Building Your Own Customer and 

Prospect List

If you want to exploit the full potential of email, you should develop plans to consistently grow your permission-based email list of customers and prospects. This allows you to build loyalty and promote cross-sell and up-sell opportunities.

A houselist represents customer and prospects names you “own” and have full rights to use. It is important to have a plan to encourage customers and site visitors to sign up for your email promotions and newsletters.

How to leverage your web site to build

your list?

1. Make sure your email programme is prominently featured on your website.

• Use your home page—and keep it visible, or “above the fold.”
• Be aware of home-page hot spots, such as the upper-right-hand corner.
• Promote your email programme on other most-visited pages or section pages. If you conduct search engine marketing or other traffic-driving techniques, many site visitors may not enter your site through your home page. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to promote your email programme.
• Employ persistent sign-up—include your email programme as part of site navigation.
• Include email sign-up on any entry forms (registrations, contests, order forms, etc.).

2. Provide a reason for people to sign up

Give people specific, compelling reasons why they should get your email. Too many sites simply promote their programme with “Sign up for email.” Use your marketing and promotion skills. This can be done with a short statement prior to sign-up or on the registration page.

What works and what doesn’t?

• “Get tips for increased productivity in our short weekly email newsletter” outperforms ”Get our newsletter.”
• “Be the first to hear about new styles, exclusive offers, special events and more” outperforms “Receive weekly offers.”
• Consider providing a sample issue online so people know what they will receive.

3. Leverage offline customer touch points

• Call centres
• Train your reps to ask for email addresses and permission.
• Consider scripting this so that the opt-in language is clear.
• Leverage your call center by flagging any bounces at your customer service workstations so the reps can ask for a current email address.
• Ask for email addresses on your direct-mail and print order forms.
• In-store: Have data-capture forms available at cash registers and store kiosks.
• Trade shows and events

Like it

3 people like it