Tips to Building Successful E-Mail Lists, Part 2 of 3

Continuing our coverage of last month's All About eMail Virtual Conference & Expo, presented by eM+C magazine (sister publication of Catalog Success), this week we look at a presentation from Reggie Brady, president of Reggie Brady Marketing Solutions, a direct and e-mail marketing consultancy (and Catalog Success columnist).

(For part 1, and a recap of the presentation by Arthur Middleton Hughes, senior strategist at the e-mail marketing firm e-Dialog, click here.)

Brady's presentation consisted of her “10 secrets to e-mail success.” Here's a look at 1-5 on her list (check back next week for part 3 of this series, when we'll reveal tips 6-10):

1. Maximize registration. Put a plan in place to collect as many e-mail addresses as possible online, and get more information than just the e-mail address at the time of registration, Brady said. Capture consumers' names so you can personalize future communications; their postal addresses — although you can make this field optional, but it proves useful if they already buy from your catalog and you can match this data up to learn more about their purchasing behaviors; and content preferences allow for better segmentation and help you speak to customers on an individual basis. Don't ask for their entire life histories, Brady cautioned. The longer the sign-up form, the fewer completed registrations.

2. Welcome with style. “Your welcome message is going to be one of the most opened and read messages you send,” Brady said, “so it's a great opportunity to start that relationship off on a good step.” Even if you're not using a double opt-in process, sending a welcome message lets you at least determine if you have a deliverable e-mail address. Tactics to further the relationship in a welcome message include embedding your most recent promotion in the e-mail, including a coupon, promoting “add me to your address book,” restating the benefits of being an e-mail subscriber and adding links to your Web site.