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E-newsletters and other e-mail marketing is a cost effective way to develop relationships with your contacts, introduce new products, and to brand yourself as an expert. Since “spamming” is a no-no, you gotta grow your e-mail list somehow…here are several ways!

Steps

1. Keep your e-mails informative, not just advertisements. Answer: “What’s in it for them? How can I educate them?” Less is more: E-mail newsletter articles should be less than 300 words, or have a “more” link (to your website).
2. Stop regretting the past: Send former customers a postcard inviting them to subscribe. And now, start asking for their e-mail addresses. Be sure to add your potential future customers.
3. Remember all the people who said “no” or “not for now”? Keep ‘em in your loop; they should be updated and reminded continually. If you don’t have their e-mail address, re-connect with them. Or send them a personal letter (or postcard) about your newsletter. Position yourself as an expert by sending prospects your newsletter.
4. Be sure to grab business cards at parties, professional and social. Notice whether they have an e-mail address on it. If not, ask: “Is there a good way to keep in contact by e-mail?”
5. Make sure your website has an easy way to grab your visitors’ e-mail addresses; the form box can be labeled as ‘E-mail Updates’ or ‘Free Newsletter.’ (Be sure to remind them that you won’t sell or share their e-mail addresses.) Offer your e-newsletter in all your communication collaterals. Your e-mails should have an easy (and encouraging) “Send-to-a-Friend” forward button (a.k.a. “viral marketing”). Passively invite and remind through your e-mail signature.
6. Add all your colleagues from your current position, and friends from your former positions. Ask them to forward your e-mail to those who’d find your information relevant. Don’t have their e-mail addresses? Call them up to re-ignite the relationship, or send them a postcard about your newsletter.
7. Add your vendors, suppliers, and those who prospect you to your e-mail list. Also, don’t forget about your family’s doctors and other personal service providers. They won’t say no to their customer!
8. Offer to send your colleagues e-newsletters to your list, or to include their tidbits And then ask if they would reciprocate. Swapping lists may constitute spamming – you can ask your friend to write a brief foreword endorsing you (make it simple for them to opt-out).
9. Take advantage of member lists. You can get much more out of chambers of commerce than just member directories, but it is a quick way to build your e-mail list. “Dear fellow member,” while ineffective, at least shows you’re not a blatant spammer. If you send an e-newsletter, be sure to add an un-subscribe or opt-out link. Coupled with a business relationship, adding their addresses to your list is a great way to cultivate business.
10. Hang around blogs and website forums. Again, stealing addresses – or sending members unsolicited e-mails – is technically spam. But through networks like LinkedIn, Craigslist, MySpace, etc., you can privately ask if they’d like to receive your newsletter. You can also publicly notify special interest forums about your free newsletter. Again, the more informative your “e-Value Proposition” is, the better the response will be.
11. Seize upon CC’s. This is controversial, but friend of a friend… should be your friend, on your list. When you get e-mails publicly displaying other people’s addresses, don’t simply add them to your newsletter list (this would still be spam). You should introduce yourself to them, and ask if they’d like to receive your newsletter. Make sure the introduction is personal, private, or at least BCC the other e-mail addresses!
12. Don’t forget your professional neighbors: the businesses in the next suite, office, store, and around your block. Hopefully, e-mail solicitation isn’t the only reason you want to get to know your neighbors. But this ulterior motive can help you develop relationships with those you’re around everyday. Likewise, your e-newsletter can be the impetus to reacquaint yourself with old friends from school. And of course, add your family and friends to your list; go ahead and “spam ‘em!”

Tips

• The best and easiest way to grow your email list is to use a free email search. You have to target carefully your search to any website that has your potenial customers.

• Keep your e-mails informative, not just an advertisement. Answer: “What’s in it for them? How can I educate them?” Less is more: E-mail newsletter articles should be less than 300 words, or have a “more” link (to your website).

Warnings

• Remember: any unsolicited e-mail to strangers is considered junk mail, or “spam.” You won’t need to spam if you take advantage of all these ways:

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