Six Strategies to Build a Strong Email List

Written by Dealer Spike 

Email marketing poses quite the dilemma for businesses. Unlike social media, SEO and SEM, you can’t get your content in front of shoppers unless they provide their contact information. In other words, you’re reliant on the nature of your email list.

Email lists are a lot like houseplants, in that they need regular care and revival. Without ongoing optimization, your list will deteriorate over time as customers change companies, abandon old email addresses or opt out of subscriptions. With a few proactive strategies, however, you can keep your email list alive and thriving.

Track your outgoing emails

This may seem like a no-brainer, but if you’re not tracking your email sends, you may not realize how many communications your audience is receiving. To avoid unintentionally spamming customers and prospects, make sure you can identify every touchpoint at which your customers may receive an email. This could be a weekly newsletter, a service reminder or an invitation to resume an incomplete purchase.

Make your email content unique and valuable

Do your emails serve a valuable purpose for your audience? If shoppers feel besieged by email content that they didn’t ask for and don’t feel they need, they’ll likely unsubscribe from all future emails. Make sure every marketing email follows these guidelines: 1) serves the customer’s interests, 2) fulfills a need or request and 3) moves the sales process forward. An intuitive way to identify appropriate marketing email content is to identify the natural touchpoints that warrant an email.

Side note: When your audience appreciates your content, they’re more likely to share it with people they know. You can include social share and “share with a friend” buttons on your emails to give your audience an easy way to forward your content to their social circles.

Create natural touchpoints for marketing emails

Look at the way your customers shop, and identify the moments that are perfect for an email send. When a prospect fills out a lead form to learn more about a unit, they can be tipped into a send list to receive marketing emails that notify them about new inventory arrivals and limited-time special offers. Following a purchase, a customer can receive timely reminder emails to schedule maintenance services or purchase additional parts.

Segment your emails by audience type

Email marketing is a true representation of quality over quantity. Casting a wide net may seem like the best way to get in front of as many customers as possible, but it’s not a good practice to facilitate lead conversions. You’re more likely to see a wave of opt-outs. Instead, create audience lists that align with email types. Group audiences by key characteristics, such as age, location, income and gender. Send maintenance tips to recent buyers or friendly hellos to customers who haven’t visited your store in a while.

Embed opt-in links and call-to-action buttons

You can leverage platforms outside of your website to grow your email audience. Email itself is a great tool! Have your team add an opt-in link to their email signatures to encourage customers to subscribe to a newsletter or weekly inventory-related emails.

Another option is social media. If your dealership is active on social media and creating content that your followers enjoy, you can use this to benefit your email lists. Add call-to-action buttons on your social pages inviting your followers to subscribe to marketing emails for exclusive news and deals.

Invite customers to subscribe to a free online resource

People are much more willing to give out their email address in return for free content. This could come in the form of an eBook filled with hitching guides or tips for trailer maintenance, or a series of how-to videos on tying down large loads. If you have the time and resources, you may even host a webinar where the audience signs up via email. If now is not an ideal time for your dealership to create online content, you could also host a simple giveaway that requires participants to provide contact information.

As with any digital marketing strategy, the best way to increase your email list is to diversify your approach and use several platforms. Using a wide variety of angles to reach your audience will increase your chances to grow your list. As your audience expands, you'll be able to nurture customers and prospects into making their next significant purchase.

About Dealer Spike

As an industry leader in digital marketing strategy, Dealer Spike provides custom responsive websites and a suite of additional marketing services to accelerate online leads for your dealership. To learn more, please visit dealerspike.com.