Two Reasons List Building Gets You More Sales
Email list building is one of the oldest Internet marketing techniques. It also continues to be one of the most effective and useful. This is especially true for new businesses.
How does this strategy work, and why is it so good? Let’s take a look at the reasons.
1: Authentic Usefulness
The basic idea behind effective list building is actually relationship building. It’s about establishing and building trust with your customers.
It should be contrasted with the annoying tactic of buying a list of random emails and spamming them. Instead, when a visitor is already interested in the useful content on your website, you offer to keep them engaged with more good stuff.
This is done by including a link or a form on your site that offers the visitor additional content in exchange for their email address. This gives them total freedom as to whether they wish to opt-in or not.
It’s a respectful technique. Not only that, it explains exactly what you’re going to give them, whether it’s a one-time free report they can download, or a subscription to a newsletter, or occasional deal and discount offers.
There are many possibilities. The point is that you offer them something interesting now so that you can reach them later.
2: The Power of Keeping in Touch
The reason it’s so effective is because it’s extremely rare that any online sale happens as a result of the very first visit to a website. That only happens about 2% of the time.
What makes the difference and leads to the other 98% of online sales is continuing contact. Your customer will have to come back to your site. What gets them there? If your main content is good enough, they might bookmark it for future reference.
No guarantees that they’ll remember that bookmark, though.
List building prevents that forgetfulness. By regularly sending out useful content that’s not too pushy or salesy, you keep your business top-of-mind for your potential customer.
The principle of reciprocity means that over time, they’ll be more inclined to buy from you as you continue to provide them with valued information.
Keep in mind also the value of the personal touch:
“You don’t want a huge list. You want an engaged list….the gold isn’t in the list anymore, it’s in the engagement.” (Scott Stratten)
Closing the Deal
The key with your emails is to give them just the right amount of free content. That way, recipients know that if you have such great stuff to tell them for “free” (just in exchange for an email address), then what’s for sale is definitely worth paying for when they need it.
This effect is magnified if you also maintain personal connections. If someone replies to an email you send, never let it slide; answer back!
The rest is just a question of scale. The bigger your list, the more potential customers you’re in contact with every time you write and send an email. That means more sales opportunities, faster.
Boomsourcing can help you build an effective email list strategy. We’re experts at helping businesses scale with a BOOM! To get started, contact us today.
