10 Great Tips to Build Your E-Mail Marketing List

1. Place a sign-up form prominently on your web page. This should be visible on the first screen without having to scroll down. Use graphics to draw attention to this form. Ideally, you will want a subscription form on every page of your site.
2. Offer incentives for signing up. The incentive can be simple and inexpensive, and most important should appeal to your target market. Would they be more interested in a free whitepaper, a coupon, or a free music download?
3. Don’t ask for too much information. We need to balance our need for data with the customers need for privacy. Ask for name, phone, e-mail, and address, but only require name and e-mail. Some businesses may want to require more date, but must realize that this is at the expense of losing some subscribers.
4. Incorporate the sign-up link into your e-mail signature. You may also want to include this in your employee e-mail signatures.
5. Send Postcards. Postcards are an inexpensive way to collect e-mails for contacts you only have street addresses for. Include an enticement to get them to your website and sign up.
6. Use Social Media to promote your sign-up form. Facebook, Twitter, Linked In etc. are great places to encourage sign-ups.
7. Ask for subscriptions during on-line check out.
8. Collect Business Cards at tradeshows or vendor exhibits. Attendees can be some of your most qualified buyers. Typically they have bought a ticket to attend, and they are there for a purpose.
9. Host Workshops and Webinars. Better yet, partner with another business to double attendance. Attendees that sign up for a workshop and/ or webinar have a high level of commitment and will typically provide more information that the average opt-in requestor.
10. Most Importantly - Pick up the phone. Call all of your contacts and ask them if they would like to start receiving your e-mail newsletter. This is a great opportunity to reconnect in the electronic age, and you might just pick-up a client or sale during the process.

Amanda Wodzenski is a regular blogger for the WSBA, and the owner of CRMastermind, a consulting company that specializes in CRM and e-mail marketing for Small Business. Visit her blog Your SmallBiz Technocoach.