Tips on Managing your Mailing List

Misty plans to start a business soon, and she has been going around asking people for the best business practices. Her goal is to get information from many people and combine everything to ensure business success. And, of course, she will filter out things that seem not to favor her business.

So far, she has got many responses, and she is strategically making plans on how to execute these various ideas. For example, one idea that many people mentioned was for her to have a mailing list.

Now, it is important to understand that Misty plans to start a fashion business. So, it is not out of place that people have suggested that she should have a mailing list.

Misty understands that having an email list entails getting an email database of her customers and potential customers and using it to connect with them regularly. So yes, the importance of having a mailing list cannot be overemphasized.

However, Misty has never had to manage a mailing list before, and she does not know how to go about it. So, she decided to seek further information about the process from other business owners, but she encountered some challenges. It was either they gave her vague answers or did not give her any response. These business owners were protective of their space and did not want to give out ideas that would help Misty overtake them when she launched her business. After all, she is a competitor, and they needed to be smart when dealing with her.

We do not blame them for not helping her out, as we understand their point of view. But, we also understand that many people out there like Misty do not know how to manage a mailing list.

At first, it may seem easy, as you feel it entails sending regular emails to those on the mailing list. But it goes beyond that as you need to employ some strategies to ensure that everything goes smoothly.

So, this article is for people like Misty who have no idea about managing a mailing list. Some of the best tips for managing a mailing list are:

Make unsubscribing easy

Typically, you will always make it easy for people to subscribe to your mailing as you will love to reach out to many people. Here, you believe that when you have many people on your mailing list, it will increase your chances to make more sales.

However, one tip to managing your mailing list is to make the unsubscribing process as easy as the subscribing process. Yes, we know that you may be wondering why this would be a tip or advice. After all, no business owner wants anyone to unsubscribe from their mailing list.

But, in reality, it is best to keep in mind that not everyone would want to be on your mailing list. And, you do not want people to have the thought that you are forcing them to be on the mailing list.

If your unsubscribe button is not visible, people will begin to feel antsy about your brand. In their head, it would seem that you are forcing them to stay on the mailing list. However, when you have a mailing list, you want people who are happy and look forward to receiving your email.

So, if anyone wants to leave, it is best to make the process easy for them so that you can get to know your real customers.

Always do regular weeding.

Again, allow us to state that it would be best to have people leave your mailing list than to have them stay on it but be dormant. Unfortunately, we have seen cases where people are on a mailing list, but they do not open any of the emails sent. In such a case, they are not being useful to your mailing list.

Therefore, you must always do constant weeding to your mailing list. The goal here is to remove those who haven’t been active in a long time and those who do not engage with your emails.

Now, you do not want to have unresponsive people on your email list, as it would be like pouring water into a basket. And, many times, we see people wonder why they are not making sales from their mailing list. Well, it is because many of the people on their mailing list are unresponsive.

It could also be a case of those people not using the email addresses again. For example, you have Susan’s work email on your mailing list, and she has left that company. So, of course, the email becomes inactive.

Therefore, you always need to weed out inactive people from your mailing list to have a concise list.

Be warm to new subscribers.

How do you welcome new subscribers to your mailing list?

Sadly, many business owners do not welcome new subscribers, and which is a wrong move. And, it is important to note that the first impression matters a lot, affecting how these people respond to or receive your emails.

Also, it would be best if you always remembered that people have a busy schedule. So, you must appreciate that they took out time to subscribe to your mailing list.

So, it would help if you were always warm to your new subscribers. When you have new subscribers, send out a hearty mail that welcomes them. This way, they will feel giddy to be a part of your community. It will also help them feel that you view them as important people.

But, when you do not send out welcoming mails, these new subscribing will feel that you do not appreciate their efforts. Sadly, it may lead to them unsubscribing from your mailing list, or they will even become unresponsive, and that is not the goal.

So, even if you do not know how to compose a hearty welcoming mail, outsource the job. Once your subscribers feel welcome, they will help you to get more people.

Get recommendations from your audience.

We always love to remind business owners that no man is an island. At different points and aspects, you will need help and advice. Like Misty, she reached out to people when she needed ideas on how to run a business.

Now that you have launched your business and even have a mailing list, you also need tips on keeping it running. So, allow us to tell you that there is no harm in getting recommendations from your customers. After all, the mailing list is for them as they are your target audience.

Sometimes, we see that subscribers of the mailing list are not resonating with what the business owner is sending. It is why they find it difficult to open emails. Therefore, you must get recommendations from them on what they expect from your mailing list.

For example, it could be that the language style you are using to send the emails is not trendy, or they want to see more images of your products and services. Once you know what the audience desires, you get to tailor your emails, and you will see a difference.

Also, we are sure that you have heard the saying that the customer is king. So, you have to strive to please your audience.

Always have strategies to reach out to old subscribers

Recall that we earlier mentioned that you need to make your new subscribers feel welcome. However, that does not mean that you would forget about your old subscribers.

Now, allow us to liken such a situation to a typical family household. When there is a new baby in a family, the child will get most of the attention. However, that does not mean that the parents will neglect the other kids. Else, it will be disastrous. ‘

The goal is to ensure that all your subscribers are happy and feel welcome. Naturally, therefore, you will need strategies on how to reach out to your old subscribers.

For example, let us assume that your mailing list has been running for about two years. So, if you decide to do a discount, especially for your first two subscribers, it would not be out of place. Doing such an act lets those people know that you see them and are happy that they are still around.

As a business owner, your creativity always needs to be on as that is the only way you can constantly come up with these strategies. But, if you find it challenging, you can always consult people.

Segment your subscribers

When you are starting a new business, you will need to highlight your target audience. But, it could also be that you have a diverse range of target audiences.

For example, you are into the fashion business like Misty plans. And, your target audience is females of all ages.

Of course, these people are different with conflicting mindsets. Therefore, it would be wrong to think that a 20-year old female will think alike with a 50-year old female. It is why you need to segment your subscribers.

Sometimes, you will notice that some of your older audiences will find it offensive if you use a trendy tone in your emails. That is not to say that using a trendy tone to send emails is wrong. However, older audiences might not resonate with it.

In such a case, you will need to segment your subscribers and send different emails. Therefore, you will send emails with a trendy tone to your younger audiences. In contrast, you will use a more professional tone when sending emails to older audiences.

Some people may say that it tends to be stressful, but that is the price you have to pay as a business owner.

Be engaging

We cannot help but keep emphasizing the importance of being engaging as a business owner, which also ties to your creativity. Even Forbes notes that business owners always need to apply creativity in all that they do.

Understandably, it is not easy to run a business, and this may affect your creativity. It is why bigger brands usually have different departments to ensure that they have staff that handles different things.

But as an upcoming brand, the business owner is in charge of the creativity and running of the business.

Now, you may be wondering why a business owner needs to be creative and engaging. It is because you always need to give your subscribers a reason why they still need to remain on your mailing list. If they get disinterested at any point, you can be sure that they will leave.

It is one thing to have a mailing list, and it is another thing to have people hooked. Now, you can imagine how disastrous it will be if people keep leaving your mailing list.

Once you have a mailing list, a tip to keep it running is to send out engaging content. This way, you will hook your subscribers, and they can recommend your mailing list to their friends.

Importance of a mailing list

Sometimes, when we give tips on managing a mailing list, people want to back out. They believe that it is stressful to manage a mailing list, so they would rather not have one.

But, allow us to remind you of the importance of owning a mailing list. Some reasons are:

It helps you to connect with your customers easily

You can connect with your customers when you have a mailing list, irrespective of their various locations. After all, you do not need them to converge physically as all you need is to send them emails.

You can update your customers on the new and different available products and services with the mailing list. You might also want to give them tips on how to to use the products and services.

For example, you are alerting them about a new accessory that you want to sell. Besides telling your customers that the product is now available, you can also give them tips on matching such an accessory.

Now, you do not only get to help them with the pairing, but you are also sending out engaging email content.

Also, you can use your mailing list as an avenue to tell your subscribers the latest happenings in your industry. Typically, humans love to get information, and they can even see your mailing list as a source of entertainment. So, it would not be out of place to also send industry news.

When you have a mailing list, you can connect with your customers in different ways.

It allows your customers to know that you have them in mind

Without a doubt, everyone has established that having a mailing list allows you to bond and connect with your customers. But, it goes further as you get to do it on a personal level. Emails are usually personal to people, so many people do not like to give out their emails.

So, when someone subscribes to your email, they give you a chance to get into their personal space. Now, you begin to utilize this advantage by sending them content regularly.

We usually advise business owners to check in on their customers regularly. Typically, you would always want to send out messages related to your product and urge them to buy.

However, you can also use your mailing list to check your customers and let them know you have them in mind.

For example, if you have customers that stay in any country that is experiencing a crisis. It would come in handy to send a hearty mail to them. This way, they will feel loved and happy.

It brings in profit

One would not go through the stress of having a mailing list if it will not generate revenue. But, of course, having a mailing list helps to bring in profit.

Generally, you will need to include a call to action (CTA) at the end of any content you send to your subscribers. For example, you could be a link to your portfolio, urging them to browse through. Or, it could be a product urging them to purchase the item. The CTA usually differs.

However, what matters is that you are urging them to make a purchase, and it usually comes through sometimes. At least you can be sure that those who appreciate the items will buy them.

FAQs

Here are some of the frequently asked questions that we gathered:

What is the best application when managing a large mailing list?

Thankfully, the world is improving daily, and we now have applications that can also help manage a mailing list. However, that does not absorb you of all responsibilities as you would need to configure these applications to your preference.

But some of the applications are:

• Hubspot
• MailChimp

What should I include in my email list?

You can include almost anything you desire on your mail list, as long as it would help your business. It can be a discount code, industry news, reminders, exclusive interviews, etc.

What can you do with an email list?

You can do many things with an email list, and we have highlighted some of them in the article.

Conclusion

A mailing list will always come in handy for anyone who owns a business. But its success depends on how well you manage it. So, follow the tips we have highlighted so that you can enjoy the rewards.