Leads. If you run your own business, then you’ve probably heard this term. Leads are potential clients or consumers. They could be individuals, or they may even be companies. The type of lead really depends on your type of business. One thing is certain, companies need leads. The problem being that leads can often be difficult to find. Today, we’re going to cover how you can use an email marketing campaign to generate leads for your business.
Finding Leads Through Email Marketing
Once a business owner discovers the value of a strong lead, they want more. Rightfully so. From there it becomes a hunt to find the best leads. It’s all part of running a successful business. Selling your product or service is much more difficult without leads. This is why businesses go out of their way, sometimes offering special incentives, to customers who provide them with their information.
Nearly half of all small businesses struggle with growing revenue. Lead generation can help with that. Unfortunately, finding good leads can sometimes be rather difficult if you don’t know where to look. There are several ways to go about lead generation, some more successful than others.
The hardest part of finding good leads is reaching potential customers who are already interested in the goods and services your company provides. One of the best ways to do this is using a targeted mailing list.
What is a Targeted Mailing List?
A targeted mailing list is a list of email addresses for people who already match your target customer profile to some degree. For example, if you run a daycare, then your target customers are those with children. If you’re a prosthodontist then you may wish to focus on older adults. Whoever your target customers are, there’s a list that can help.
Where Do You Get Targeted Mailing Lists?
Targeted mailing lists come from data companies. These companies obtain information on thousands of people. This information is placed into a sortable database. You simply let the data company know what type of customers you’re looking for and they filter the information to provide you with a list of people who meet your criteria.
How Do I Know I’m Getting Good a High-Quality List?
The best way to ensure you’re getting a good list is to consider the source. When dealing with people’s personal information like this the number one thing you want to be aware of is how they got their information. It’s extremely important that the company you use collects their data ethically and legally. There are state and federal laws regarding people’s information. You’ll want to work with a company that follows all of these laws.
You’ll also want to select a company that cleans up their information regularly. A list that’s 10 years old probably won’t do you a whole lot of good as it will include people who’ve either moved or may be deceased. The last thing you want to do is irritate people by reaching out to the wrong addressee or someone who’s passed away. In addition, outdated lists are a great way to throw money in the trash. The whole point of a targeted mailing list is to reach people who already have a high probability of being interested in your company, service, or product. If you’re not reaching those people, then it’s hit or miss if you’re reaching people with any interest in what you have to offer.
Using Targeted Mailing Lists in an Email Marketing Campaign
Once you have your targeted mailing list, it’s time to put it to use. There are a few ways you can do this. You can set up an email newsletter that provides high-value content relevant to your target customers interests. You can also offer them a coupon, discount, or promotional item as a bonus. The main thing here is not to incentivize them signing up just to get whatever you’re offering. The primary goal is to get them to sign up for your newsletter because it will bring value to their life. If you push the promotional item, then you’re more likely to get a bunch of freebie seekers. While these people can make your numbers look great, the likelihood of them buying from you in the future is pretty slim.
You want your potential customers to see the value in what your newsletter has to offer. If they’re interested in your newsletter then they’re going to be excited to get the emails. They’re more likely to open them. They’re also more likely to click on links or deals within the email.
Elevating Your Email Marketing Campaign
Once you know who’s interested in your newsletter, you can do a variety of things. Some companies prefer to set up triggered emails, or drip campaigns. These types of email marketing campaigns are activated when someone performs a certain action. For example, placing an order.
When the trigger event occurs, your email marketing campaign will automatically send out an email series. This helps nurture your leads without your constant involvement. It’s a great way to build a rapport with your leads while creating a strong relationship between them and your company.
It’s also a good idea to make your emails sharable. If you don’t want to do this then you could make the landing page your email leads to sharable. This allows people to forward the content to their friends and family. The easier it is to share, the more likely it is they will share it.
Starting Off Right
Before you can build that relationship with your leads, you need to find a quality data company for your targeted mailing list. DataMasters is a professional data management company that takes pride in their lists. We follow all federal and state laws. We also update our information regularly. This means that, when you work with us, you can count on getting high-quality, relevant targeted lists, no matter your needs.