Promoting your business by email can be a powerful and flexible form of direct marketing. You can communicate your messages quickly and cheaply, in a targeted way.
The first step to e-marketing is to build an email list. This is not about quantity but quality, as you want to send relevant information to people who are interested and are going to open your emails.
Please be aware that you must obtain consent before sending an email. It is illegal to send unsolicited email messages. So include an opt-in box when recruiting people to your database.
Ways in which to build your database include:
- When encouraging people to sign up to your mailing list, think about why they would want to do this and what benefit they would get. Maybe you will give them early notice of events, special discounts, or new information.
- Start with your existing customers, as they are more likely to be interested in receiving the latest news from your business.
- Run competitions or incentives to encourage people to supply their contact details and opt-in.
- Include a mailing list sign-up option in all your marketing activity, and add a data capture form on your website.
Make sure you keep this database up-to-date; if people want to unsubscribe, or the email is undelivered due to a wrong address, you need to amend the database accordingly.
For further hints and tips on how to stay in touch with your customers via email see VisitEngland's Online Marketing Toolkit
