How to Build Your Email Database

Email marketing is not dead.

If email marketing is not a BIG part of your marketing strategy in 2022 - that is something you need to change and quickly. 

Why? Here are two of the biggest reasons:

• Organic reach on social media is only a few % at best. On email it can be between 10-20%
• It is an ‘owned’ resource. While Facebook can change their rules, platform and features at a moments notice, you always have your email database and can keep speaking to that community forever

I know you might have a small list, a list you haven’t contacted for a while or you want to do this better this year, so thought I’d share some of my top tips for building your email database.

If you do have a database, but you haven’t contacted them in a while. I recommend working out where the emails came from (check you have permission to contact them) and segment them into groups as best you can. Separate donors from volunteers from customers. Use a CRM (customer management tool) to tag and separate them so you can tailor your messages. 

Make sure the first 3-5 emails that go to this group are pure value add. So things that are useful, interesting or beneficial for your audience before you consider asking for anything or talking about yourself.

If you want to grow your database, there are lots of cool ways to do that. Again, it’s all about giving people value. They are trading their contact information for something they find valuable and the trust that what you will continue to send them will be valuable.

• Run a free webinar teaching something
• Host an event or conference
• Write a lead magnet - a document that is really valuable to your target market and put it on your website for free.
• Take a video you’ve recorded before, a Facebook live, a class or training and add it as a download on your website
• Make it easy to subscribe. Add a button or pop up to your website, inviting people to join your community (database)
• Encourage subscribers to forward your emails to other people
• Run a competition
• Promote your community subscription on your social media channels
• Add a link to subscribe to your Instagram bio
• Create a partnership with an organisation that has a similar audience to you that will drive traffic and subscriptions back to you

P.S. If you want to learn more about How to Kick Start Your Email Marketing, I have a 1-hour Lunch & Learn class coming up that you can join for just $50. Check it out now.