A recent lesson in the No-Excuse Art Biz Bootcamp led me to review previous posts and I found room for some clarification on this topic. So . . .
Here's a look at how I see your two primary lists.
1. Your Email List
Your email list consists of the people who have opted in to receive your bulk email messages and newsletters.
These people have asked to hear from you, so you’d better rise to the occasion!
Plan to stay in touch with your email list on a regular basis – as you have promised.
You keep this list on an email delivery platform like MailChimp, Emma, or Constant Contact.
2. Your Contact List
A contact list consists of the people you have contact with – people you meet. You want to remember them and want them to remember you.
There might be crossover with the names on your email list.
You are free to send snail mail and personal email messages to your contact list. You do not automatically have permission to send them bulk email unless they have opted in.
Contact lists are stored in a database either on your computer or a cloud-based system.
5 thoughts on “Your Email List vs. Your Contact List”
What is the correct procedure to ask those on your contact email list to opt into your mass emailing of announcements?
A follow-up question to “Who’s old enough to have a Rolodex?” — “Who wants to make an art piece out of one?”
LOL – I still have one of those “carousel” Rolodex thingies that holds hundreds of cards!! Not that I have used it lately, mind you, but now it’s so outdated, there are probably very few contacts that are still in the same place… I like Arthur’s idea – I can see pasting paper leaves and flower petals to each card and letting it spin – OH!
Seriously, I have an email list of people who have bought online from me but have not “opted in” to the email list. Should I send them all an introductory group email (I just set up MailChimp to coordinate with my Etsy shop) and say they can unsubscribe, or email each one individually and ask them to subscribe?
Ask them to subscribe — as a group or individually.
Here are a few good posts about asking people to subscribe:
https://aaartbizold.wpengine.com/2011/07/email-lists.html
https://aaartbizold.wpengine.com/2010/04/email-friends.html
https://aaartbizold.wpengine.com/2010/04/lisamcshane.html