Why your business needs a mailing list

Do you want to grow your brand and increase sales of your products or services? When used correctly email marketing is one of the most popular and effective marketing tools your business can use.  

Here I explain why all businesses big and small in any industry can benefit from a mailing list and I also provide some free email marketing software solutions to help get you started.  

What is email marketing? 

Email marketing is a marketing channel that uses email to promote your products or services as well as any promotions, sales announcements, news updates, new blog posts etc. To do this effectively you can use email marketing software like Mailchimp, Mailerlite, Drip or AWeber. These systems collect email addresses (subscribers) who you can them email from within the system.

What’s important here is that these subscribers have given permission for you to contact them by completing an online form. Remember you can’t add your own contacts to your mailing list as this would go against GDPR legislation. 

Why your email list could become a valuable marketing tool 

Email is one of the most effective marketing tools your business can use as it has the ability to build relationships and create trust which in turn can boost conversion rates and create sales. Here are some other benefits for your business: 

1. You own your email list – unlike Facebook, Instagram etc you control your mailing list. What happens to all your contacts if your Instagram account is closed? 
2. Direct to their inbox – social media is a busy place and your post about a new product, or an offer can easily be missed. Some of your potential customers might not even use social media.  
3. Email is personal – unlike social media, email is personal. Consistently sent emails not only remind people that your business exists, but it also provides people with the opportunity to ask questions which they might not do on social media.  
4. Drive traffic to your website – you can add links in your emails to certain pages of your website like you blog, testimonials and case studies.   
5. The stats speak for themselves – According to Campaign Monitor there were 174% more conversions generated by email marketing than social media. 
6. Create a remarketing list – Using Google Analytics and Google Ads you can add visitors from your email marketing campaigns that did not make a purchase or turn into a lead and run specific offer ads to entice them back to complete the sale.   

Choosing your software 

There are numerous email marketing software systems to choose from and it can be overwhelming selecting which is the most appropriate for your business. If you're new to email marketing and you are on a tight budget software like Mailchimp or Mailerlite are a great option as they offer free plans.  

As you build your mailing list you may want to upgrade to a more powerful system that allows you to have more subscribers, send more emails and create segmented lists for more targeted email campaigns. They also offer more in-depth analytics which is essential when AB testing and some systems can be integrated with software such as Shopify and WooCommerse providing a powerful personalised online shopping experience.  

Growing your email list 

Once you have chosen your software the next step is to grow your email list. For some this process can be quick depending on your product or service, whilst for others this will take time. There are many ways to do this including: 

1. Create an opt-in form on your website – all email marketing software, even free options, provide you with the option to create an opt-in form which can be posted on your website either as a pop up or as a ‘sign-up’ button. 
2. Create a landing page – some of the software options allow you to create landing pages. These are standalone web pages that provide signup forms. They are useful if you want to segment your subscribers.
3. Advertise on social media – your opt-in form will come with a link which you can post on your social media channels either in your bio or as posts. Facebook has the option of adding a signup button. 
4. Lead Magnets – offering a free guide, ebook or templates are great ways to encourage people to sign up to your mailing list.  

In a busy online world that sometimes feels dominated by algorithms, your mailing list is your chance to be seen.  

Whether you’re a new small business selling products or an established B2B company, your email list is an excellent way to build relationships, create trust, reward loyal customers, communicate your news, promotions, get feedback and drive traffic to your website.