Why go organic?
The bottom line is that organic email list building is the only way to effectively grow an engaged subscribership. It is the only way.
Renting or purchasing lists is old school, irrelevant and unnecessary, especially in our technologically advanced marketing age. And as we've mentioned previously, buying said lists is a 1960s crutch that was only appropriate for the oyster and three martini lunches crowd of Madison Ave.
Why Go Organic?
Prevents Telemarketer Syndrome
Primarily, you're avoiding what we like to call "telemarketer syndrome," a plague that has yet to be wiped from all marketing strategy playbooks. You may recognize the symptoms as spam.
That, essentially, is today's answer to telemarketing. Unwanted contact, regardless of the form it takes, is digital stalking. Let your customers come to you.
Builds Customer Trust
Buying or renting lists violates this implicit trust between customer and company. Essentially, with organic email list building, you're building that trust. They asked to hear from you. That's has to mean something.
Implicit in this newly minted trust is engagement: your subscribers are willing, eager and excited to hear what you have to say.
Reinforces Online Marketing Strategy
Organically grown email lists are a direct reflection of how effective your total online marketing strategy is. Whatever you're putting out there on the web is intriguing and enticing enough that customers want to know more about your company and what you offer.
If you end up buying customer lists because no one is opting in on your online channels that means that you need to immediately revisit your strategy. Clearly, it isn't working or effective, and buying a customer list won't fix that.
Prevents Email List Fatigue
There is a sweet spot in email list building, where the balance of unsubscribes ought to be equal to or less than the number of new opt-ins. Sure, everyone experiences unsubscribes for a variety of reasons, but the ultimate slap in the face to any marketing strategy is the unsubscribes resulting from email list fatigue.
Now, if your eye is always on growing your list organically, this (hopefully) means that you're continuously offering relevant content and are responsive to your subscribers.
How to Grow Organic Email Lists
- Email sign-up form prevalent on your website, social media sites and other online channels
- Clearly outline the benefits for signing up
- Ensure your subscribers that you'll keep their information private and will not sell it to the highest bidder
- Offer a variety of email frequency options (daily, weekly, monthly)
- Offer a variety of emails (promotions, news, white papers, webinars)
- Ensure that you'll respect subscribers' email preferences and frequency
- Ensure that your email opt-in form is quick and simple, and if you want more information about them, keep it optional
Watch for more tips on email marketing, Twitter, autoresponders and other online strategies in future blogs.