Here’s the magic answer to getting a huge email list: start RIGHT NOW!

Every person who gives you permission to send them email (opt-in) is literally worth a specific dollar amount to your business in terms of a marketing asset. This is why it is imperative to the long term growth of your email list and your business to start collecting customer’s email addresses immediately.

For most small businesses, a majority of revenues are generated through repeat customers. Because of this, you should naturally start your email marketing campaigns with the customers you already have.

For every contact with every customer, you should be offering a benefit to join your email list, and the simplest offer is a coupon.

Let your customers know that they will receive a great coupon (freebies are the greatest!) for their next visit if they join your list. Most people will be welcome to this, even if it’s the same people who hate giving out their info otherwise (just make sure they know you will keep their info private).

Once you start building a substantial email list, you can use it as the cornerstone for all of your other marketing activities. Use your email list to complement your social media updates, plan and announce events, get feedback and survey data, and of course, send out coupons.

Most importantly though,  never be boring and never abuse your list!

You can easily destroy your credibility with your email subscribers by sending them dull, unrelated information or offers. Your subscribers can unsubscribe from your list quicker than they can subscribe or even worse, they’ll flag it as spam.

On the other hand, if your subscribers are accustomed to receiving awesome and valuable content, coupons etc., then you can build a response rate that rivals any other form of media in the history of all media!

So get started today, ask your customers for their email address and then give them something awesome in return.