E-Commerce Link : Sign Up for Value

How to leverage your site to grow your list

October 2008 By Regina Brady

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Marketers who want to exploit the full potential of e-mail should develop plans to consistently grow their permission-based e-mail lists of customers and prospects. This allows them to build loyalty and promote cross-sell and upsell opportunities. A housefile represents names the marketer "owns" and has permission to use. While marketers use many tactics to grow their lists, those individuals who enroll in programs on a marketer's site should be the cornerstone of any program. In most cases, these individuals have taken an action to positively sign up. They should be one of the best-performing sources.

It is important to have a plan to encourage customers and site visitors to sign up for e-mail promotions and newsletters. Here are some ideas to give your e-mail program a boost.

Leverage the Homepage
It is likely that half of your Web site traffic comes to the homepage. This is valuable real estate and a great place to promote sign-up. Make sure your e-mail program is visible and "above the fold" on the homepage. If visitors have to scroll down to find your e-mail program, they will be less likely to sign up.

And remember to market your program! Space on the homepage is at a premium, but it's a good idea to have a short benefits statement to explain the value of your program:

• The automotive magazine Web site CARandDRIVER.com includes its sign-up box in the site header above content. The headline is: "Sign up for our free newsletter," followed by "Stay up to date with the latest product news, auto show reports, and road tests." This forward-thinking site also promotes its mobile text alerts in the same area.

Promote Sign-up on Interior Pages
Not everyone who comes to your site enters through your homepage. So, it's important to promote your e-mail program on other pages of your site. Make your e-mail program part of the site navigation template. Many sites employ this technique:

• Chadwick's, the women's apparel marketer, uses two ways to capture e-mail information. It uses persistent navigation, and in the site header there are links to "E-mail & Catalog Request" and "Your Special Offers." While each link has a special purpose, both present the option to sign up for e-mails. This innovative marketer has also set the special offers area to expand. The message box is set to open for a short period of time, and it provides benefits-oriented copy to convince the site visitor to register at the site and receive e-mails.
• Wine Enthusiast, purveyor of wine accessories, employs a banner ad that is at the bottom of every page on its site to promote its e-mail program. It offers a premium for signing up and provides a link to a sample and to the privacy policy, along with a box where people can enter their e-mail addresses.