What’s the first thing you do when someone unsubscribes from your email list?
 
Do you curse? Wonder what went wrong? Blame them for being a big ole meanie? Well, you really shouldn’t let it get to you. Don’t go sulking around the office because of a little bit of contact turnover—unsubscribes are a good thing.

Not everyone is into your content

And that’s OK. In fact, it’s better that way. The more diverse your email list, the harder it is to understand what they consider valuable. When you understand that your target persona is unique, you’ll realize that those people that unsubscribe just don’t fit into that mold. You simply can’t please everyone.

Unsubscribes boost your conversion rates

Why would you want someone on your list if they never open your emails? They are just dead weight keeping you from hitting your goals. Instead of trying to keep people on your list, focus on reaching new contacts that actually open your emails and click on links to take their place.

They keep you on your toes

Unsubscribes give you the challenge you need to create really great content. If your content gets stale, having your contacts jump ship might give you the motivation to pay more attention and get back on your game.
 
If your contact churn is getting out of control, don’t hesitate to do some research to figure out why. Send out a survey to your contacts and ask them what they like and don’t like about their content. Give them the opportunity to let you know what challenges they are facing and what type of content they would like to receive in their inbox.
 
Be honest and helpful with everything you post and understand that the web and your audience will change at a rapid rate. And most importantly, don’t cry over your unsubscribes.

Sometimes it seems as though email marketing gained most of its reputation before the days of social media. For a lot of business owners, the term “email marketing” conjures visions of bad clipart and awkwardly placed images, alongside blurbs of content outlining everything that happened in their business that month. But the ways in which we use email marketing have evolved quite a bit in the past 15 years, and it is still one of the best ways to reach your contacts.
 

Your email marketing strategy does not have to revolve around monthly e-newsletters. As long as the people on your list have opted in and want to hear from you, then you are free to get creative and have a little fun with your communication. Here are a few points about email marketing that you should practice, and some that you really don’t have to practice.

Make Sure it’s Email-worthy

What is email-worthy, other than an awkward hyphenated phrase I just coined? If something noteworthy happens or you have some information that you would shout to a room full of people on your list—that’s email-worthy. This information would be something they appreciate hearing and are glad to have heard it from you. Before you compose your email, have this email-worthy communication in mind.
 

Have a goal

This is the most important piece to every email you send out. You need to have a purpose and a goal. It could be to get more traffic to your site, or to get a certain amount of people to fill out a form or redeem an offer. No matter what, you can’t measure the success of an email campaign without having a bar set somewhere first.
 

They don’t have to be timed out

You don’t have to write and send an email every second Tuesday of the month. If deadlines help you complete your tasks, then by all means set a deadline. But don’t let that deadline sabotage the authenticity of your communication. If you get it done before then, or need to push back an email, you can rest assured that no one will notice.
 

You don’t have to include everything

Try your best to keep your emails short and sweet. If your subscribers can read and act on your email in less than a minute then there’s a much better chance of them following through. Really think about it from their perspective and only include what they would love to hear, instead of all the things that you would love to tell them.
 

Get Creative

Especially with your subject line. One of my biggest pet peeves is when I get an email with a subject line that reads “August 2015 Newsletter: blah blah blah.” It doesn’t really say blah blah blah but that’s what I hear in my head after such a giant lack of creativity. Research shows that subject lines that are 5 words or less, are questions, or are just really funny and creative get opened. Boring stuff doesn’t.
 

Listen to your audience

If you can manage it, go through your replies or even encourage people’s thoughts on your email campaign. The email is for them after all, it would be worth it to hear what they think in their own words. Also, I find that once I hear from my subscribers, whether it’s in a comment or in an email reply, it’s easier to write for them. They are no longer just an email address, but an actual person that I’m speaking to.
 
Above all, you need to understand that the world of email marketing, and inbound marketing in general, is a marathon and not a sprint. With every piece of great content you put out there, you are building up your reach and your connections, and building a solid foundation of communication for your business. So, keep at it, and have some fun!
 

How awful is it when you go to a networking event, hand out a few business cards, and get an impersonal html email in your inbox the next morning? It’s only been a few hours since you met this new contact, and they’ve already added you to their email list without your permission. When this has happened to me, I’ve hit the “mark as spam” button a few times. All the other times, I’ve promptly unsubscribed and made a mental note to avoid this person at the next event. And I’m not the exception; people do not like being spammed.
 
By sending that email out without the person’s permission, you are no longer that person they met at that networking event. You may have lost your chance to become a thought leader in this person’s eyes. That’s right, your emails are now one of those that they ignore, delete, and/or groan about when they see it. You, my friend, are now a spammer.
 

So how should you grow your email list? Here are a few ideas.

 
Set a goal.
Every marketing activity you pursue should be tied to a goal. As an example, let’s say you’d like to grow your list from 500 to 600 quality subscribers over the next three months. If you maintain your 5% click rate, this should drive about 30 visitors to your site each time you send an email, up from 25. This is your goal: a 20% subscriber increase within the next 3 months.
 
Ask your contacts.
If you have existing contacts that could benefit to subscribing to your email list, tell them why and ask them to. Be human. Write an email and pretend like you’re speaking to them face to face. Give them an example of what you include in your emails, and have a link so they can subscribe themselves. Don’t make them feel obligated, just be real.
 
Ask your website visitors.
Add calls to action to your website pages and blog posts that prompt people to subscribe. Tell them what’s inside or link to your latest email so they can see what it’s like.
 
Create great content.
Create the type of content that people love. Do your research, and give your visitors what they want. If they love it, they’ll want more. The call to action you already put on your blog pages will give them a place to ask for more.
 
Capture emails at in-person events.
Going to a trade show? Make sure you bring a way to capture the email addresses of the people you meet.
 
Tap into your online communities.
Post your content to the online communities you’re a part of. Ask for feedback, and ask your peers to subscribe if they enjoyed it.
 
Target, target, target.
With all of these tactics to grow your email list, you want to make sure they’re highly targeted. You always want to think quality of quantity when it comes to your subscribers. Once you really hammer down who it is you’re looking for, and where and how to reach them, you’ll hit your goals quicker and easier.
 
There are so many places you can tap into potential subscribers. At the end of the day, you want to make sure you’re adding value to their inbox with each send. Adding numbers to your list at the expense of opens and click-throughs will end up becoming a headache with no real positive outcome.
 
Digital marketing takes a lot of planning and analyzing. If you’re doing things right and staying diligent, the results will come.
 

Email marketing is an effective piece of a marketing plan. It is convenient and extremely cost effective. By sending an email, you are putting more emphasis on the message’s content and less on how it’s delivered, helping you become more memorable to your loyal or prospective clients. Here are 8 benefits of email marketing along with reasons to consider it for your marketing efforts.

1. Allows you to organize connections
The days of the Rolodex are long gone. Organize your contacts in your email marketing software. Put them into lists like “current clients” and “prospective clients,” or according to their interests, how you met them, and if they signed up for a specific promotion.

2. Targetable
If you know your target market why not market to them directly? Instead of hoping your target market sees your message though an advertisement or social media post, deliver that message instantly to their inbox.

3. Reduces time, cost and effort.
Replace your paper newsletter with an email and cut your costs dramatically. Now you can put your newly acquired time and effort into what matters; the content.

4. Allows you to conduct your own research.
Email marketing gives you relevant, real time results, based on behavioral data. Data generated by email marketing allows you to, for example, test which day you get the most opens. Send your email to half of your list on one day and half on another, then review the results, or you can test out which calls to action get more clicks. The possibilities for research are endless.

5. It’s completely customizable.
Your brand is unique, your email marketing campaign should be too. Easily tailor your campaigns subject lines, content, and design to meet your needs, through email marketing management.

6. Directly links to your website, blog, or social media.
A great way to get traffic to your website or blog is to provide buttons within an email. You can suggest readers to visit and explore your social media outlets, building your presence and creating interest.

7. Reinforces personal connections.
Word of mouth networking is extremely valuable, you want to make those connections worth it. Email marketing helps you keep track of and build upon connections in between face to face interaction.

8. Gives a method for follow ups.
Turn your email marketing into a tool for following up. Discover your contacts’ priorities by staying connected. Gain valuable feedback about yourself and your brand by asking contacts for their opinions and perspectives. Follow up emails allow for open and honest faceless communication.