Tried, Tested and True: The Mailing List

How would you like to make sales and generate leads for nothing? Of course we all do. Unfortunately, while the magic money tree is yet to be found, you can come reasonably close by using a tried, tested and true (but often underutilized) marketing method: the Mailing List.

This morning I spoke with a client of mine about their current online marketing efforts, and they explained the recent successes experienced while employing their new mailing list system. According to them, each weekly newsletter generates at least one sale; in this industry, a single sale can bring in anywhere from $2k-$100k in pure profit.

What makes a mailing list work?

The secret of why a mailing list works so well is simple; its all about mindshare. Mindshare is a marketing term which is exactly what it sounds like - it is the share of a person's thoughts influenced or controlled by you and your brand.

By sending a potential and past clients regular newsletters, you are performing two tasks:

• You are giving them new information concerning your products, services, and upcoming promotions.
• More importantly, you are reinforcing the thought patterns which associate your brand identity with your specific products or industries.

In short, you are both informing them, and increasing your mindshare. By increasing your mindshare, you are increasing the likelihood that your company or product will be thought of when your potential customer is facing a product intended to be solved by your products and services.

How do you build a mailing list

My client shared with me the steps they used to generate their mailing list:

First, they created and account with Constant Contact. Constant Contact is a great service which manages the technical details of an email marketing campaign, so you just have to write your newsletters.

Then, they began to collect email addresses to use in their marketing campaign. They collected them from three sources:

• They added a sign up form to their corporate website to grab interested visitors.
• They contacted current and past clients to inform them of the mailing list, and offered to sign them up.
• They spoke with another local company who already own a mailing list targeting a similar demographic, and paid to obtain a copy for their own purpose (with consideration of federal law).

Utilizing these different methods, they accumulated 1500+ email addresses, to which they send weekly newsletters containing promotions and new product information. They are getting a 40% mail opening rate and are making, as I mentioned above, $2k-$100k in profits every time.

The benefits of running your own email marketing campaign are clear. A mailing list is simple, cheap, and effective to set up and maintain. In return, you could earn a Return on Investment (ROI) of as much as 1000% (10 dollars on each invested), depending on your industry and the receptiveness of your targetted demographic.

Perhaps it is time to consider email marketing to reach your potential clients?