List size, both increasing and maintaining your list, is a hot topic in the wonderful world of email marketing.
Why? Well, at the end of the day, your company’s CEO is probably not as concerned with engagement (though he should be) as he is with the size of his list. To him, each email record on that list represents a dollar sign. If his list numbers begin to droop, your job could be on the line.
For those email marketers out there begging for some list saving tips, look no further!
Top 5 Ways to Increase & Retain Your Subscriber List
MarketingSherpa’s 2009 Email Marketing Benchmark Guide (note: this is a PDF) included a survey that listed ways to increase and retain your opt-ins. In order of importance, here are the top 5 responses:
- Guarantee to not share their address with other companies
- Offer special pricing for email subscribers
- Allow subscribers to customize how frequently they receive emails
- Allow recipients to customize the information they receive
- Give subscribers the first look at new products and services
That’s right— the best way to get a new subscriber and keep an old subscriber (according to 1,400 email subscribers nationwide) is to keep their information sacred. This applies to list sharing AND third party marketing. You may think you can get more bang for your buck by allowing third parties to advertise their products to your list; you may even actually see increased revenue initially. However, over time, your list size will decrease so greatly that you won’t even come close to your long term revenue goals.
Ditch your bad email practices and put these tips into action! Below are 5 examples of diligent email marketers who have done so, and are successful with their strategy and implementation.
1. Guarantee to not share their address with other companies
Blue Sky Factory (shameless company pride) does a great job of this. Potential subscribers will see our privacy pledge clearly stated at the bottom of our opt-in form. (Click image to enlarge)
Blue Sky Factory: Privacy Note
2. Offer special pricing for email subscribers
Borders always includes a hefty discount in their email communications. An avid reader is sure to stay on the Borders list, as their track record proves they are dedicated to delivering deals to the inbox.
Borders: Special Pricing
3. Allow subscribers to customize how frequently they receive emails
Williams-Sonoma gives recipients the option to update their preferred frequency at any time. Users can choose to receive one email per week, semi-weekly emails or one email per month. I have personally tested each setting and found that Williams-Sonoma abides by the request and in a timely fashion.
Williams-Sonoma: Frequency Preferences
4. Allow recipients to customize the information they receive
Blue Sky Factory client Edison Research fulfills this requirement by giving users an option to choose which specific distributions they would like to receive.
Edison Research: Distribution Choices
5. Give subscribers the first look at new products and services
Email marketers: be informative! Add value by letting your subscribers be the “first to know”. In the example below, Apple gave recipients easy access to pre-order or reserve the iPad.
Apple: First Look For Subscribers
If you want to build your list or simply keep it from shrinking, work with your client service manager at Blue Sky Factory – or your ESP – to follow the 5 guidelines above. It’s just that simple.
Lindsay Clark
Senior Client Service Manager, Blue Sky Factory
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For more email marketing tips & tricks, subscribe to our 52 Email Marketing Tips. A tip will be delivered to your inbox every week for a year!
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