Email marketing is one of the best ways for financial advisors to connect with clients and prospects. But to get results from your efforts, you need to make email list building a priority. In this post, I look at how to build your email marketing list.
Building your email list
Previously, buying email lists was a common practice and could be effective, but not now. Buying an email list is a waste of money and time. The leads are often outdated, and because people are more and more protective of their inbox, they are likely to mark your messages as spam.
There are a number of best practices you should follow when building an email list. Most importantly, be respectful of people’s wishes and follow regulation guidelines, but don’t be shy about pursuing subscribers.
Start by adding your clients to your email list. This will help to keep you top – of-mind with them and, as long as you’re providing valuable information, it will also give them something they can easily forward to their friends.
While you are adding clients to your list, you might be tempted to add people in your network to your email list as well. Unless they have given you their permission, stop and resist the temptation. Not only can it be a turnoff because people don’t like receiving email they didn’t sign up for, but adding subscribers without their permission can result in getting your email account shut down and lead to hefty penalties.
When networking for your business or attending events, keep email list building in mind.
Whenever you meet someone, have a conversation and make a connection, ask for their business card. Let them know you have a newsletter that you want to send them and ask if they would like to receive it. Alternatively, you can follow up with them after the event with a personal email and invite them to join your newsletter list in that email.
If you are speaking, putting on a seminar or workshop, or if you have a sponsorship or table at an event, make email list building part of your strategy. Ask people to write their name and email on a sign-in list, drop their business card in a bowl, or have them sign up by text or on your website on the spot. You can offer something like a free report, the slides from your talk, or simply invite them to your newsletter. Most importantly, make sure you have permission to add them to your list.
Add opt-in forms to your website
One of the most effective ways to build your email list is online. Display prominent opt-in forms on your website, making it easy and compelling for web visitors to subscribe. Include opt-in boxes on your homepage, as well as on every other page on your site – in the header, footer, or sidebar – so it can’t be missed.
Offer a giveaway, such as a free report, worksheet, or e-book that they can download immediately in exchange for signing up for your newsletter. As you make progress with your email list building efforts, you can include additional resources, such as giveaways related to the content on particular pages or specific blog posts.
I hope that you’ve found this blog post on how to build your email marketing list useful.
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