Building a list – and in turn, generating new leads and prospects – can play a significant role in your marketing efforts. But how do you grow your list well and generate great leads who are interested and engaged in what you have to say (and sell?). Lead generation is critical to marketing and sales, but it’s also important to remember that recipients need to give their consent before you can send them marketing messages.
Some great ways to grow your list and add new leads to your sales pipeline include:
Organic Growth:
- Add a newsletter sign up form to your website
Adding a newsletter sign-up form on a single page, or as part of your website’s templates can make it easy for people to enter their email address and subscribe. Read our easy tutorial on adding a subscription form with CakeMail. - Landing Pages (Event registration, access to white papers, downloads)
Add a “Sign me up for your newsletter” opt-in checkbox on landing pages and other forms on your website to drive your list growth. Not everyone will opt-in, but those who do are actually interested in hearing from you. - Demo Account Creation
Someone who signs up for a demo account is already interested in your product. Add an opt-in checkbox to your registration or sign-up form to ensure you’re able to contact those who might be interested in receiving your emails.
Outbound Marketing:
- Referral Programs, Contests, Polls and Surveys
These can be great ways to build a list and capture some attention and drive awareness within your target audience. Add a “Yes, I’d like to receive promotional emails from Company X” button to your entry form, survey or poll. - Forward To A Friend
Word-of-mouth referrals like receiving an email from a friend or colleague are a great way to broaden your potential audience. Include a “Forward To A Friend” link in your email to encourage current readers to share, or encourage others to pass it or share it via social media in the content of your email. Make it easy for those it’s shared with to sign up and opt-in via your website or a sign up form (see Organic Growth, above) or include a Subscribe link in the email itself.
All of these types of activities allow you to generate leads and grow your lists. Connect with your new subscribers with automated lead nurturing programs, outbound offers, and product updates and drive traffic back to your website. More “familiar” lead traffic converts into more business!
Important note: Make sure you’re using a confirmed double opt-in or notified opt-in process to build your list. You also need to communicate in a proactive way to your growing list of customers & prospects, with relevant, timely information in order to make marketing programs and email efforts successful.
If you’re a CakeMail reseller, these types of list-growing activities are value-added services you can easily offer to your clients. They help your customers connect with a larger market (and increase their email volume), drives their revenue and increases your services and recurring revenue at the same time.
This piece was written by Steve Smith, Vice President of Sales at CakeMail. You can follow him on twitter at @stevesmith_cake.
