email message

With the rise of various social media applications, is a mailing list even important? The short answer: YES! Years ago, there was a website like Facebook. It was called MySpace and before that, there was Friendster. What I am saying is that these websites come and go. Emails are different. Before you can sign up to numerous websites, you have to have an email that you have access to. Everyone who has an internet connection definitely has a working email address. Here is a list of why your website should have a mailing list:

1. You OWN it.

   You have your own creative outlet. You can publish the message you want and the way you want it. You set your own rules. There is nothing wrong on building an audience on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, or Google+, but you do not own those names. Their respective companies do. You will not be at the mercy of these social media sites. You will not be influenced by the changes of their terms and conditions. Ten years from now, when they will be out of the picture, you will not worry on how you will get in touch with all your subscribers.

2. It is a SECURE way of storing contacts.

   What if your website crashes or some vital information gets lost along the way? How can you reconnect to your audience? You do not own any of their contact details. They just happened to “like” your post or “followed” your page. When you have a mailing list, you can send them an email informing them of the new updates of your website. It will be a painless way to restore the website’s contacts and its affiliations at any given time. In times of crisis and emergencies, you can definitely trust emails.

3. It is a place for SALES to begin.

   Personally, I do shop online and I prefer it than going to an actual store just to find out that they do not carry the item I am looking for. I subscribe to various mailing lists and it is a great way for me to get information on new products. From time to time, I get emails from BookDepository for example. They send me a list of new releases, bargain books, and even coupons that I can utilize on my next purchase. Emails are an effective way to convince your dedicated subscribers to come back and check the latest deals on your website. These clicks could mean sales.

4. You can EXPORT.

   Let us say that you mostly relied on Facebook most of time, but you realized that your target market is not on Facebook anymore. They are now on Twitter and you wish to export your thousands of Facebook fans to Twitter followers. Of course, you cannot do that! All you can do is weep and regret that you invested all your effort in one place. With email, you can easily export your list and transfer to another service provider. It is easy for you to move, upgrade, and rebuild. No need to start from the very beginning and complicate your life!