Email Marketing can be extremely effective but only if the emails were collected by you. Don’t waste your money on paying for email lists. Here are some tips for collecting emails:

1. Every time you get a new client, collect his or her email. This is easy to do when you have incorporated online scheduling into your business. Clients will use their emails for a user ID. If you do not have online scheduling, have clients fill out a form when they arrive for the appointment. If they still do not include the email on their client information card, you can try enticing them to cough it up.
2. Entice with free stuff. The easiest way to do this is to hold a raffle. You could choose a service, percentage off coupon, or a product. One of the qualifications to enter the drawing must be to give an email address.
3. Entice with a special promotion. Example: “Sign up for our email list and earn 10% off your next visit!”
4. Snatch them at events! Again, holding a raffle is the easiest way to do this. If you’re participating in an event outside your salon, like an expo or community event like an art fair, always have a raffle. This will keep clients at your booth longer and give you loads of new client contact information.
5. Networking. Any time someone gives you their business card, add them to your list.

Once collected, upload them immediately onto your email marketing company of choice (I prefer to use MailChimp) Otherwise you will loose track of them and they should be considered on the same level as gold.

Once collected, then start strategizing your next Email Marketing campaign!