• by Tim Judson , April 2, 2008

Managing your database doesn't have to be a hassle

"Grow the list!" is a cry heard by e-mail marketers everywhere as companies face the never-ending challenge of expanding their e-mail marketing programs. But where do you begin? The best way is to start with a coordinated set of tactics proven to increase e-mail registrations. First, consider these three key points to help streamline the registration process:

Keep the sign-up process as simple as possible. Many marketers try to collect too much information during the registration process. While additional subscriber information can be valuable for campaign segmentation and targeting, it is better to collect this information later.

Set expectations for the subscriber, so they know exactly what they will get by signing up. Clearly communicate what content will be included in future e-mails. Tell subscribers how often they will receive e-mail from your organization.

Most important, include a very clear opt-in policy. Tell the subscriber how you will protect their information. Be sure that this is in plain English, so they don't need a law degree to understand it.

As a part of your existing Web site, an online e-mail subscription center supports the registration process and provides more details. A subscription center can be used to collect additional e-mail preferences, manage frequency of e-mail contacts and provide samples of different e-mail offerings. To make the sign-up process as streamlined as possible, link subscribers to a subscription center to capture this information immediately after registration.

E-mail address collection should be pervasive throughout a company. All customer touch points should be reviewed to see if there is an opportunity to collect e-mail addresses. Consider including the following most common interactions: In-store: For brick-and-mortar retailers, in-store address collection often represents the biggest opportunity because customers are often in a frame of mind conducive to providing an e-mail address. According to Merkle's annual survey of e-mail users, more than half of respondents said they were generally or somewhat willing to provide their e-mail address in this scenario. Connecting offers to e-mail subscriptions is often easiest in a store.

• Site Registration: Web site registration offers another excellent chance to gather e-mail subscribers. Incorporating an e-mail subscription within a site registration or check-out process creates a simple way for customers to sign up for e-mail programs. More importantly, this method has the highest success rate. According to the Quris "View from the Inbox" study, 83 percent of consumers are at least somewhat willing to provide their address while registering for a site.
• Customer Care: All calls to customer support centers create an opportunity for a new e-mail subscription. Representatives with standard scripts can ask customers to register for e-mails. These scripts should focus on the benefits of your e-mail marketing program. Consider how representatives will be able to capture subscriptions. If technology allows, representatives should be able to update e-mail subscriptions directly while talking with the customer. Otherwise, provide an easy-to-remember URL to the e-mail subscription center and offer an incentive to sign up. The incentives that work best (as measured by long-term subscriber engagement) are those that are program-related, such as coupons, or exclusive offers or content.

Also consider how other customer interactions, including direct mail, trade shows, e-mail signature files, magazine ads, package inserts and shipping/order confirmations facilitate e-mail address collection.

Approximately 30 percent of any e-mail list will become invalid over the course of a year. Just to maintain the size of your list, you need to replace these addresses. By working to make e-mail address collection a company-wide effort, you can not only replace these addresses, but continue to grow your list and the reach of your e-mail marketing program.

Tim Judson is vice president for client services at Merkle. (merkleinc.com)