If you think you can forgo email marketing in favor of Twitter of Facebook you are sadly mistaken. Email marketing is still the most responsive form on online bar none.

So, building up lists of emails is a task you must put some effort behind in order to kick your email marketing efforts into gear. The problem is nobody really wants more email, particularly spam from unknown sources. When I talk about buying email lists, I’m am not talking about buying or renting so called opt-in lists from list brokers. I’m talking about offering something of value as a way to motivate someone to willingly exchange their email address with you in order to receive your offers and additional contact.

That’s right, the price of getting emails has gone up over the last few years and you’ve got to get creative in order to build your lists. You’ve got to earn those email subscribers!

Here are a few offers that work every time

1) Great how to information. Create checklists, forms, and detailed instructions for things that your prospects might want to know or use. This is something you should be doing no matter what, but using this information to attract email addresses is a proven winner. Hubspot is a great example of a company that produces tons of useful info.

2) Free tools. Create templates, rank checkers, calculators and widgets and let people use them to their heart’s content and even enable them to pass them around. Aaron Wall of SEO Book is a master of this one.

3) Coupons. Give people something of value towards a purchase or free trial and watch them line to get on your list. You can use tools like CellFire to automate and deliver your coupons to mobile devices.

4) Access. Create a membership level for information and community that starts with registering. This can be done with membership software like WishListMember or even through a WordPress plugin that reveals additional content to registered users.

Once you collect those email addresses keep pounding away with value, don’t abuse them with offer after offer. When you continue to add value through great content and education they will turn themselves into buyers and referral sources over time.