FEATURED ARTICLE — July 18th, 2018

Get More Customers: How to Build an Effective Email List from Scratch

By Marek Hervir

It’s a rare business owner or marketer who’ll stop and say, “You know what? I think we’ve got enough customers.” The vast majority — for example, you — are always on the hunt for new ways to grow their base of loyal patrons.

You’d be forgiven if your thoughts first turn to flashy ads, eye-catching viral videos, or the ever-expanding allure of trendy social media influencers. There’s another tool, humble workhorse that it may be, which should be an indispensable aspect of your marketing plan.

I’m speaking of the newsletter. It’s the public face of an effective email marketing strategy. When you use email marketing effectively, you ensure that your customers are consistently thinking about and interacting with your brand.

In order for your newsletter to do its job, you’ll need a list of people, known as “contacts,” who have agreed to receive it. But how to put such a list of people together?

Choose an Email Marketing Tool

Though it’s possible to run an email marketing campaign entirely on your own, your life will be made much easier if you offload the burden onto an email marketing tool of your choice. Much ink has been spilled on the advantages they provide, but in sum, they handle the boring grunt work and allow you to focus on more important tasks.

Free and paid options exist, with varying degrees of functionality, complexity and user-friendliness. If you haven’t already begun using an email automation platform, you’ll want to spend some time sorting through your choices until you’ve found one that suits your preferences.

Give the People What They Want

The big question you must answer is this: “Why would someone want to hear from me?”

Understand that your contacts are... Read More