What would happen if LinkedIn suspended your account today? If Instagram banned your profile? If Google significantly reduced the reach of your content?
The common problem with all these situations is that you don’t own your content. Once you publish a post, the algorithm decides its impact and can drive your business.
When you send an email to your audience, you own the content, and you know exactly who will receive it. It’s up to you to produce campaigns that persuade your audience.
To do this, you will need to successfully collect your prospects’ email addresses. Here are 6 ideas to help you do in the process:
- Opt-in
- Natural collection
- Co-registration
- Co-sponsoring
- Social networks
- Events
Optin: The foundation of your collection
It’s a fact: Every contact in your database must be opt-in.
An opt-in contact gives their explicit and informed consent to receive emails.
Optin has one major advantage: your contacts are qualified when they enter to your database. As a result, your statistics will be significantly improved.
CNIL: the legal obligation
This technique is widely promoted in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the CNIL (French data protection authority) because it respects your audience’s data.
Therefore, it is no surprise for your contacts when they receive your emails because they’ve given their consent first.
Your prospects may be reluctant to give their e-mail address to a company.
So give them a good reason to do so. Offer them something of value in exchange for their e-mail address, such as a free e-book, online training or a discount on their next purchase.
By doing this, you will not only succeed in getting their e-mail address, but you’ll also have started to build a trusting relationship with them, which will encourage them to return to your website.
If you want to know more about the 5 legal obligations for databases, we explain it in here
Natural collect
This is the technique with the less amount of complaints. Basically, you propose the subscription to a newsletter or to a program directly from your website.
It usually appears as a pop-up. Whether this collect method is very qualitative, the drawback is that it takes longer.
Co-registration, the favorite among monetization agencies to collect email addresses
Co-registration is when you are able to send messages by email after filling in a form that isn’t yours.
It often takes the form of a checkbox with specific steps.
- Registration for a contest,
- Subscribe to one of your partners’ newsletters
- Create an account..
Beforehand, the service or brand is clearly introduced, and subscribing to receive messages is free and transparent.
Compared to other methods, this is a more attractive, clearer and restrictive to unsubscribes and complaints during the first few emails compared to others.
And that’s why it’s also more expensive than its equivalent, co-sponsoring.
Co-sponsoring, a fast-track option to collect email addresses
Co-sponsoring often involves subscribing to a contest to win a prize from a well-known brand.
A certain number of advertisers/sponsors partner with this contest and automatically receive the addresses that have signed up for it.
This type of collection can result in the acquisition of a large volume of e-mail addresses.
However, the drawback of co-sponsoring is that it generates more complaints and unsubscribes during the first campaign, due to “misunderstanding” by contest participants.
This is because people may not realize that they have subscribed to several databases. But this method is relatively inexpensive compared to others, as it is less qualitative.
This is why your opt-in message to confirm registration must be very clear:
- In what context did the subscriber register
- What they will receive
- How often
- We strongly recommend adding a call to action
Social networks to target your current audience
Social networks are a simple and practical way of boosting your e-mail list and getting e-mail addresses.
By regularly posting links to your registration form on your social network accounts, you can reach a wide audience and increase your subscriber database.
Create a landing page that persuade them to follow you on this new channel. Remember to use the data you already have from your social network statistics.
By encouraging your subscribers to sign up with special incentives such as exclusive discounts or free content, you increase your chances of success.
Pro tip: tailor your messages to each social network to grab your audience’s attention.
Events: Prove your expertise to collect email addresses
Whether it’s a trade conference or a workshop, you can ask attendees to subscribe to your email list in exchange for exclusive access to content or special offers.
If you rely on events to build up your database, there are a few rules to remember:
- Simplify registration: Provide a clear, visible form that participants can easily fill in. Make sure the form is accessible and easy to find.
- Encourage: Like social networking, give participants a reason to subscribe to your e-mail list. Offer exclusive content, discounts or early access to new products or services.
- Customize your message: Tailor your message to the event and the specific audience. Use the right tone for your audience to attract participants to your exhibition space or presentation.
- Post-event preparation: Keep track of attendees who have subscribed to your email list. Send them a welcome email thanking them for their interest. Explain in detail the emails they’ll be receiving: how often, how long and what content.
Mindbaz team tip: Select your best-performing campaigns. Collect them and share them as a link in your welcome email.
By using events to collect email addresses, you can build a strong and committed subscriber base for your business. So consider attending or organizing events to grow your email list and strengthen your relationship with your target audience.
Now that you’ve defined your collection strategy, the real work has just begun…
Now It’s up to you to find the right subjects, make sure your messages appeal to your audience and get your contacts to open and click!
Don’t panic, we’ve already published a set of contents to help you:
4 popular beliefs about Gmail deliverability
+130 spam words that will help you boost your email deliverability in 2022
