Grow Your Email Marketing Database by Asking Nicely

Your current subscribers can be your best asset. By allowing your brand evangelists to refer their friends, they can help you grow your email marketing database.

There are some subtle differences between Refer-a-Friend and Forward-to-a-Friend.

While Forward-to-a-Friend will send the exact message your current subscriber received in their inbox, a Refer-a-Friend message sends a separate message - featuring an offer, the benefits of subscribing, or even an invitation to enter a sweepstakes.

When asking your subscribers to refer their friends, be mindful of your language. This morning, I referred five of my friends, in exchange for additional entries into a sweepstakes, with their registration, from a national restaurant chain we'll call Restaurant X.

I was given six spots to enter my friends' names and email addresses. I chose to enter five friends' names. Sure, I could have entered one more, however, based on my comfort-level, I felt good about the friends I referred. I had a strong idea who would be receptive to an offer like this. There was also space for me to provide a personal message. So I had a chance to let my friends know why I thought they might like signing up for the monthly email.

After the message was sent, I was taken to a Thank you page. The message read:

"Thanks for sharing Restaurant X e-mail exclusives with 5 of your friends. But we know you’ve got more friends than that out there. So why not drop them an e-mail too?
Because for every friend that signs up to receive Restaurant X great deals, you’ll receive another entry into the X Sweepstakes. So dig deeper in that address book. We’re sure your mother’s college roommate's daughter would love to hear from you!"

What? Five wasn’t enough? Restaurant X resorts to begging me for not only my friends' email addresses, but also for addresses of people I might be acquainted with.

As a subscriber, I deserve more respect than that. And Restaurant X would have a much cleaner and engaged list if they just asked nicely and left it at that.