How To Get More Email Subscribers While Cutting Spam

It is a dilemma many small business owners and nonprofit executives face. How do you gain more subscribers to your email list without spamming people? It is so tempting to search websites and look for contact email addresses, borrow a list from a friend or purchase a list online. Not only is spamming illegal, it can ruin your business and cause you to loose sales.

The CAN-SPAM Act, signed into law into 2003, sets strict rules for business-related emails. Defined by the law as “any electronic mail message the primary purpose of which is the commercial advertisement or promotion of a commercial product or service,” the CAN-SPAM Act applies to all emails sent for business purposes. CAN-SPAM Act rules include avoiding deceptive header information, subject lines and telling recipients where you are located. Businesses must also allow recipients to opt-out of email communications and honor those opt-out requests within 10 business days.

While it may seem difficult to grow an email list without utilizing spam, it is actually quite simple if you use the right small business marketing and nonprofit marketing tactics. Here are four ways to get more email subscribers while cutting spam:

1. Ask for Email Addresses at Checkout: When someone purchases your product or service, give them the opportunity to join your email list right then and there.

2. Include a Sign up Form on Your Website: Make it easy for people to join your email list by including simple, easy-to-join forms on your website. Place them on pages commonly visited or in the sidebar.

3. Place a Sign up Form in Your Office or Showroom: Allow people to join your list by simply jotting down their email address while visiting your office, store or showroom. Don’t have a physical location? Give a presentation to a local networking group and pass around a sign up form.

4. Offer a Discount or Free E-book for Joining Your Email List: Give 20 percent off of a purchase or offer a free e-book explaining best practices in your industry for new subscribers to your email list. Remember to include valuable, informative content in your e-book so subscribers see you as an authority in your field.

There is no need to have a list of 10,000 email addresses if only 10 people on the list are actually interested in your product or service. Not only will people mark your emails as spam, so many might report you that you end up losing the ability to send e-blasts completely. Growing an email list is simple and allows you to target leads who are actually interested in your products or services. Follow the steps above or create other unique ways to encourage people to opt-in to your email list. A small, clean email list filled with possible customers is much better than a gigantic, dirty list with people only interested in hitting delete when they see your name come through their email server.