A solid email list is the basis of all successful email marketing campaigns. You need a handy database of contacts — otherwise, your campaign will never truly get off the ground. And that’s where the role of the email list creator comes in.
Email list creators are this hazy umbrella category; many different strategies and tools fall under this name. Be wary of any tool that promises to source your email addresses to contact. Chances are, these are non-compliant with email marketing laws. It’s actually an enforceable stipulation that recipients must have previously consented to receive marketing material.
So, if good list-creator tools don’t find email addresses for you, what do they do? In this guide, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about using creator tools the right way. Nobody wants to build their campaign totally from scratch, but it’s about getting the right help with the process.
Give us just five minutes, and you’ll be able to pick the good from the bad apples. Let’s build your email list!
What Is An Email List Creator?
An email list creator is, in its most simple terms, a tool to create and finetune your business email lists. As we mentioned before, it is an umbrella term. That is, multiple types of tools and strategies fall into this category. Here are a few of the tools you might find under the “creator blanket”:
- Software and services that generate a readymade contact list (typically not legally compliant).
- Software that provides templates and design formats for emails to send to your existing list.
- Database-type tools provide a place for you to store email addresses.
- Strategies that help you collect email addresses, like opt-in forms and captive portals.
As you can see, email list creation tools cover all aspects of campaign management. You might use email marketing tools to build, design, store, or collect your list of contacts.
The most obvious type of list creator is that sneaky “give you a readymade list” type. Hold fire on that one; we’ll explain the right way to build an email list later. You’ll thank the lucky stars you waited, as the alternative method guarantees much more success!
However, the others are equally important. Having a solid database to store your list is one of the most overlooked and vital elements of a campaign. Will you use a manual like Google Sheets? Or invest in specialist software?
Email list creation is not just about building a list of contacts and clicking send. It requires careful tending and watering, and creator tools automate some of that lesser-appreciated process.
How Does An Email List Creator Work?
An email list creator works by organizing contact details and syncing with existing collection and sending strategies. But what exactly does that entail? And how does it do this?
Typically, you start with database software, which lists all email addresses, keeping them secure in one place. With more advanced campaigns, this database syncs with email marketing software that actually helps send content.
This gives you the capacity to bulk send rather than manually send each email to a different contact. It also often comes with inbuilt designs and template tools.
The most popular email marketing services will have lead-generation features for email list creation. For instance, allowing you to create types of pop-ups to add to places like your social media accounts. A pop-up tool is a game changer for collecting more emails for your campaign.
In summary, email list tools address all aspects of building, maintaining, and using that contact list. They do this by offering a dynamic range of individual features — think of it as targeting multiple goals at once.
If you want inspiration and ideas about which the best email list builders are, check out this software:
Business list creator tools cost $20-$60 a month on a subscription basis if you opt for all-in-one software. Most major email marketing services still require some legwork on your part. You’ll need to brainstorm how you’ll generate your initial few emails (skip ahead to the next section for ideas).
To outsource this collection stage completely, you could work with freelancers or even hire a staffer. Typical rates per hour for a freelance marketer are $50. A full-time staff marketer will cost you an average salary of $60,000.
Fancy going it totally alone? You could invest in a free email list creator to cut costs. This will involve more legwork but is a good option if you want a plan outline.
How To Collect Email Addresses In The First Place
Here comes the golden question: how do you properly collect email addresses in the first place? The most important rule is to collect contacts yourself.
As we discussed previously, you can pay for readymade email lists. However, these typically contain contacts for people who haven’t consented to receive your marketing. This means that, actually, it isn’t legally compliant. That’s not how you want to start your glossy new email campaign!
Equally, contacts you’ve not collected yourself are unlikely to have a close relationship or interest in your business. That’s no different from cold emailing. And chances are, you’ll only end up in the spam box.
Instead, here are a few ways to collect emails — all by yourself:
- Host competitions and require email addresses to sign up.
- Start an email loyalty program.
- Set up a captive portal to collect contacts from people using your WiFi.
By targeting people who are already flitting around your business, you’ve got better chances of nailing the right demographic. Furthermore, they are already demonstrating interest. Your hard-crafted emails are more likely to be read and engaged with, not blocked and marked as spam.
In short, collecting emails the right way involves setting up passive collection systems. These systems target customers who already have an interest in your business.
Beambox: Collecting Emails Through WiFi
Now for the good part: how do you collect emails through WiFi? Using your guest internet is easily the savviest way for customer-facing businesses to build email lists.
It works in a simple way, utilizing captive portals to encourage guests to part with their contact details. A captive portal is a simple form that guests trigger when they click to join your network. It blocks internet access until they input their details, then forwards the collected information to databases.
Captive portals are a breeze to set up; you only need captive portal software. You purchase software for a monthly subscription (usually around $20 a month). Then you enable captive portals in your router settings, and voila, you’re passively collecting emails.
It’s slick and low-cost, but the best part is that once set up, it’s passive. Your portal happily channels away essential contacts without your assistance. In no time, you’ll have a huge list of engaged recipients on your email list!
At Beambox, the captive portal strategy is our bread and butter. We offer an all-in-one WiFi software with a customizable portal to help businesses like yours.
Start your Beambox free trial today and form your own email list creator!
FAQ
Where are you going? We are about to reveal the most effective strategy for collecting emails through your WiFi. It requires simple software you can enable with one click in your router settings.
Before we reveal all, though, what do you remember of what we’ve covered so far? Here are the most common FAQ. Let’s see how you score.
What is the definition of an email list creator?
An email list creator is a marketing tool that helps build, maintain, and utilize a database of contacts. It is a necessary component of all email campaigns. There is a wide range of free and paid options, with the best choice being all-in-one software.
Why do I need an email list creator?
Email list creators are vital for even the most hands-on and independent self-marketers. Fundamentally, they organize and store all the email addresses you collect. Without adequate organization, these lists would just crumble — losing individual contacts.
Moreover, though, all-in-one creators optimize your email marketing strategy. They include bonus features like bulk sending and creating opt-in forms to collect contacts.
Budget around $20 a month for basic all-in-one packages, which usually caps you at 500 monthly emails. Otherwise, budget between $40 and $60 for anything between 1,000 and 2,000 emails and more advanced features.
You can find free email creator tools, which are best used as an initial stepping stone. To truly scale your business, you’ll want to progress to paid options with more features and scope.
