Write down ‘the importance of an email list’ and find the many reasons, from dozens of other sources, why an email list is vital to growing an audience. Building a large customer database is the foundation of a successful business model, but how and where you get these email addresses from is where you need to focus.

There are some marketers who send emails to large databases that they pull from all over the web. While others also use multiple sources to build their database, but make use of posts from opt-in websites, social channels, and a variety of offline media.

The latter may take longer, but will result in a healthier database of email addresses that is sure to grow exponentially over time, rather than a list of customers hitting the ‘spam’ button or looking for ways to give themselves away. short.

Don’t make the ‘big email list’ your top priority

Most CEOs and CFOs are impressed by scale, so it can be quite difficult to argue that a smaller, more engaged client list is better than a larger one made up of inactive or often frustrated recipients. Try to emphasize the point that a large email list does not necessarily guarantee a return on investment.

At the same time, a large email list should not be associated with low quality. A list with thousands of addresses inevitably has a longer reach and the ability to support significant list segmentation. What marketers need to make sure, however, is that this list is made up of active subscribers who have chosen to receive the information you want to send them.

So what is the end result? A large email list is preferable. But a large, healthy email list is even better.

Factors Affecting Customer Email List Size

As with all marketing models, email has many variables that must be taken into account. Here are some questions to ask yourself before setting unrealistic expectations:

Market size:

Is your business in a new and growing market, an outdated market, or a niche market?

Creating ROI:

Do you currently have enough budget to actively grow your list, in the right way? Is the cost to the company low enough to achieve ROI in a reasonable period of time?

Customer / brand relationship:

Are you collecting emails from recipients who have an existing relationship with your brand or prospects who are interested in what you have to offer?

Customer profiles:

Are you compiling a list of people who fit your existing target market, based on demographics and psychographics? Or are they irrelevant to your business?

Purchase life cycle:

Are you monitoring and nurturing prospects as they move up the buying funnel, from top to bottom? Or are you just focusing on the initial registration?

Quality and segmentation of messages:

Similar to profiling, are you separating your email list into customers who prefer cruises and customers who are only looking for household items? If you have a larger list, your audience is likely to be more diverse. Do your messages reflect the interests of many?

Message frequency:

If the previous point is not met, your customer list is likely largely inactive. Therefore, emails that are sent too frequently will push the customer to unsubscribe or mark it as spam. Do you send emails too often?

IT support:

Online requires a knowledgeable IT person to handle problems that may, and problems will arise, especially when databases are large. Do you have this kind of support?

Email size is a small part of the puzzle

In conclusion, a customer email list, large or small, is only as good as its quality. Reaching new recipients with something that interests them, and as a result growing your email list, is the next challenge.