A dwindling database has more to do with people changing jobs (and with it email addresses), or neglecting their personal email accounts, and on rare occasions, opting out of a mailing list. But there are ways of not only enhancing your database, but ensuring longevity of interest, and continued subscription.
Here are some tips and tricks to enhance your list of contacts, that actually want to hear from you.
Social media
Providing good content across your social media platforms is a sure-fire way of gaining new subscribers, especially if you frequently provide valuable, useful content for free download. These can include guides and free resources (think about all the blogs that offer free printables on Pinterest).
Adding social links to your sites will prompt visitors to sign up to exclusive content or receive your marketing campaigns. The campaigns and competitions that are run on social media should provide content and also entice contacts to sign up to your database.
Campaigns
Build targeted campaigns for your new and prospective contacts by interacting with your contact base, run polls to learn about the things that interest them. The result will be a better understanding of the type of content your subscribers expect from you. Send reminders to your existing database, and encourage them to engage, and encourage them to opt-in to your mailing list again. This ensures that your current contacts want to continue receiving your content.
Adding a share button on your email will motivate your subscribers to send it to others that might be interested.
We recommend running a welcome campaign for your new subscribers to let them know what they can expect from you and also establish if there is something specific that they are looking for. Once you know what they want, you can personalise your marketing messages to them from their responses.
Multiple subscription forms
Another way to increase your database is to create multiple subscription forms across your social media platforms, stating clearly what your subscribers are agreeing to. This can be done by utilising a pop-up form on your website, this will elicit every visitor to subscribe to your list.
Develop a subscription button on your website. Add a link to your blog that encourages readers to sign up to your marketing list.
People respond well to competitions, run a few throughout the year, where the entry requirement is to sign up to your email or SMS marketing list.
New content
And finally, content is king, so make sure that you keep your current subscribers engaged with new content. People are always looking for ways to improve their businesses and themselves, they react well to blog posts or white papers that talk about tricks and tips. Providing such content will make your subscribers trust you as well as your emails, resulting in higher opens.
Vera Romano is marketing manager for Everlytic.
