# How to Build an Email List and Increase Customer Retention
In the world of marketing, customer retention is key. It costs more to attract a new customer than to keep an existing one. That’s why focusing on customer retention is a valuable long-term solution for increased revenue and sustainable growth. Building an email list is one of the most powerful ways to reach your target audience and keep them engaged with your brand. In this article, we will explore the attributes of a good email list, how to build one from scratch, and the best email list-building tools to help you achieve your goals.
## Attributes of a Good Email List
Before diving into the strategies for building an email list, it’s important to understand what makes a good email list. Here are some qualities to consider when creating and maintaining an email list:
### 1. Permission-Based
Your email list should consist of people who have willingly and explicitly given consent to receive emails from you. Never buy an email list. Keeping your list permission-based ensures that you’re following marketing compliance guidelines and maintaining a positive reputation.
### 2. Accurate and Current
Make sure that the email addresses on your list are valid and accurate. Regularly remove invalid or bounced email addresses to maintain deliverability and engagement rates.
### 3. Relevant to Your Audience
Your subscribers should have a genuine interest in your products, services, or content. Make sure they match your target audience, as they are most likely to engage with the emails you send out.
### 4. Contain Engaged Users
The best email lists have subscribers who actively engage with the content you send. These are the subscribers who are most likely to convert, share your content, and provide the most value over time.
### 5. Easily Segmented
A good email list should lend itself well to segmentation. This enables you to send targeted and personalized emails that will resonate with specific segments of your audience. Segmentation can be based on demographics, interests, past purchases, or engagement levels.
### 6. Growing
Your email list should see consistent growth. Implement strategies to attract new subscribers, such as lead magnets, social media promotions, or collaborations with other businesses.
### 7. Easy to Unsubscribe
Make it easy for people to unsubscribe from your emails. Transparency and ease of unsubscribing are good business practices.
Focus on building an email list that includes relevant