How A Small Business Built An Email Subscriber List Without A Website
Can that really be true?
Can a small business grow an email subscriber list without a website?
The short answer is, Absolutely.
This post is will not take you long to read but it will give you or the offline businesses you work with an introduction to the power of email marketing without the need of a website.
Building An Email Subscriber List For Offline Businesses
What you are about to read is a personal story of how a simple discussion between myself and a local offline (bricks-and-mortar) business owner increased her profits within weeks of implementing what I shared.
This all began with a trip to my local unisex hairdressers.
Whenever I’m getting my haircut, the salon owner and I always chat about family, the community and work.
During one such conversation it was revealed that sometimes ‘business was slow’, and although Friday and Saturday were always guaranteed to be super busy, Tuesday and Wednesday could often see only a trickle of clients come through the doors over the course of each day.
Being someone who likes to share useful information, I talked about email marketing and how, on those quiet days, an email could be sent out to subscribers that encouraged them to visit the salon.
This is how we did it?
Building Your Email Database of Prospects and Customers
Each time someone paid for their haircut at the till, they were asked if they would like to sign-up for the salon’s (new) email newsletter and to receive notifications of any special offers that the salon were to be running.
This required the customer to leave their first name and email address. In return, the customer received a 20 per cent discount voucher off their next haircut.
By providing customers with a money off voucher on a future haircut, a large number of people that were first-time visitors went on to become repeat customers.
Successful Email Promotions
With the email subscriber database growing, the business owner would send out a monthly newsletter that covered new hairstyles, products and forthcoming promotions.
In between the newsletter broadcasts, promotions were sent out to get people in on those days that were often quiet.
One of the best promotions they ran was ‘introduce a friend’. By bringing a friend (someone new to the salon) both people would receive 20 per cent off their haircuts.
By doing this the salon owner was able to add new names and emails to the database and it is a promotion they continue to run to this day.
The great thing about this story is that all you need as a small business owner (or consultant to small businesses) is an…
Email Service Provider
That’s it. You collect the name and email address and add it to the email service provider (ESP) that you are using.
You see, using an email service provider is very affordable and thus allows it to be incorporated into the tightest of budgets.
Let’s look at the following providers:
AWeber prices start at $1 for the first month and then $19.00 a month. You can save $34.20 if you pay for a year in advance at a total of $193.80. This price plan is for up to 500 subscribers.
Get Response is free up to your 10 subscribers and then the price is $18 a month. If you prepay for the year the price is approximately $177.12, saving you $38.88 (18 %). This price plan is for 11-500 subscribers.
iContact allows you to get started for free (I believe it is for the first 15 days). You can get started at just $9.97 a month for up to 250 subscribers, making iContact one of the most affordable options to getting started with a dedicated email service provider. The annual subscription at this level is $107.46.
After you’ve chosen the service that mostly fits your needs you can start writing your newsletter and promotions ready to be sent out by your auto-responder (a great way to turn prospects into customers).
In closing, getting started in email marketing does not have to cost your business a lot of money and the ROI can be astounding when you consider that email (newsletters) allow you to build a relationship with your customers through staying in contact with them.
Additionally, when the time comes and the business owner decides to purchase a website they can simply plug their ESP web form into the site to continue to build their database of prospects and customers.
What are your thoughts? Is this something that your business can benefit from using? What tips and ideas would you share with the business owners in your locality?
To your success,
Karl Foxley
P.s. Although I did not receive any financial reward for the information I gave to the salon owner, my family and I now enjoy free haircuts. 
P.p.s If a hair salon can build an email subscriber list I’m sure you can too. Be sure to read this post, 3 Ways a Small Business Can Build an Email Subscriber List Without a Website, for extra tips.
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Ah! What an amazing case study. It goes to show how far a little out of the box thinking can do. The model and method followed by the hairdressers can used a lot of other folks – especially those in food and beverage business.
Amanda Gordon recently posted..Vacuum Cleaners Guide
I had a similar chat with our local MOT test center about a year ago.
Why not email customers a few weeks before the car needs testing and offer a special discount to returning customers.
He was hesitant until I took my laptop and showed him just how easy bulk emailing his clients would be.
Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks, just shows how a really simple method can increase revenue and customer loyalty. Aweber is certainly a market leader. Interspire also have some products that can be bought outright.
I run a car detailing business and I make sure I collect every customers email. I send them coupons, invite to events, promotions, whatever. Everything helps with this economy. Good article I must say.
Carnell recently posted..Watch Live NFL Football Online
I had a large retailer ask for my email promising me that I would not be spammed then spamming me to death. I learned my lesson then and now give out a separate email address that I don’t use as much. It’s too bad some people will abuse this advice.
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Hey Karl,
Interesting article.
Email marketing or having a list of customers and prospects is a great marketing and sales tool. It is not only useful online, it works offline too.
I first knew about the power of having a list from E-Myth, a book by Micheal Gerber. It helps to keep your business in the minds of your customers and prospects. It does work!
Apart from having emails, you could also have phone numbers and to send promotional text messages.
Mk Akan recently posted..Why You Should Start Doing Business With Nigerian Customers
wonderful article, thanks Karl.
Thank you Jaswant.
I prefer MailChimp because it’s free up to 500 subscribers and it has great statistics and user friendly control panel. It seems to be the choice of “big ones” as well.
Gathering emails, having an email newsletter and emailing Specials, use YouTube as a video testimonial site, claim your Google Local Business Listing, use the Coupons, and encourage Online Reviews. Most low-cost local service businesses would be much better served doing these things rather than paying for a website that no one can find online.
.-= Walt Goshert´s amazing last blog ..Yes, Your Local Business Website Sucks =-.
Absolutely Walt. Great advice.
Hi Karl,
Great post. Left a more detailed response over at bizSugar. Thanks for sharing with the community!
.-= Shawn´s amazing last blog ..More on Sweating the Small Stuff « Flying Pig Communications =-.
FYI – IF you’re planning for the long haul, you want something like aweber or get response…cheaper in the long run and a lot better track record.
Hey Dennis, both are awesome but I wouldn’t count iContact out, they have been around for a while now and have some great resources. For me, using any one of them is an essential part of an online business.
I’m sure. I’m just saying if you’re planning a BIG continuous list it’s not the first choice…unless they’ve really changed their pricing structure.
Mailing list forms for offline businesses have been around since the beginning of time. You’re right though, most need to get out of the snail-mail “flier” business and into email…or at least combine them.
Great story, I notice many stores now ask for an email address at checkout and it is a very smart policy, I have shopped based on coupons they sent me. I also have to say that iContact is a great service, easy to use and less money than Aweber.
.-= JR´s amazing last blog ..Make Money Online for Free: How-To Build Money Sites Quickly With WordPress =-.
I think it is a smart policy JR to ask for an email, whether you have a barber shop, hairdressing salon, restaurant, dry-cleaners, etc. Having an email address allows you to build a relationship with your prospects and clients and remind them that you exist!
This is a really old type of way to do this, but really good and I am ashamed to say I have not jumped on that boat yet. I am actually thinking of using MailChimp because I have heard it was also pretty good. One of the gals I web design for wrote a guest post for me that I am suppose to publish this week on her experience with it.
Thank you for sharing. By the end of the week, I am going to have my own up and running now.
.-= Nile´s amazing last blog ..Social Media 101: Your Business Cannot Rely On Only Social Networking =-.
iContact is cheaper than Mail Chimp.
.-= JR´s amazing last blog ..Make Money Online for Free: How-To Build Money Sites Quickly With WordPress =-.
It is an old way to do things but sometimes, ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ comes to mind. Some business owners see the need of a website as an expense and something that they do not have time to upkeep, collecting just emails is a great way around this for sure.
Thanks for dropping in Nile,
Karl
Great story from personal experience Karl!
Thanks for sharing
Email Marketing is one of the most effective field in the internet marketing industry. I wish I could fit in that kind of field.
I’ve always thought that getting a paid autoresponder service such as aweber is for the big boys only in the blogging arena. But your story of this hair salon using such tools (and without a website at that) makes me think twice about my previous bias.
Maybe, just maybe, I might try my hands on list building soon.
.-= James M.´s amazing last blog ..Crossroad Ahead: Which Way Now? =-.
I would certainly check it out James, giving people an ‘ethical bribe’ such as a quality, information packed ebook in exchange for their email address is a great way to get started.
I have yet to venture into the business/marketing field but I was pretty excited about the topic — email list building WITHOUT a website. I have long heard about how fantastic AWeber is but have yet to try, not to mention others which I will gladly place in my bookmarks just in case. I’m satisfied with your explanation, Karl for it’s important to measure the client’s needs instead of what we think should be done. Lesson learned. ^^
@wchingya
Social/Blogging Tracker
.-= Ching Ya´s amazing last blog ..Art Of Communicating in Social Networks =-.
Hey Ching Ya, I work with a few website design companies and their first response to every businesses needs is ‘you got to have a website’. I don’t like this approach because some businesses just do not need one to meet their desired outcomes (usually, more sales / customers).
I’m sure you’d excel in the business/marketing field with the great knowledge you have of the Internet, social media, blogging etc.
Here’s to you for a brilliant story Karl –
just a bit surprised he didn’t also take 30 minutes or so to make a very basic free website somewhere too …
Cheers
Will
Hey Will, the owner felt the cost of hosting, upkeep etc didn’t make owning a website that desirable. The local search statistics for their location and the terms that would bring the site any visitors are very low, if the salon was based in a major city then it would certainly be worthwhile. That being said, their email subscriber list continues to grow.
Very good advice, Karl. I have to admit, which you probably know, that I don’t collect any email addresses (Feedburner does for blog notifications, but that’s not me), nor do I use AWeber or any of those other services. I don’t see my business supporting that right now, but at some point I think I might be ready to do that sort of thing. But yours was a great suggestion for her; I’ve actually recommended that sort of thing here and there for folks, but none have ever taken it up.
.-= Mitch´s amazing last blog ..Muppet Monday =-.
Thanks Mitch. I think the advice really works well for other services as well, restaurants being a great example.
Let me know when you kick your email newsletter of Mitch so I can jump aboard.
Great story with really good resources as well. Just goes to show what a little networking and sharing of information can produce when people take action.
Thanks for sharing the story of success!
.-= Jimi Jones´s amazing last blog ..Strategic Use of Your Twitter Widget =-.
It certainly does Jimi. I suppose it also shows how you can trade skills / services for skills / services without the need to have money exchanging hands (a great way for newbies to build credibility).
It appears that e-mail marketing is a really big deal in the marketing/blogging world. I should really look into it more than just the standard feedburner e-mail subscription for my users.
But I guess you automatically need to spend more time making your newsletter look useful so that users don’t unsubscribe.
.-= Gordon´s amazing last blog ..Getting Rid Of Twitter DMs =-.
I would get involved in the email marketing side of things ASAP Gordon, it can be a real business booster.