Every so often, email marketing gets a bad rap; perhaps its small business owners getting all whipped about social media marketing as the “next great marketing platform” and thinking that email marketing is dead.
But, one thing is certain. Email marketing works. However, like any marketing platform, it has rules and regulations that must be followed for optimal success.

One of the most basic premises underlying a successful email campaign is a strategy dubbed by marketing extraordinaire, Seth Godin, called “Permission Marketing.”  In a nutshell, you can ONLY email folks who have given you absolute permission to email them. Basicallyyou’re your prospects haven’t opted into a form on your website, you shouldn’t be emailing them.

So, in today’s strict email environment, how can you entice prospects to sign up for you list?

Here are a few ways to find new subscribers and build a powerful list of hot prospects:

1. Ask your current customers, family and friends to sign up for your newsletter. That’s right; you never know where your next customer will come from.

2. Insert a “Sign Up For Our Ezine” box on your homepage and a link to your ezine archives.

3. Promote your ezine on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and your blog.

4. Include a “teaser” to sign up for your ezine on your business card. (Never forget to use your business card as a 24-7 marketing tool.)

5. Hold a contest for your employees, customers and clients to see who can bring in the most sign-ups. (There’s nothing like a contest to bring on a healthy and hearty competition.)

6. Offer a free report, downloadable ebook, audio, webinar or other valuable offer in exchange for your prospect’s name and email address.

7. Allow your prospects, customers and clients to select their preferences in order to receive laser-targeted emails from you.
Obviously, an email list filled with prospects that have given you explicit permission to contact them is the only way to exist in today’s competitive small business environment. So, make a point to entice your prospects  to give you that coveted permission.

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This entry was posted on Friday, July 30th, 2010 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Email Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.