How To Build An Email Marketing List
In my experience, entrepreneurs tend to be very...well entrepreneurial. That usually means owning or starting more than one business, sometimes selling a business to begin a new one, or relaunching a new version of their company after some type of change. In any of these cases, the question always arises “I’ve already got a long list of contacts, but who can I add to my email list?”
Start With Permission
The first rule in building a new email list, even if it is for the relaunch of a business, is to only send email to people who have given you permission to do so. This means a few things:
Think About Sender Reputation
As you look at these groups and add past subscribers to your new list, you need to evaluate them carefully, as it can affect your sender reputation.?
Your sender reputation is the email equivalent to your credit score. The higher your score, the better your inbox placement (meaning no spam folder relegation, which accounts for roughly 45% of emails). A high number of spam reports or unsubscribe rate will negatively affect your sender reputation, and who you add to your list is the chief contributor to that result.?
Especially if you are launching with a new domain, it’s critical to consider your sender reputation as you build your list. These decisions will affect your business for years to come, and a poor sender reputation can take quite a long time to fix.?
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Rebuild Your List Thoughtfully
As you build your list, do not assume that just because someone subscribed to your last company’s emails that they necessarily want email from your new venture, especially if the products, services or company direction is not the same. If they have expressed or implied permission in the past (because you’ve already suppressed your past unsubscribe list!), it’s generally considered acceptable to reach out to them with one initial marketing email and let them know about your new venture. Give them the opportunity to confirm their interest to stay on your list.?
Don’t be disappointed if you don’t see a great result from that first outreach. Depending on the list, the source of the subscribers, the industry and other factors, it can sometimes be acceptable to send up to three emails to entice your past subscribers to join your new list. But be careful! If you notice unsubscribes or spam reports, you should cease email marketing efforts through your ESP before your domain is damaged.?
But All Those Great Names…??
It can be frustrating, after years of building a wonderful email list, to feel like you are abandoning your subscribers with your new venture. Know that email, while a very powerful channel, is only one channel. Your outreach strategy should include multiple channels, and you can leverage the data you’ve collected from your past business venture to create a very targeted strategy to reach your prospective buyers.?
Looking for the best ways to build your email list? We’re Mailchimp Pro Partners and email experts with more than two decades of email experience. Reach out today and find out how we can help.
?????? Executing your company's marketing strategy so you don't have to | ?? Marketing Strategist specializing in social media, blogging, and email.
2 个月Great advice, as always! ??