-down (rather than unsubscribe, just choose to hear from you less often).

18. Include testimonials on your email subscription page: Ask existing, engaged subscribers to write a short testimonial or film a video talking about how valuable your emails are. If prospects know that others find your emails valuable, they are more likely to sign up to receive your emails. What's in it for them?

19. Promote sign-ups via contests: Consider using a special contest for a highly desired prize to build your list. Be aware that subscribers may not be as engaged or interested once the contest ends, so act quickly to provide obvious value to encourage subscribers to stick around.

20. Ask during webinar/online event signup: Host a webinar or live online event (concert, chat, panel, etc.) and include email list subscription as part of the sign-up process.

21. Make every form a subscription form: Make sure that every form on your website has email list subscription built into it. Capture and catch at every opportunity, not just on sales forms.

22. Consider your domain name: If your domain name is especially hard to remember or is unclear when spoken, it will be that much harder for people to spread via word of mouth.At the very least, consider buying and redirecting a custom domain name for your email subscription center if your regular corporate domain name isn't in your control.

23. Make it easy to share: Include a Forward to a Friend (FTAF) and Share With Your Network (SWYN) link in all of your emails, not just marketing promotions.

24. Ask people to share: Be direct. Be explicit.Ask people to forward and share your email. Give them obvious permission to do so - you'd be surprised how many people question whether it's okay to forward, print, post, or repost an email!

25. Make unsubscribing easy: It's far better to lose a few subscribers than to be blacklisted for spam or not have your emails delivered, which can happen if people can't find an unsubscribe link easily. Make unsubscribing easy and people won't push the Mark as Spam button on you. Consider moving the unsubscribe button/link to the top of your emails.We know it sounds scary, but test it! A lost subscriber is still better than being reported as a spammer.

26. Make the most of your unsubscribe: When someone is unsubscribing, take the time to get feedback from them about why. Ask a few short questions about the reasons they're no longer interested in your emails and what would make them come back some day. Give them the option to keep in touch, and offer them the ability to "opt-down", or subscribe to a less frequently-mailed list.

27. Leverage transactional emails: When sending purchase confirmations or other transactional emails, make sure to ask customers to subscribe to your newsletter. Provide reasons and value for doing so, along with incentives. (subscribe and receive x % off your next order)

28. Ask for subscription after webinars: When following up with webinar registrants by email, be sure to send along more than just the slides and session materials. Ask registrants to subscribe to newsletters, especially if you have a newsletter dedicated to future events.

29. Sign it: Encourage or require (depending on your company culture and rules) employees to include a link to your subscription center in their email signature.

30. Advertise in other email campaigns: Purchase advertising space in other newsletters. Purchase a guest issue with clear calls to action to subscribe in other newsletters. Note that this is NOT the same as list rental/list purchase.

31. Send re-engagement email with incentives: When re-engaging a list you haven't used in a while, lead with an incentive to maximize the impact on readers.

32. Ask while on the phone: When speaking with a customer or prospect on the phone, ask them if they'd like to receive your emails. Direct them to your subscription page or send them a personal email with a link to your subscription center.

33. Collect email addresses at your place of business: Don't overlook the in-store sign- up. Put a sign-up sheet on your checkout counter or a fishbowl for business cards - along with a clear, posted privacy policy. Offer coupons and discounts as incentives to encourage people to sign up.

34. Business cards: Include a link to your subscription center on your company's business cards.

35. Ask at events, mixers, conferences, and tradeshows: When talking with someone at your tradeshow booth (or while passing in the hall of a conference), ask them if they'd like to receive more information from you. Include a fishbowl or sign up sheet with a published privacy policy and opt-in notice.

36. Sponsor/host an event that requires registration: The event could range from the simple (Tweetup) to the more complex (3-day conference). Display and set privacy expectations, then collect registration information.

37. Talk about your email subscription center while speaking at events: If your employees or executives speak at industry events, they should mention your email campaigns and direct audience members to your website and/or email subscription center. You can even include a unique URL at the end of your presentation deck. Ideally use an easy to remember, easy to repeat URL.

38. InPerson (LinkedIn) and Poken: While at events, consider using services like InPerson from LinkedIn or Poken as a way of connecting with others quickly. Ask for their email address and if you can add them to your list.

39. Advertise your email subscriptions in dead zones: Dead zones are places where people have time to spare and can't go anywhere. Southwest Airlines does a great job advertising their email list on their monitors while you're waiting to board the plane. Where else are people captive audiences?

40. Promote your email marketing communications with direct mail: If you send direct mail (postal mail), alert recipients of your email program. Whether you send a brochure, catalog, billing information, or any other type of communication, direct recipients to your website to sign up for your emails. Tell them why they should want to receive emails from you and entice them to sign up!

41. Offer mobile subscription via text message: If you've got a strong mobile program, you may already have a short code available. Let prospective customers subscribe to your lists via short code (e.g. text your email address to 41411) and capture them on the spot.This is especially effective when people are standing around for a bit.

42. Investigate 2D barcodes and QR: Mobile phones with cameras are just beginning to adopt Quick Response codes or 2D barcodes. Generate a QR code and include it any place people are likely to be using mobile phones with cameras and QR applications, even the back of your business cards.

43. Use a mobile application to collect email addresses: At a tradeshow or conference? Use an iPhone app (or other platform application) to take new subscribers on the spot, rather than waiting to do data import later. Be sure, of course, that a privacy notice is displayed prominently and clearly. Read more about this tip in action!

44. Optimize for mobile: Ensure that all of your email marketing efforts have mobile versions and are well-optimized for the mobile reader. Include phone numbers in standard formats in your messages so that when forwarded, others can call you. Make links for Forward to a Friend and Share With Your Network obvious and near the top of your message so mobile readers don't have to scroll far to use them.

45. Targeted, timely, and valuable: Offer valuable, unique content that your email recipients can't get anywhere else. Be sure that it's targeted (specific content for them), timely (sent when they are most likely to interact), and valuable (something they want/need).The more valuable your emails are, the more people will sign up to receive them.

46. Identify, contact, and engage your brand advocates: Do you have people singing your praises to their networks for free? Reward them. Develop some inclusive network they can be a part of. Run contests to reward their advocacy. Buy them lunch and listen to their ideas. Give them t- shirts and free iTunes downloads. Above all, listen to them!

47. Prioritize retention: If you have to choose between attracting new subscribers and retaining the ones you have, focus your efforts on keeping things fresh and interesting for your existing subscribers. It's usually much more valuable (and cost-effective) to keep existing customers happy than it is to prospect for new ones.

48. Capitalize on buzz: Are people talking about you, your brand, company, and/or products? Convert as much of that attention as possible to subscribers while you have the spotlight. Make sure any specialized landing pages on your website highlight an email signup so that interested passersby can be contacted after the spotlight moves on.

49. Search optimize your newsletter page: Optimize your email subscription center for keywords related to your area of expertise and email, such as "travel agent newsletter" or "entrepreneur newsletter". Let the search engines do the work for you and drive new potential subscribers to the page where they can sign up to be on your email list.

50. Honor your privacy and trust commitments: We started the book with this and we'll end on this to reinforce how important it is. Set clear privacy and delivery expectations up front, then live up to your promises with your audience. Do so and they'll remain yours for as long as you honor their trust. Break your promises and you'll lose your audience and reputation with lightning speed. As email marketing evolves, trust and reputation will be the cornerstones of deliverability, so put earning and keeping trust at the top of your strategic priorities.