1.      Give that little email signup box a prime location on your site.

2.      Integrate email sign-ups into the purchase process.

3.      Collecting email addresses doesn’t need to done online, use offline opportunities too.

4.      Try running a competition, people seem to think they stand a better chance of winning if they subscribe to your mailing list.

5.      Offer an incentive, such as a discount code.

6.      Let them do the hard work by offering an incentive if they refer-a-friend.

7.      Be upfront and reassure potential signups that they won’t get spammed.

8.      Add a “forward to friend” option on the email newsletter and try and entice them to signup too.

9.      Refine your list by asking useful questions at suitable opportunities.

10.  Track subscribers who open and/or click on an email, then contact them with exclusive offers.

It makes more sense to have 1000 relevant email addresses of people who are interested in your industry, instead of a million random web based email addresses.  Data collection can be tricky, but if they’re talking to you or they’re on your site then obtaining their email address could be the future of your business.