Five simple ways of collecting email addresses

Have your efforts to grow your customer database been half-hearted of late? Have you taken your foot off the pedal when it comes to collecting new customer contact details? If the answer is yes, then you’re not alone. So we thought we’s share with you our five simple ways of collecting email addresses.

In my experience, many businesses lose momentum after an initial push to gather customer data. Some even ask me for how long should they go on collecting customer details.

The truth is you should never stop collecting customer email addresses. Many people change their email addresses when they move jobs while others choose to opt out of receiving your email content. Some people even keep an email address exclusively for marketing content – and rarely, if ever, look at it.

What does this mean for your business? Well, your customer database will continue to shrink until you eventually reach nobody.

Collecting customer email addresses should be second nature to every business and given the same level of importance as stock taking and keeping on top of the accounts. Fresh addresses should be continually added so you never run out of an audience.

For most businesses, customer email addresses are the route to future sales and no company can afford to neglect them. The challenge is acquiring them.

Consumers have become marketing savvy and will only give away their personal email address if they have a true desire to receive content from the business. Many have come up with innovative ways to avoid receiving junk mail (such as the junk mail address they provide to everyone).

If you’re struggling for inspiration, then the tips below will help you to entice your customers to leave their personal email address – and come back for more!

It’s a true fact that nothing is likely to convince a customer to sign up for your email content more than a free offer. This can be a money-off coupon, a loyalty scheme or a free e-book or whitepaper. Giving something away will help you to reach a wider audience than might have otherwise captured but to keep these onboard your future content needs to be captivating.

The benefit of adding a sign-up call to action on your Facebook page, blog or on LinkedIn is the fact that you’re making life easier for people interested in what you have to say. Visitors to your pages might not bother to hunt around on your website to sign-up for your newsletter but they could be convinced if it’s right in front of them.

Tap into the audience of some of your business network to attract fresh customer email addresses. Affiliate companies and businesses offering services which compliment your own offering will have the most valuable pool of customers to draw upon.

There’s little point in collecting email addresses of people who have no need for your service. A good way of reaching the right audience is to be present at industry events and tradeshows which are specific to your line of work. Visitors will be in the ‘active phase’ of sourcing information.

One of the best ways of doing this is to include a ‘share with friends’ on your email content and on your website/blogs. This will make it easier for your subscribers’ networks to opt-in to your list.

There are many more ways to grow your email address list. The important point that I’ve hopefully managed to convey during the course of this blog is that you remain motivated to gathering new contact addresses. Standing still isn’t an option.