The post Why Small Businesses Need To Have (and Grow) An Email List appeared first on HostGator Blog | Gator Crossing . You already have an audience for your business. When you have events, people show up. When you hold a sale or introduce a new product, people are there to buy. And when you open your doors each morning, you know you won’t be spending the day alone. Your phone rings, your website gets traffic, and over time your business grows. But if you’re not giving this audience a way to stay connected with you when they’re away from your business — you’re missing out on a valuable opportunity to build relationships with these customers and accelerate the growth your business can achieve by driving action around the things you’re already doing. Social Media Alone Isn’t Enough Sure, you could set up a Facebook Page or get started on Twitter but at the end of the day you don’t really own those contacts — you’re renting them. You can put days, weeks, and months into building a fanbase, but if one day Facebook decides to limit your ability to deliver your message, you’ll be no better off than when you started. On the flipside, by growing your email list , you’ll be able to take control of your message and communicate with your audience on your own terms. You’ll be giving the people who are actually interested in attending your events, buying your products, or signing up for services the ability to opt-in to receive information that’s relevant to them. And because you know the information is delivered to a place where your customers are going everyday — the inbox — you know your message is reaching your target audience. That’s what growing your contact list can do for your small business. And that’s the best case for why small businesses should consider email marketing. Not Sure Where To Start When Growing Your List? Growing your list really breaks down to two things: covering your touch points and remembering to ask. Make it easy for people to sign up for your mailing list at all the places people are interacting with your business. This includes: Online: Add a sign-up form to your website to capture new visitors who may not be ready to buy. You should also use social networks like Facebook and Twitter to encourage fans and followers to join your email list. In-store: Place a paper sign-up sheet on your counter and ask people to share their name and email address. Email marketing solutions like Constant Contact also offer integrations with many business management and POS providers to automatically add new customers to your email marketing database. At events: Use a tablet to allow event attendees to join your email list on their own at events and other networking activities. Covering your touch points will guarantee your audience will grow and won’t require much heavy lifting from you or your staff. You Also Need To Make Sure You’re Asking People To Sign Up. Most of the people who walk through your door, call your business, or connect with you on sites like Facebook or Twitter will be happy to hear more about your business — all you need to do is ask! Make sure people understand what they are signing up for when they join your email list. What type of information will they receive? How often will they hear from you? What have other people enjoyed about receiving your emails? Use this information to set expectations early and make sure you’re following through. To encourage them even further, you can provide an additional incentive for signing up. In some cases, that incentive will be a monetary discount or free giveaway. But you can also use other types of offers like a free download or access to an upcoming event to encourage people to share their email address. Get Started! Write down a list of all the places you’re already interacting with current and potential customers. Are you making it easy for people to join your list at all of these touch points? Have you clearly stated the benefits of signing up? With a few simple steps, you’ll be able to capture new email contacts without putting any additional stress on your staff or your budget. Constant Contact has all the tools you need to grow your email list. Start your free 60-day trial today. web hosting