Email distribution lists can be a great way to stay in touch with a group of people. However, they can also be a great way to spam people’s inboxes with unwanted messages if you’re not careful.
Here’s a guide to creating an effective email distribution list and what to avoid:
- Don’t be spammy.
- Establish your target audience.
- Offer incentives.
- Be concise.
- Don’t send messages everyday.
- Segment your audience into groups.
- Allow subscribers to leave.
- Make it shareable on other platforms.
- Use a sign-up form.
- Create an opt-in form.
- Use a lead magnet.
- Use a clear and concise call-to-action list.
- Maintain a healthy list.
- Don’t buy email lists.
- Prioritize client security.
- Minimize the number of attachments.
- Update your distribution list.
Creating a distribution list is one of the most important steps in email marketing. It sends your newsletter to a list of people you have chosen, therefore increasing the effectiveness of your emails. This article outlines the dos and don’ts of creating an effective email distribution list.
1. Don’t Be Spammy
Spam emails are annoying and can get you banned from all email services. While there are reputable email newsletters, most people send out mass emails that don’t reflect the readers’ interests.
Avoid spamming by not sending further emails to prospects who unsubscribe from your email list. Wait until they contact you again before continuing with email updates. Also, concentrate on generating relevant content for your audience to keep subscribers interested in receiving updates.
2. Establish the Target Audience
Deciding who your target audience helps determine how many people should be on the distribution list. Further, it limits the type of content they should receive.
Your target audience could be anyone from a large company with multiple departments or divisions in different locations worldwide. It all depends on whom you’re trying to reach and what they want from their emails.
Send out promotional offers or discounts as you share industry news with them. Whatever it is, ensure it’s relevant and interesting enough for your readers not to unsubscribe from your list.
3. Offer Incentives
Offer incentives to get your recipients to subscribe and share their email addresses. For example, if you’re selling a product that costs $100, offer a free trial of the product for 10 days or 30 days. It gives your email subscribers time to decide whether to purchase the product at full price before committing anything.
Another way to make your discounts appealing is by offering a percentage off rather than an amount. If you’re selling a product at $100, offer 15% off instead of $15. This way, customers feel they’re getting more for their money. They also don’t feel ripped off because they might have been expecting more of a discount.
4. Be Concise
Bullet points help keep your email messages short and easy to use. Your email becomes easier to scan with the number of bullets in your message.
Use a signature at the bottom of each email for people to know who sent it and why. A signature should include contact information to make it easy for people to get back to you.
5. Don’t Send Messages Every Day
Sending an email daily is a great way to keep your recipients in the loop. Yet, it feels like you’re spamming people if you don’t have a reason to send multiple messages in a row.
If subscribers don’t receive emails, they may think they are being ignored. As such, try sending one message every two weeks instead of sending them all at once.
6. Segment Your Audience Into Groups
Segmenting your audience helps tailor your message making it easier to send information to specific groups. With a particular segmentation, subscribers’ friends and colleagues might also get your message.
Create a list of people who have indicated they have large breeds of dogs if you run a blog about dogs. It’s the best segmentation for sending emails about dog toys.
7. Allow Subscribers to Leave
Don’t bury the ‘unsubscribe’ link at the bottom of an email. Instead, place it in a header or footer so that everyone can easily find it without looking through all their emails. If you include an unsubscribe link, ensure it doesn’t have too many steps for someone who wants out.
8. Make It Shareable on Other Platforms
Make it easy for recipients to share your message with their friends, family, or customers. It’s a strategic way of increasing the number of people who see your email. Besides, it increases their likelihood of engaging with your content.
Provide clear instructions on how to share the link for users that want to pass on the message. You may include an image illustrating where they should post it.
9. Use a Sign-up Form
Now that you have a list of email addresses, it’s time to send them an email. Start by using a sign-up form on your website or blog. Also, get permission from all the people on your list before doing so.
Don’t worry about sending a boring email to get them on your list. Your first email should be designed to tell people why they should sign up. Let them know what they’ll get in return and how often they’ll receive these emails.
10. Create an Opt-In Form
An opt-in form is a website or email that asks people to sign up for your mailing list. When someone signs up, you may email them about upcoming events or products without requesting their consent. You don’t have to worry about annoying a subscriber with emails unless they specifically request it.
A smart opt-in form should be easy to find and simple for the user to fill out. It should also have a clear call-to-action that tells people what they’ll get if they sign up
11. Use a Lead Magnet
Lead magnets are a great way to collect email addresses, especially if you’re starting. Lead magnets can be free ebooks, short videos, or checklists.
A good lead magnet should be relevant to your business and target audience. They will also help you build rapport with recipients by providing them value before asking for their contact information.
12. Use a Clear and Concise Call to Action
When creating an email distribution list, ensure it’s clear and concise. It’s vital if you’re sending out mass emails where people quickly scan through the list and see what they need from you.
Include a clear call to action at the end of each email message. It can be anything from “Click here for more information” or “Download our guide right now.” The goal here isn’t getting people to open up their inboxes but inform them what they should do next with your content.
13. Maintain a Healthy List
As you’re building your list, remember that anyone on it can unsubscribe anytime. You shouldn’t send emails to people who have unsubscribed or never opened your email.
If possible, try not to send emails more than once per week. Also, ensure they’re relevant and timely so that the recipient reads them.
14. Don’t Buy Email Lists
While buying email lists might seem like a good idea, it’s a huge waste of time and money. Unscrupulous marketers take advantage of the fact that most people don’t know how to do what they do. As such, many lists out there are filled with fake or inactive email addresses from around the globe.
15. Prioritize Client Security
You don’t want to send your customers’ personal information like names or addresses over the internet. Instead, ensure that any information you add to your emails is only visible to people who have access to the email distribution list. Not by anyone else who might get their hands on it.
16. Minimize the Number of Attachments
When you send emails to your customers, they trust you with their information. While you don’t want to send sensitive files through regular email, remember those files could easily be compromised in transit.
Instead of sending attachments, use a secure method such as Dropbox or Google Drive to upload your files. This way, they would have trouble accessing the file even if someone tries to intercept your email and read its contents. And even if they access it, they won’t do anything with it unless they have your username and password.
Attachments can contain viruses, worms, and malware which can harm your customers’ computers if opened while they’re still connected to the internet.
17. Update Your Distribution List
Keep updating the list with new contact information. If any people have left their positions or retired over time, they should be removed from the list and replaced with new employees who are still in place.
Add new contacts if there has been a change in their job responsibilities or if they’ve been promoted within their company or department. The same applies to clients who have joined or left the email subscription.
Why Creating an Email Distribution List Is Important for Your Business
If you’re an email marketer, you’ve likely heard the phrase “Create an email distribution list.” Creating an email distribution list is important for your business. It’s one of the most valuable resources you could have at your disposal. This guide will explain why creating an email distribution list is important for your business and how it can help you go viral.
Converts Customers into Repeat Customers
Email marketing is a great way to keep in touch with your customers. You can send emails about new products and special offers. Emailing helps convert prospects into repeat customers by providing valuable information they may not have been aware of.
Regular mailing helps you build relationships and trust with your audience. When someone receives an email from you, they know it’s coming from someone who cares about their needs. It makes a difference when customers are deciding whether to buy something from you again in the future.
Low Cost
As a business owner, you probably already know how much it costs to market your products or services. But did you know that email marketing is a low-cost strategy?
Compared to other forms of marketing, email marketing is affordable and efficient. You don’t need an expensive team of employees or even a blog or website for this promotion. Instead, you only need a list of subscribers interested in what your company offers.
It allows businesses to start small but grows as they go along through word-of-mouth referrals from satisfied customers. Clients refer others because they love what they see on their screens.
Tracks Email Performance
Tracking the performance of your emails is important to know how well your email marketing efforts are working. You can use different online tools to track click-through rates, unsubscribes and bounce rates. The tools are essential in identifying problems with deliverability or tracking of emails.
Improves Return on Investment
A good email distribution list can be used for various purposes besides keeping in touch with clients. It can facilitate ongoing communications between departments and even staff members. Also, it ensures you’re always connecting with new people who may be interested in your products or services.
This technology assists you maximize your ROI by ensuring your marketing efforts are a good use of time and result in better outcomes.
Provide a Steady Stream of Leads
Email marketing allows you to build relationships with your customers over time. The best part about using an email list is that it provides your business with steady leads. These include customers interested in your products or services and potential clients who have recently shown interest in your product or service.
Easy to Set Up
If you’re new to email marketing, setting up a distribution list is straightforward. You need to provide the name of the list and a way for people to join it. Also, choose whether they want to receive notifications when you send them emails.
The next step is getting ready to send your first email, which takes a few minutes at most. You can also look into a hosted solution, which will allow you to send emails without worrying about setting up a server.
Final Thoughts
Email marketing is an effective and affordable way to promote your business. It’s also great to get the word about your brand or product before it even hits the market. While many ways exist to create a well-targeted email distribution list, recipients will only open relevant emails. It is critical not only to have multiple lists for different types of recipients but also to offer a means for people who receive your emails to contact you.