Why aren’t people signing up for your mailing list?

S.K. Cothren, Clouds Over Field. Mixed media, 36 x 36 inches.  (c) The Artist  http://www.skcothren.com

You put the guest book out at your opening with a sign saying “Please sign up for my mailing list.”

You have a bowl in your booth with a plea beside it saying “Please, leave your business card and I’ll add you to my mailing list.”

Your Web site has a fancy form on it that encourages visitors “Please sign up for my mailing list.”

And still, your mailing list flounders. Why? First, put yourself in the place of someone reading any of those signs. Would you sign up? Do you want to give your name, address, and email address out so quickly? I doubt it. I think that even if it was someone you knew well and admired, you’d be thinking to yourself, “I have enough mail and email right now, thank you very much. Besides, I’m sure I’ll hear about you through the grapevine and won’t miss a thing.”

After you have put yourself in your viewers’ place, consider this. What would it take to get me to sign that guest book or give my name and email to a Web site?

The problem with each of the three signs above is that they’re ambiguous. As a person reading them, I don’t know what you do with your mailing list. Are you going to email me every week? Twice a week? And what will you send me? Will I get invitations in the regular mail? Is it information I need and want or are your mailings all about you?

Here are some guidelines for getting people to sign up for your mailing list.

1. Tell people exactly what they’re going to get and how often you’ll be contacting them. “I send out a monthly email update if there’s something I think you’ll want to know about and two newsletters a year to your home address.” Or you can just set limits: “I will contact you no more than once a month and promise to do so only when there’s something juicy to share.”

2. Have a privacy policy in full view that says you don’t share or sell your mailing list to anyone. Here’s mine: http://www.artbizcoach.com/privacypolicy.html

3. Most importantly . . . Give them something they want. Again, think about where they’re coming from. And think about what makes you add your name to a mailing list. I’ve left some ideas on the Art Biz Blog and would like for you to leave your own. Head over to http://www.artbizblog.com  when you’re finished reading this.