Loved this article; had to share it with you:
An accurate and expanding email contact list is vital to the success of your e-newsletter (and an e-newsletter is vital to your success). The following tips on building your database were gathered from professional e-marketers and savvy retailers.
- Tell customers about the exclusive information and sales in your e-newsletter. They're your customers – they'll be interested.
- Encourage your employees to invite customers to sign up.
- Have a guestbook at the entrance or cash? Use it to invite subscriptions.
- If you don't already have a loyalty club, consider starting one – even if the only thing members receive is an e-newsletter to begin with. Then, hold a members-only event and invite each member to bring a guest.
- Offer customers the chance to win discounts or a gift card if they sign up.
- Put your web address on all your ads, flyers, and even postcards at the front desk. Busy customers can visit your site and sign up for your e-newsletter when they're not as rushed.
- Every page of your website should have a “sign up for our e-newsletter” button.
- Include a “forward to a friend” button on every e-newsletter. (Most emailing lists are built this way.)
- Let subscribers know you'll never share their contact information. And never purchase an email list – it will be at best irrelevant and, at worst, illegally collected.
Info Adapted from the Crafting Compelling E-newsletters article published in the January/February 2011 edition of Retail News.BestBarbara