When it comes to communicating with groups of people via email, then you will constantly hear people talking about their email lists.
But what is an email list, where does it come from and why do you want one?
So let’s break this down and look at each question in turn.
What is an email list?
According to Wikipedia: “A mailing list is a collection of names and addresses used by an individual or an organization to send material to multiple recipients. The term is often extended to include the people subscribed to such a list, so the group of subscribers is referred to as “the mailing list”, or simply “the list”.
That is factually correct but it misses one very vital element which you will need to understand if you are going to get the best out of the interactions you have with your list.
Never overlook the fact that your list is made up by individual people and it is the individuals on the list with whom you are communicating when you send out emails.
This may seem like an obvious point but it is something you should have at the forefront of your mind every time you communicate with your list, so that your messages are always personal and relevant.
So while you will be sending emails to multiple recipients, the trick is to make each recipient feel as though the email was written just for them. Achieve that and you will have a really wonderful relationship with your list.
Where does my email list come from?
When you use automated email software like RocketResponder for the first time, you don’t have a list at all to begin with.
What happens is people subscribe, or sign up, to be added to your list. If you have a website or blog you can invite people to sign up to your list in order to receive relevant information from you about their particular area of interest.
It can be quite common to give subscribers an incentive to join your list, such as a free report, a discount on their first order from you or some other offer which may encourage them to trust you with their email address.
It should go without saying that you will get the best response from your list of people if you actually deliver what you said you would when people granted you permission to email them.
For example if you promised to give people your ‘insider secrets’ to getting upgraded by the major airlines as an incentive to join your list then this should be the first thing they receive.
Be upfront and honest with your subscribers and you can have people on your email list for many years.
Why do I want an email list?
No matter what industry or niche you find yourself in, you will want an email list is there is a group of people with whom you would like to communicate via email.
You might want to promote your latest offers to potential customers, inform people about your specialist area of expertise, get a message out to supporters, inform, entertain or raise awareness for a cause.
If you have something to say and there is an audience which wants to hear your message then the email list is a way of bringing you and your audience together and a service like RocketResponder is the tool which manages every aspect of this communication.