Now that you know how an email address can help you see what prospective customers are interested in and looking for on your website, and how it can help you build relationships with prospects and lead you to future clients, you’re probably wondering how to best ask for those email addresses. After all, asking someone for their email address immediately tells them ‘I’m probably going to start sending you a bunch of stuff you may not want, which will clutter up your inbox and cost you time in sorting through and deleting it.’ So how do you ensure prospective clients that not only will you send them high-value information that they’ll appreciate and enjoy, but that you’ll do it on a schedule that doesn’t overwhelm them? Essentially, that you’re ‘not like every other company sending out unsolicited email’? The key is how you collect the information from at the very beginning. 

Are you looking for an email service provider to take your marketing to the next level? Take a look at these three must haves:

Do It Yourself Design:

Unless you know how to work with HTML to create custom designed emails, your best option is to find a service provider with professionally designed templates. These templates allow you to add your branded logo and colors, add tailored content, external links and images, videos, social media icons, and more. Some service providers may also allow you to sign up for a free trial before you purchase the service.

If you don’t have a strategy in place to grow your email database organically, you could be missing out on your next big client. Follow our 5 P’s to build your database of quality prospects who actively request your content. We’ve debunked a few common myths below to give you tools and tactics to build your list!

1. Permission:
   • Contacts must give permission to be included in your email list. If you are already doing business with them, they likely have given implied permission; but otherwise, be sure to ask before adding to your list.
   • Buying a list, no matter how many times it is scrubbed, is strongly discouraged in email marketing, and most major email providers do not allow this at all.
   • Just meeting a contact at a networking event or trade show is not valid permission to add them to your contact list.
   • To request permission from potential subscribers, you can provide a paper or online registration form.
   • Tip: The next time you exhibit at a conference or expo, try using an iPad or iPhone email registration app, like iCapture, to easily build your list. Adding a raffle to the mix will help gain even more interest!

2. Promise:
   • A great way to get people excited to join is to provide an instant offer. If they give you their name and email, provide something in return like a free webinar, eBook, ticket to an event, or discount.
   • When they subscribe, it’s important for the offer to be timely. Ideally, they’d receive an instant email with the offer enclosed, rather than waiting a few days (this can be automated so you don’t have to spend any additional time managing the process).

Whether you just started using email marketing as a way to generate leads or improve your engagement with your audience, or you’ve had an active account for years, it’s important to always look at new opportunities to reach more of the right prospects.  Adding consistent new leads while delighting your current customer base is vital to closing business, upselling, and keeping your buyers engaged.