How to Collect Email Addresses with an Email List Template

Collecting email addresses for your business can be hard when you are just starting. By using an email list template, you have the right things in place to start collecting email addresses. The template contains elements that not only allow people to sign up with their email addresses but also to add additional information about themselves. The email list templates can be used in your database and on forms that you can use in offline situations. Let’s say you’re hosting a live event. You might decide to have users sign up for the event at the door. You can use an email list template to collect their information.

When you’re using an email list template, you want to make sure that everything is included. It’s a perfect opportunity to get a lot of information about people that may become customers in the future. If your products and services match whatever your event attendees are looking for to fix an essential problem in their lives, it’s useful to get as much information as you can. In the end, creating a good email list template is the best way to ensure that you have all the information about recipients that one day may turn into customers. 

What is an email list template?

An email list template is a document that you can use offline to collect data. A use case for templates like this would be offline customer interviews. When you’re launching a new B2B product or service, you might attend events that are also attended by your target audience. These events can be startup festivals, data expos, or any other conference focused on the B2B market. It’s hard to keep track of all the people that you interact with, which is why using an email list is useful. You can follow up on all the people you’ve met by going through your list and adding all sign-ups to a spreadsheet.

Using an email list template instead of creating your email list has several benefits:

• The layout is already perfect

• You can edit the form fields to match the required information

• The template can be printed right away

• You don’t have to guess what to include on the form

• It provides consistency when collecting email addresses

Why should you use an email list template?

Preparing for an event can result in a busy schedule. There are a lot of small details that impact how successful you are at an event. You don’t want to spend too much time working on smaller tasks such as creating a form to build an email list. Downloading an email list template will be much easier as you can edit some of the information. After the form is modified to match your preferences, you print several copies and covered that vital aspect of preparing for the event. Instead of wasting precious time in Excel or any other spreadsheet editor by playing with the layout, a pre-made email list template will be much easier to work with. It’s also customizable so that you can include your company logo and colors.

Most email list templates are built in either Word, Excel, or alternative software that provides the same benefits as these tools. Since you already know how to work with these tools, it’s much easier to design an email list form that fits your needs. Most people prefer to download an email list template instead of creating their own because it’s a pleasant time-saver. When it comes to your business, time is money. So, avoid wasting your precious time building something someone else has already built. 

Another benefit of email list templates is the wide variety of templates. You can pick hundreds of different designs that fulfill your needs. If you’re experienced in working with spreadsheets, it’s easy to turn it into a branded document. Anyone you talk to at an event can provide their details so you can follow up by email later. At most events, it’s hard to be able to have a more extended conversation. But when a passerby is interested in the products or services you provide, you want to make sure that you’re able to follow up with them in some way. Having them sign up for your email list is a great way to stay connected. You’re actively turning attendees into recipients by creating a free email list.

Connections established at events will go a long way. You may both be attending the next event so you can continue your conversation. Though most people that you meet at an event might not buy your products or services right away, it’s still useful to connect to a lot of people. It’s important to be well-known and to show that you’re a trustworthy authority within your market. This will significantly increase the success rate of turning people on your email list into future customers. 

The importance of collecting emails of your potential customers

As a marketer or business owner, you already know the importance of being able to reach your target audience. Email is one of the best ways to ensure that your messages are most likely being read. It can be a tedious job to collect email addresses, especially when you currently do not have much to offer in return. Most people won’t just hand out their email address unless they’re interested in your products or services. By using a physical email list, they can leave their credentials wherever you are. There’s no need for online forms or similar digital solutions.

Though some companies might opt for using iPads or other technology to collect details at events, using physical email signup forms is still highly useful. It gives your total appearance a more personal side. Most people like to work with pleasant people. If you can show a more personal approach than the iPads that most other companies are using, you are more likely to be remembered. It’s always important to stand out in a crowd, and physical email signup forms are a great way to do so. 

How do you create an email list template?

Whether you want to create your email list template to use right now and in the future or download a template, it’s crucial to understand how you can create a flawless design. First and foremost, you want to ensure that the template is designed with your brand colors and preferably a logo. When meeting attendees at an event, this will emphasize your brand and will also add a level of trust. You’re not just collecting their email addresses for any random occasion; you want to send them more information. 

To create your email list template, you need to have the following:

• Access to Excel or Google Spreadsheets

• A list of details you need from sign ups

• A printer to print the template

• A pen or pencil for attendees to sign up

Do you need some inspiration to create a good email list template? Below you will find three different templates that you can copy and paste into Excel or Google Spreadsheets. 

Email list template #1

Email list template #2

Email list template #3

Creating an email list template in Excel

Would you rather create your email list template in Excel? By investing a few minutes, you can create a great looking template that contains all the columns you need.

1. Open Excel or Google Spreadsheets

2. Select the cells in the top row and click “merge cells” on the menu bar

3. Type your preferred heading within the cells

4. Center the heading within the cells

5. Add your company logo or brand colors in the top row

6. Go down one row and start typing the different column names such as: Email address, First name, Last Name, Company name, Company size

7. Select the columns right of your row, and right-click > delete

8. Select the rows below row 28 and right-click > delete

9. Now click “File” > “Print.”

10. Select the number of copies you want to print

What to do when someone’s added to the email list

After you’ve attended an event, you want to create a digital version of your email list. You want to reach all the people that signed up through email and include their additional information to personalize the emails. Once you’re back from the event, you can put the provided data into a new spreadsheet (based on the email list template you’ve created for the event). You’ll see that it might take some time to get used to typing the information onto your screen. But after a few entries, you will get the hang of it.

Adding all the sign-ups to your email list will result in a long list of people that you can reach out to. It’s important to understand that these people signed up for a specific reason. They want the whitepaper, access to a webinar, or receive updates about your company. Make sure that you stick to that mostly. Don’t instantly email all the people on your list about your latest product or service. That’s not what they signed up for. It’s alright if you add a link to your product or service after a few emails. But that shouldn’t be the focus of your emails from the start. First, you need to establish a relationship. 

Make sure to verify the email addresses

To avoid sending a lot of emails to addresses that you may have misread or mistyped, you should verify every single email address. Verifying email addresses is the best practice when it comes to email marketing. You upload a list of email addresses, and the email verifier checks its status. If you collect hundreds of addresses, you will always mistype a few addresses. Anyleads’ Email Verifier can help you with that. 

Checking the email address status shows whether an address is valid or not before you send out an email. If you do not verify your newly collected addresses, you will soon find your inbox cluttered with delivery errors. Emails to non-existing addresses will bounce and return an email containing information about the error. 

Creating drip campaigns is the way to go

Once you’ve created your new email list, it’s time to set up marketing campaigns that will allow you to engage your new audience. You want to avoid having to send a new email every week as this will take up a lot of your time. 

Using drip campaigns, you can send automated emails to your target audience that contain their personal information. The drip campaigns should include the content you’ve offered when users signed up. You don’t want to send sales-focused emails straight away as this will lead to your recipients unsubscribing. We recommend using Anyleads’ Automated Emails tool to create your drip campaigns.

Within a drip campaign, you can set up a list of steps based on engagement with the emails you are sending. This is what a campaign might look like:

1. Send the whitepaper download link on day 1

2. Follow up on users who haven’t opened the email on day 3

3. Follow up on users that clicked the link with a few questions on day 5

4. Send a general email on day 7

5. Send a link to your newsletter opt-in page on day 10

You will need specific email marketing software to start developing drip campaigns. Regular email clients, such as Gmail and Outlook, do not provide any solution for this. Most tools allow you to sync with your email provider so you can send emails from your regular email address. For every email you send to your new audience, you can set a preferred “From” name.

Drip campaigns are most successful when they provide solutions to problems that your target audience might be dealing with. You can use the individual emails within the campaign to explain more about how they can fix their problems. Another solution would be to include a link to a blog post in which you explain how to fix the problem. 

You should focus on the following aspects of each email:

1. The email subject line

2. The purpose of sending the email

3. The time you are sending the email

4. The engagement one has shown with previous emails such as opening the email or clicking a link

The email subject line

When it comes to getting an above-average open rate, it all comes down to the email subject line. You should try and limit the subject to 50 characters as this will ensure that it is shown on email clients on both desktop and mobile. You may want to use subject lines, such as: 

• “Here’s the whitepaper I promised you.”

• “Hey {firstname}, it was nice meeting you.”

• “This is what you’ve been waiting for.”

Or if you’re writing a networking email subject line, you might try:

• “Let’s grab a coffee”

• “Time for a quick call?”

• “What are you doing Wednesday?”

The purpose of sending the email

The first introduction email should be focused on who you are and why you are contacting them. When attending events, most people share their email address with multiple people and companies. 

You want to remind them why they signed up and provide the content within the same email. This will avoid confusion on your recipient’s side, and they won’t unsubscribe when they realize they’ve met you. Need some inspiration to write great emails? You might want to check the email invitation templates.

The time you are sending the email

Pay attention to your recipients’ time zones to get the best results. Sending an email on Monday morning might be a good idea as you’ll be one of the few emails in their inbox. At the same time, most people attend meetings on Monday morning so they won’t check their inbox. 

The engagement your recipient has shown

When it comes to follow-up emails within your drip campaign, you want to add filters based on user behavior. If someone hasn’t interacted with your email yet, it’s useless to send them an email asking them what they thought of the whitepaper you’ve sent over. Take details like this into consideration when you’re creating your drip campaign. 

How to turn recipients on your email list into customers

Once you’ve established a great relationship with the people on your email list, you might want to start looking at ways to turn them into customers. The different emails you’ve sent them so far should’ve shown that you’re an authority in this market. Your target audience will believe that this authority also spreads to your products and services. Meaning that, if they buy your product or service, they are very likely to fix the problem that it’s solving. 

Your product or service should provide a solution for whatever your target audience is dealing with. Before you send your first sales email, you should already know if that specific recipient is dealing with that problem and how it’s affecting them or their business.

This is where great relationships will create the most opportunities. You want to understand what your target audience is dealing with. Not everyone on your list is going to be the perfect customer, but a percentage of them will be. It’s your job to figure out which recipients are low hanging fruit after sending them several emails showing them that you’re an expert. 

To do so, you should check how they’ve been interacting with your content so far. You might also want to send over some questions related to the problem you fix so you can get more insights into how this is affecting your potential customer.

Once you’ve established a connection with your recipients, you can start sending them commercial emails. Make sure that you stick to the best practices, such as using a sales email template to understand how to turn recipients into customers. You can also include an email signature in your emails. Not sure what type of email signature you should include? Read this article to find several useful email signature templates. 

Consider sending an email before your next event

If you’re going to be at the same event as one of your recipients, it’s smart to send them an email beforehand so you can meet up. This is especially helpful when you believe this might be a future customer. 

A personal approach is crucial as it will show your potential customer that you’re friendly and trustworthy. You can also send an email when you’re not sure if someone’s going to be attending an event you’ve both attended the previous year. Ask them whether they’re attending again this year and if they want to meet up.

Why you will profit from your email list for years to come

The recipients on your email list can be useful for years to come. Though they might not be in a position to buy your products or services right now, they might be so in the future. Send out an email now and then to check in on them to understand what they’re struggling with. When it comes to sales through email marketing, even the smallest details will matter. They might be struggling with a problem that you may not be able to fix. But you can try to help them by referring them to someone in your network who can help them.

In the end, it’s all about becoming an authority to the recipients on your email list. It’s a world of giving and giving until it’s time for you to show up with your product and service. Being incredibly helpful to people you’ve met at an event will go a long way. They may even introduce you to another potential customer at next year’s event when they’re visiting your booth. And when you’re attending that event again next year, you should bring your email list template with you.