Email subscription lists are virtual gold mines; they’re insurance prospects who have the potential of becoming real clients. Using emailed newsletters and announcement, you can maintain a continuous marketing campaign to target subscribers – for pennies.

But it’s a gold mine you have to create and build, as well as mine. Building an insurance email subscription list may seem daunting at first, but it’s actually easier than you think. Below are a few tips for creating and building your email subscriber list.

But keep in mind that an email subscription list is not spam! In fact, you must avoid spamming at all cost! Spamming can easily backfire on you and get your emails banned by major email providers, like Yahoo, Hotmail and Gmail.

Plan Your Categories

Subscriber lists often have at least two or three categories, just in case you need to send different types of emails to each group. So your first step is to define a few simple categories that work for you. For example,.

• Current client list

  Your first category may be your current clients. They are potential buyers of other insurance products or upgrades – as well as a potential source for referrals. But most will not refer prospects your way if they don’t remember you or you ask them for referrals.

• Prospect list

  A second category would be prospects that have expressed interest or visited your website but are not quite ready to buy. You want to use your email marketing campaign to stay in touch with these prospects so that they think of you when they’ve decided to buy.

• Referral sources

  A third category may be referral sources, such as friends and business owners in complementary fields. For example, attorneys and accountants are sometimes good sources for insurance prospect referrals.

But don’t go overboard with your categories, because you’ll want to keep it manageable.

Create Your Email Subscription List

An email subscription list is a database of contact information – centered on their email addresses. If you’ll have more than 20 names on your list, you’ll need a program such as Outlook or Excel to keep them organized.

After setting up your categories, start inputting existing clients, prospects and referral sources into your database. If you already have a database of these contacts, you can simply import them into your new database. Then keep adding to that list.

1. Networking

   When you’re at a networking or social event and collecting business cards, ask people if you can add them to your subscription list. Do the same with any new prospect or client who comes through your door.

2. Leads

   Don’t ignore your leads. These are often solid prospects, especially when they’re high-quality leads, such as ProspectZone’s Smart Leads Select. Even if you don’t close them right away, an email marketing campaign could yield results down the line.

3. Website Opt-In

   The biggest source of new subscribers for most businesses is their website’s opt-in form. Make sure your site prominently displays the subscription form on your home and most other pages. But make it easy for potential subscribers by asking only for their email and name. The more information you request, the fewer subscribers you will get.

Only a small percentage of visitors to your site will subscribe to your email list. You can increase that percentage by offering an incentive for visitors to subscribe, such as a free ebook, white paper or value-adding information. Visitors are more likely to subscribe, for example, if you have an informative newsletter and show them past examples.

Managing Your Email Subscription List

Now that you have a subscriber list, you need to maintain and nurture it. Here are a few tips for maintaining a productive email subscription list:

• Drop-offs and undeliverables

  Bounced emails and requests to unsubscribe are normal facts for all email campaigns. Don’t take it personally! People change emails and priorities. However, you should be concerned if you’re drop-offs exceed 5% or if you’re regularly losing more subscribers than you’re creating.

• Limit your email campaigns

  Although you need to regularly send out emails to stay in touch, you need to limit yourself. Too many emails will attract more cancellations, because most cancellations occur after each email blast. You also want to make sure that your email content has substance. Give subscribers what you promised, whether it’s current news, periodic specials or informative tools.

• Survey

  Email campaigns don’t just inform your prospects and clients; they can also educate you. At least once a year, create and send out a short survey to your email subscribers. Ask them what they would like from you, your emails and your products. Only a small percentage will respond; but you should acknowledge them when they do.

• Call to action

  Each email you send should have a call to action. Whether it’s asking for a sale or a referral, don’t forget to include that "ask" in each email. A recent marketing industry study revealed that being specific in your requests can lead to more conversions. For example, saying "Forward to 3 Friends" gets more conversions than "Forward to A Friend."

• Third-party service

  As your email subscription list grows, you may need to get help with your email campaigns. An Email Autoresponder is a powerful tool for agents dealing with undecided prospects. In addition, online companies such as Constant Contact and Vertical Response provide inexpensive tools for managing subscription lists and email campaigns.

Building an email subscription list initially takes a small investment of time. But it’s an inexpensive marketing effort that can generate solid prospects and serious buyers.