Masters of Marketing -- Growing Your Email List Organically

Growing Your Email List Organically

Pull out all the stops from your marketing tool kit to strike gold –

engaged email addresses

Why Organic Lists vs Bought Lists• Sender score – the trustworthiness of an email source. Mailbox

providers use this score to decide whether they accept or reject an email.– Based on spam reports for your domain and ratio of undeliverable emails

from your address– Low scores reduce your ability to land in your contacts’ inboxes.

• Blacklisting – prevents email servers from sending messages to email users.– bought lists can contain spam trap email addresses that do not actually

belong to a person. Their purpose is catch you sending to that email address and blacklist your email server for spamming.

– Business and commercial agencies should be especially careful as some corporate domains use spam reporting services that crack down on those email addresses that have been blacklisted.

Create Contests• Drawings– Have landing pages or social media posts that

advertise your contest– Use popular and unique gifts that have your

community buzzing– If the prize isn’t worth it, people won’t enter

Create Contests

• Photo Contests– Advertise in your office and your social media

outlets– It’s a fun way to get engaged with your community

and keeps your social media pages engaging to look through

Create Contests

Ask for Email Forwards

• Make it easy• More than half of decision-makers view emails

on their phone

Incorporate Collecting Emails Offline into your Workflow

• Everyone in your office should be asking for email addresses when speaking to contacts– It’s costing you money every time a prospect or

customer comes in your office/calls in and isn’t asked for their email address

– Use it as a way to look up a customer’s account– Try “Some carriers offer a discount for having an

email address on file. Which email address would you like us to use?”

Hire Temporary Help

• Students can do this while they’re in high school or while they’re getting their degree – Make sure you have a script that doesn’t include

yes or no questions– Try “What email address do you use so we can

keep you updated on insurance discounts?”

Send Out Mailers

• Use postcards – you don’t have to open them and they almost ALWAYS get read.– Can use temporary help to send these out and

sort those that come back– Enter those that come back into a drawing

Ask in Personal Emails

• Link to your newsletter sign up page in your email signature– Keep it in front of everyone you correspond with– Create a newsletter sign up landing page– Have a clear call to action on this page when

people click on the link

Add Newsletter Buttons to Your Homepage

• Getting email addresses is THAT important – put it on your homepage

Offer Sign Up Incentives

• Indicate on newsletter sign up forms what they would if they win receive right on the form– Offer discounts if applicable – Enter them into quarterly or annual drawings for

gift cards– Let them know when the winner will be

announced

Archive your Newsletters on Your Site

• Give them a sample of what they’re signing up for


• Don’t do the work twice– Your newsletter is filled with content! Add it to

your website to show your visitors your value as experts as well as your involvement in the community

• You can combine this with incentives to sign up for the newsletter


Take it to Social Media

• Include posts like “Our June email newsletter is hot off the press! Are you up to date on (your city’s) summer events and insurance discounts for (your state)?

• Post one article from your newsletter as a teaser

• Can link back to your archived newsletters on your website

Take it to Social Media

Develop Free Reports Contacts Can Download

• Whitepapers – form of content marketing that offers an authoritative and free document in exchange for contact information– Find out what topics your audience wants to know

more about and have scarce access to online

Host Webinars with Helpful Topics

• Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain

• Offer to send out reminders and upcoming topics to engagethose that come across your website and sign up

Next Month – Masters of Marketing

June 26th 12 pm CDTDylan Brooks – Why Business Listings Matter to an Agency Website