Email Marketing Training

Building the Email List

Previously, I outlined the main steps of the email list process. Now it is time to start building an email list.

There are several options. First, you could manually prepare and maintain the list yourself. Of you could obtain the services of an email marketing service provider.

Do It Yourself – Either use a WordPress plugin, desktop email client like Microsoft Outlook, or a web-based email client like Gmail. Back in the day, I used a desktop email program called Eudora, a power user email client, and maintained my database of contacts with Microsoft Excel. I had to manually manage my list and send emails. This was very labor and time intensive.
- WordPress Plugin - There are plugins available that enables you to collect contact informaton and send mass email to your subscriber list. HOWEVER, many website hosting companies will not allow you to send email out via their servers.
- Microsoft Outlook is an option. Create a Contact Group and as you contact people, add them to your group. When ready to send email, send it to them using the Outlook Team mail function.
- Google Mail (Gmail) – Use an online email account and maintain a contact list of prospects. Gmail does have a send limit of 500 contacts at a time. I still receive emails in my Gmail accounts from marketers who are maintaining their own lists! Unfortunately, Gmail sends most of this email straight to the Spam folder.
Email Marketing Service Providers – There are free and subscription-based email marketing services provided.
- Free services include MailChimp, ListWire and a bunch of others. A number of EMS providers offer free services up to a point or provide free trial periods. You can search for free autoresponders or free email marketing service providers and do your due diligence. I do not recommend using free services because of poor delivery results and many include advertising of which you have no control.
- Subscription-based services include AWeber and a number of others discussed in the next section. A number of these vendors offer 30 or 60-day free trial periods.