How to increase newsletter subscriber list ?

We have already published an article about some tips to increase your subscriber list but we focused there more on the importance that newsletters have, the benefits and the advantages, giving some pieces of advice on how to have a quality subscriber list, how to search for new subscribers and how to develop your list. In addition to that article, we try here to give some descriptions on how your newsletters should be in order for you to maintain and increase subscriber list.

Are emails still efficient?

When time seems not to be enough anymore, when all kind of activities keep our minds busy all the time and the inbox is never empty, the last thing a man would like to see is an extra e-mail. Not to mention the fact that some said that email marketing had been killed due to spam. On top of that, we might question ourselves: aren't there more clever ways of communicating online or more modern and efficient ways?

The answer is both affirmative and negative but with reference to email marketing, its power is undeniable. Marketers from all around the world who responded to a July 2007 global survey by McKinsey placed email second only to paid keywords in terms of online marketing efficiency. At the same time, a survey of over 3,000 marketers by Marketing Sherpa regarded email marketing as the strongest marketing tactic; without taking into account that it gained more votes than any other tactic for "good ROI."

Furthermore, a November/December 2007 research on B2B marketers and their spending intentions revealed that over 70% expected to increase their email marketing budget in 2008, which again underlines email marketing as a way of increasing your profit. According to the information provided, email marketing is less pricey as compared to banner ads, paid search and affiliates programs.

So, newsletters are an important means of developing your online business, therefore it is extremely important for you to know how to "sell" your newsletter. In order for you to have an "attractive" newsletter which should not be ignored by your potential buyers, there are some steps to be followed in achieving it.

Steps for your newsletter to get noticed

• Keep it short

One reason why people might not read your email is its length: too many words, too long, too much publicity. People simply do not like to scroll down much. Here is an article about why people don't scroll...emails. Also, welcome emails seem to be the most notable offenders; this is the place where copywriters and web designers tend to insert all the elements that didn't manage to the website. So, keep in mind: long emails get ignored while short emails get read.

• Easy to sign-up

Some say that the best way to get people on your list is to create an effective opt-in form on your website. An opt-in form is a sign up form on a website that asks for key pieces of info, like email address and name, for example, in return for sending the visitor something of value, like a free report or ezine subscription. What to keep in mind about the placement of the opt-in form is:
- page placement: place the opt-in form on the most important or even better on each page of the site.

- location on page: put the form on the upper right corner of a page, where it can stand out.

- opt-in benefits: offer a free material that helps the visitor solve one of the problems that he tries to find a solution for in exchange to their subscription (e-book, white paper, report).

- information to collect: do not ask too much information; just in case, remember put asterisks on your opt-in form to denote which fields are mandatory and which optional (most of the times, only their email address and name is enough).

• Always ask for permission

You must never send e-mails to persons without having asked for their permission first. Besides the courtesy, it also implies that your e-mail will definitely be read, since the sender is known and the recipient somehow expects your message. If you make the mistake of adding people to your e-mail list without having asked for their permission first, they will see your e-mail as spam and definitely will delete it and block it.

On the contrary, if you want to gain their further confidence, give them the freedom to choose the "unsubscribe" option, thus letting them know they can get off the list at any time. In this respect, the opt-in feature is a must, a feature ensuring that e-mails are not spammed and that the recipients really want your e-mails/newsletters.

But what does opt-in mean? This means that the subscriber has to sign up for the newsletter and subsequently confirm the subscription via the e-mail address they signed up with. This is a very efficient way of preventing someone from adding or subscribing without own permission or knowledge.

• Opt-in form instructions

Provide clear, step-by-step directions that indicate how subscribers can guarantee delivery of your e-mails straight to their inboxes. After subscribers complete an opt-in form on your website and click "submit", you should direct them to a page that suggests they add your e-mail address to their address book. Then, make the process simple and easy to understand - and keep people from abandoning the task due to frustration - provide specific instructions.

• Well explained/defined newsletters

People usually are very skeptical when it comes to giving their e-mail addresses and to receiving "unknown"; e-mails and most of the time newsletters end up being deleted and sent to "Trash". If you want to avoid this, you should explain people how often they are supposed to receive one via e-mail and how it should look like/what should contain. And don't forget to provide sample newsletters on your website. Thus, you gain your clients'; confidence and the reconversion rate can visibly increase.

• Short, straightforward and consistent subject lines

Do not make your subject lines seem like advertisements you'd see in a newspaper. Again, expectancy is of vital importance for the readers or receivers. When you have something to sell, it is better to have "25% off " as a subject name, rather than any other deceiving title, or worse, any other subject title that might be problematic in terms of understanding.

In a nut-shell, just describe the subject of your email and make a difference between a newsletter and a special promotion.

• Both source code and content can make the difference

Your newsletter must be worth reading. You should make it interesting, add some new valuable information to every e-mail you send, otherwise it will not be long before it is ignored or blocked. Give always your subscribers something new to look forward to.

• Keep your subscriber list for yourself only

A major mistake and a proof of unprofessionalism would be for you to share or sell your subscriber list, which obviously contains personal data of the people you contact. Your newsletter should always be accompanied by a confidentiality notice.

• Allow subscribers to forward your newsletter

Far from being considered a spam, your newsletter can be forwarded by your subscribers, therefore you should add this option at the end of your e-mail, thus increasing your chances to be seen by many other new potential subscribers.

• Regularity in e-mailing

Once you have established a certain date to send newsletters, make sure to keep to that schedule. Subscribers expect your e-mails on that specific date, and if you failed to send it, you will be perceived as unprofessional, not serious enough for this business. On the other hand, is it highly recommended not to send your newsletters every day. Usually the best option would be once a week, but also once or twice a month.

• Feed-back from time to time

You can ask your subscribers to share with you their ideas on what you could do in order to improve your newsletter, on what they would like to find out more from your e-mails. By means of such "interactivity" your subscriber will feel he matters, he is taken seriously and will be glad to give you some suggestions, which could improve your approach and your way of conceiving newsletters in the future.

Even if your newsletter is for free, the number of visitors signing up for it may not be so large. And this is because they may have had some unpleasant experiences of this kind in the past, when either their e-mail addresses had been abused or the newsletters were so annoyingly uninteresting. That is why you should take into account all the tips above when deciding to send newsletters via e-mail. Everything should be done carefully, thoroughly and respectfully.

We have mentioned before the opt-in options as modalities to enrich your mailing-list. We shall enumerate below some of the most relevant strategies to increase the opt-in list.

Steps to increase the opt-in list

1. Increase the value of the offer

Do not underestimate your customers. You must always prove them that you treat their needs with maximum of seriousness and that you are capable of creating solid professional relationships with them.

2. Take your customers' emails

Each time you sell a product, try to capture the e-mail addresses of your customers, since they will be entering their contact details on your payment pages.

3. "Members Only" section

Make sure you have a "Members Only" section on your website. Also, it would be recommendable to make it free to become a member.

4. Newsletter online promotion

Promote your Newsletter in different directories or articles, but make sure that if someone uses your article for their websites, they maintain your reference and active link within the body of the article.

5. Brand your name

Branding is an important issue, since it can make or break a business. On the other hand, branding has a psychological impact which exists and is very powerful in the customers' minds and the more recurrent it is, the more chances you have to make your brand a successful one. If you have a newsletter, design a header containing your domain name and your slogan and make sure you use this header in all issues of your newsletter.

6. Website contests

They are another very efficient way of adding value to you opt-in list. But when you choose this modality, you'd better make sure that the registration procedure is a very simple one, which does not require a lot of the subscriber's time and patience. A good way of letting people know about your contest is by means of special landing pages promoting your "Special Opportunities".

7. Avoid excessive pictures and mention your real name

Images usually trigger spam filters; not to mention, that most of the time, they are blocked anyway; conclusion: use a reasonable number of pictures and also avoid using a "From Name"; that contains letters and symbols rather than an actual name.

8. Meet the challenge response

Make sure you reply to any "challenge responses" you receive. A challenge response is an attempt to verify the sender of an e-mail and that the administration of the list is not mismanaged. When a challenge response is initiated, the sender will receive a message asking you to respond with a particular code. Simply enter the password. Doing so marks you as a responsible e-mailer and may prevent the loss of a relationship. Sometimes, managing these responses might become troublesome.

9. Get your email spam score

You could use a tool in order to foresee whether your email will be filtered by spam filters. The tool is free and is called SpamCheck. All you have to do is submitting your planned newsletter/ad/etc. (via Spam Check Form or via e-mail). In seconds, they'll return a Spam Score and recommendations on how to reduce the likelihood of your e-mail being filtered.

Never to forget !

- Only by staying in touch with your clients will you be able to make money.

- The method of capturing e-mail addresses will offer you an extra advantage extremely easy to accomplish. Once you captured the e-mail addresses, never sell it or share it with anyone else.

- Clear visibility is another key issue in this business, so ensure that the option "subscribe to newsletter" is obvious and also an easy procedure to follow.

http://www.avangate.com all rights reserved. This article was written by a Web Marketing Specialist at Avangate B.V. She has in depth knowledge of internet marketing services and website analysis applied to the software industry and e-commerce development. Avangate is an e commerce platform for electronic software distribution incorporating an easy to use and secure online payment system plus additional marketing and sales tools, such as an affiliate management system, automated cross selling options, software promotion management, software marketing services as well as consultancy on how to increase online software sales.

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