Contest marketing is one of the primary ways of getting your email list “opted-in” and ensuring you can do permission-based marketing. Social sharing has allowed you to expand your current email list with those like-minded individuals. The next step, and this should be a company wide effort, is building and developing your email list.
There are a number of ways to capture email addresses, and for most business, we recommend the following online acquisition techniques:
- Website – a subscription form on a website
- Online Coupons
- Online Contests
- Third Party Marketing Lists
- Viral Marketing Programs
- Free webinar
- Special discounts
- Free Whitepaper downloads
- Email Newsletter Programs
There are also many other offline acquisition techniques including:
- In-store ballots
- Telemarketing
- Customer Events
- Warranty Cards
- Contests
- Coupons
- Mail-in Rebates
- Radio
*Include your web address on all print, newspaper, and magazine pieces
It’s critical to always ask for permission to contact your prospective customer and make sure you have implemented a privacy policy. Remember, this is a team effort: your marketing programs online and offline should work together. The basic information that you should be trying to collect is first name, last name, email, gender, age, and location (via postal code).
Don’t overlook a “refer-a-friend” component. These campaigns are one of the most effective as it involves the endorsement of your product or service by a trusted friend. 85% of people trust the recommendation of a friend, while only 13% trust advertising. That makes a “refer-a-friend” campaign a great list building option.
Most acquisition techniques are fairly simple and can be implemented immediately and we’d suggest that you get started.
