Part 2 of a two-part series about emailing marketing for contractors. One of the best ways to develop new clients is by staying in touch with old ones. And one of the best ways to do that is through email marketing and list building. Some tips:

Five Tips for What to Avoid
Before getting into the 10 ways you can use to develop your email list, here are five tips on what not to do:

1. Don’t buy your email list, no matter what price someone offers you.

2. Don’t use someone else’s list.

3. Don’t just add people to your list without them knowing about it.

4. Just because someone gives you their email doesn’t mean they want you to blast them with offers. In other words, let them know they will be getting information in exchange for their email address.

5. Don’t use in-house software to manage your list. There are too many services online (many are free) that will perform the task better.

10 Tips for Building Your Email List
1. Include an opt-in form on the sidebar of your website. That way it is on every page your visitors see.

2. Collect cards at trade shows. Again, make sure you let people know you will be following up with them via email. Then email them right away reminding them again and suggesting that they add you to their safe senders list in their email client.

3. Offer specials or promotions that only the “exclusive email only” subscribers get.

4. Ask everyone you talk to about your business for his or her email address.

5. Send a mailer to your past clients or customers directing them to a special page on your site to register for a prize or drawing. Make sure they know that by entering, you will also send them great offers via email. Now you can cut your direct-mail costs by doing email blasts.

6. Make sure all of your employees are asking for email addresses too.

7. Offer a discount for client/customer emails.

8. Host your own “How-To” or “DIY” event and ask for email addresses from the attendees. Also ask them to send you before/after pictures to promote on your website. This will create stickiness and give people a reason to come back to your site many times.

9. If you don’t already have it, change all your forms to include the email address from your clients or customers.

10. Ask. You don’t get 100% of the email addresses you don’t ask for.

Follow these simple tips and you’ll be well on your way to building an evergreen marketing solution that costs you nothing more than your imagination!