Having a newsletter for your business is really a no-brainer. It’s an easy way to lure back past customers. It’s also a good way to nudge prospects on the fence about making a purchase. Before you can start leveraging this powerful marketing tool, you’re going to need subscribers. Here’s how to get some:

Make Signing Up Easy
If you go to events/shows have a way for passersby to get on your list. Let them put their email address on paper on a clip board or give them a laptop in your booth that they can use to sign up.

On your website, have a sign up form for your newsletter on EVERY page of your website, ideally above the fold. Do not bother with a link to sign up, put the actual sign up form on each page. (You’ll see I’ve done this on the top right side of this website.)

You should also include a checkbox on your check out system that lets users get on your mailing list. It’s even okay to have the box pre-checked, just make sure the customer can uncheck it if they don’t want to receive email from you.  (And, of course make sure you respect their wishes.)

It’s also important to not make your sign up form too elaborate. Let them just fill in their email address and click submit. If you ask for too much information (name, location, birthday, etc.) you may wind up with far fewer subscribers.

Let ‘em Know What to Expect
How often do you send your newsletter? No one wants to be bombarded with daily sales emails so make sure you tell customers how often they can expect to hear from you. A simple “Sign up for our Weekly Specials” headline or “Receive our Monthly Newsletter” line gives that information.

Give ‘em Incentive
We all get tons of email so make sure you give people a reason to sign up for your newsletter. What will they get if they sign up? Will they gain access to exclusive discounts? Will they be registered to win a free gift? Will they get useful information?

Make the benefits of your newsletter clear and concise for customers so they understand why they should sign up. On my retail website our newsletter sign up box says “Deals Discounts Giveaways & News”.

Note: To really get the most out of email marketing, it is easier if you have your own website. Sites like Etsy and Artfire don’t allow you to add customers to your list at check out or put a newsletter sign up box on your pages. You can read more about why I recommend you get your own website here. In the meantime, one thing you can do is provide a link to sign up for your list in your order confirmation emails that get sent to customers when they make a purchase.

No list of your own yet? No problem. Smaller Box has email marketing opportunities for indie designers. Visit this page for details.

Read Part 2 of this series: Managing Your Mailing List
Read Part 3 of this series: Keeping Subscribers Happy