Four Case Studies to Grow Your Email List

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You have to focus on growing your list. Remember you will keep churning names off your list, so to continue to build your program - list growth should be a primary digital tactic. Here are four case studies from different organizations that you could apply to your own programs.

Credit Union Example

A credit union I work with came up with a unique way to engage local youth during the summer, they told their members (in credit union lingo customers = members) to give their kids a special summer writing project. To participate, they had to submit an essay describing what they would do with $250K as the mayor of the city, charged with creating summer youth programs.

Parents submitted the essays and included the child’s age, education goals, etc. as part of the entry form. All this information was maintained in a database that allowed the CU to market education, insurance and car loan products to the member’s for their kids. All members were asked to judge – so everyone was involved.

Banking Example

Another financial institution I work with sent an email campaign with the subject lines (split testing) What if you won the Lottery? and What if you won a Million Bucks? The campaign was used to launch a dream giveaway – recipients were asked to tell what they would do with the winnings.

Obviously the email got attention; there were many click-throughs to the landing page designed to capture the responder’s lifestyle choices/ products – things they could buy or do if they had a million dollars. The landing page also included a calculator, to help the customer learn how much they would have to save to reach their financial goal(s.) They tried to make the interactivity as real as possible – asking for more and more detail from the customer and showing them the steps to attain their financial goals. All information fed the bank’s marketing database and used today to create personalized marketing programs for each customer.

In both of these examples, the CU and Bank made connections with their customers – they created conversations and fueled their marketing efforts for years to come.

The Registry

Many big department stores have bridal registries, it’s a very simple concept – couples come in, register and select items they’d like to receive. This one store allowed couples to announce their wedding via email and give those recipients the option to congratulate the couple via personalized email messages and browse through their registry.

After the wedding, the newly married couple received an email offering an exclusive three-day sale. Simply bring in your list – items you didn't receive from your registry may qualify for their discount (couples often receive cash.) All purchase information was recorded for future marketing – maybe their china is being discontinued, a lamp they liked is now on sale etc. Their marketing possibilities were endless and all offers were completed targeted.

The Contest

Not everyone is in the wedding business, but you can collect preferences other ways. In early 2000, I was consulting for a home décor company; they sold window treatments, carpets and other home furnishings. They had a lot of traffic at their website – it seemed that people loved to browse through their site. As a result, we tried something unique, offering a $5,000 shopping spree. To win, you had to write about your home and tell how you would spend the money.

They awarded a grand prize and gave discounts to everyone else for the items on their wish lists. Most importantly, they were able to personalize offers to their prospects and customers going forward, resulting in higher opens and clicks.

In Conclusion

If I was to list five critical factors for your success, email list growth is going to be a key item. Also, don't forget to leverage other engagement touchpoints like mobile, self-service, social media, and direct marketing to add to your email list. You have to keep fine tuning your approaches to list growth as you to continue to grow your base, engage your base, and create interactive conversations with those you serve.