Let us begin with one of the fundamental questions – what is the primary objective of anyone running a business?

It is clear that the final goal is profit, but to achieve it, you need to reach as many people as possible who can become your potential customers in the future. Furthermore, once you reach them, it is necessary to build a lasting relationship of trust and mutual benefit.

One of the ways to establish a quality, mutually beneficial connection with your customers is through e-mail marketing.

E-mails are still predominantly used for exchanging business messages, yet they are also an excellent promotional tool – something marketers not only in our country but worldwide have recognized.

If you want to learn more about how to create a quality e-mail database and use it effectively, continue reading.

How can I even get the desired number of e-mail addresses?

We must first answer the question of how to create a database with the purpose of using it as a powerful tool for sending e-mails and maintaining trust-based relationships that lead to profit.

It is great if customers voluntarily send you their e-mail addresses, but realistically, how often does that happen?

The truth is that you need to motivate customers to leave their information, and here are several tested methods.

#1 Add a form for leaving data while browsing your site

Do you have a blog section with quality articles that people enjoy reading?

Take advantage of this and add a data collection form (for e-mails and other details), but do it in a non-intrusive way that motivates readers.

If your articles are already engaging and popular, offer them a free downloadable PDF book in exchange for their information, allowing them to explore your topic further.

#2 E-commerce websites are an endless source of opportunities

If you own an e-commerce site where you sell products, there are many ways to collect e-mail addresses. One example is offering a discount to all customers willing to share their e-mail address.

This is a perfectly fair exchange – the customer gets the product at a lower price, and you get a chance to encourage repeat purchases.

Another option is to include a special gift with the purchase of a certain product, which can be sent directly to the customer’s address.

Gifts and vouchers are also excellent tools for growing your mailing list, as collecting basic contact information – including e-mail addresses – becomes significantly easier.

#3 Create a dedicated landing page for collecting data

You might not realize how many future newsletter readers you have lost simply because the subscription section was not visible enough on your website.

Often, visitors are willing to sign up but do not know how. Make it easy for them by creating a dedicated landing page that is clear and accessible.

By linking to it from other pages, you can guide users directly to the contact form and make the process even more straightforward.

#4 Request an e-mail in exchange for commenting

If a site visitor wants to comment on your content, you are already halfway to getting their e-mail address – because they have initiated the interaction.

In exchange for leaving a comment, ask for their e-mail address and start sending newsletters. This simple interaction may become the foundation for long-term trust.

A small note about data collection!

Regardless of whether you choose one of these four methods or experiment with others, always clearly explain in your forms how the collected e-mails will be used and protected.

Only in this way will you be on the path to building the most effective reader database possible!

How to make the most of the databases you create?

Now that you have collected a sufficient number of e-mails and built a great database, the next step is to use it strategically. In one of our blog posts, we have also covered the topic of campaign personalization, which will be an essential part of your e-mail marketing efforts.

Before launching the campaign, it is best to define your objectives and let them guide your business activities.

Here are some examples of goals that are typical for e-mail marketing campaigns:

• informing future subscribers about your business;
• nurturing relationships with existing subscribers;
• maintaining a steady frequency of promotional messages;
• reactivating inactive customers;
• aligning e-mail marketing goals with broader conversion objectives.

We can see that the main aim of e-mail-based marketing campaigns is to maintain a strong relationship with customers while also reaching new ones.

These goals are achieved through different types of e-mail communication, which can be grouped into three main categories:

• promotional messages aimed at sales;
• relational messages – focused on maintaining customer relationships, most often newsletters;
• transactional messages – typically related to actions taken on your website (purchase confirmations, welcome messages, subscriber information updates).

Segment your audience and give them what they need

Digital marketing is built on patience and requires you to communicate with customers over an extended period. E-mails are an excellent way to do this in a subtle, non-intrusive manner.

First, segment your target audience by creating customer profiles that represent your typical subscribers. Assign them the following attributes:

• demographic: age, gender, education, income;
• geographic: country, city, language;
• buying behavior patterns;
• psychographic: values and attitudes they hold.

Once you have segmented your audience in this way, you can then decide which type of content to send them.

Whether they want to see product presentations, learn more about your brand, or receive updates about your daily business activities – it is your job to choose the most relevant options from your list.

Although you can never know with absolute certainty who will or will not want to receive a certain type of e-mail, you can make a close estimate based on how they joined your mailing list.

When all of these steps are implemented as explained above, there is a strong likelihood that your database will truly fulfill its purpose.