2. Create an Interactive Dialogue

Talk to your customers and prospects—that’s right, talk to them. Begin when they sign up and continue with every communiqué. It is all about creating an interactive dialogue, which should not be limited to the email channel.

3. Make it a True Value Exchange

Tell the subscriber exactly why they should sign up for email and what message they should expect. If you were to ask your frontline people why a customer should provide their email, you will be surprised by the amount of different answers you get.

Write down ten good reasons why people should subscribe to your newsletter. Post it on your website, list it for your front line staff and share it with your coworkers. Try to give your customers/prospects something of true value in exchange for their email address: a sneak preview, a member’s only sale, valuable information, a discount coupon that can be used immediately (remember a discount is NOT REQUIRED.) Convince your coworkers of the importance of email address collection – create an incentive for the employee collecting the most addresses.