June 4, 2017

7 Ways to increase your email list

Grow email

While social media marketing is one important way to communicate with new and existing customers of your small business, building an email list is still just as crucial. However, getting a large list of subscribers takes time and often leads to frustration. But getting more people to opt-in does not need to be that hard. By using the following content marketing tactics, your business will have more people eagerly opting-in and waiting to hear from you.

 

  1. Let visitors know why they should opt-in to your list

Your website must give a clear indication of what benefit or value a visitor will get by giving up their email address or other contact information. This is probably the most significant key to building an engaged email list. Without a clear, concise reason for joining, most people will not bother signing up.

 

  1. Offer an incentive

Think of an incentive as a nudge for visitors to request more information. The incentive could be any type of giveaway or must-have tool that appeals to your website visitors, especially your target market. For instance, if you are selling a book, try offering the first chapter free in exchange for their email address.

An incentive will help build your email list quickly, but it’s only effective when targeted at an audience you want to attract. An email list filled with random people looking for something free only hurts your marketing effort.

 

  1. Make it easy to opt-in

Do not make signing up for your email list too complicated. Even if you offer is irresistible, the conversion rate will be extremely low if opting-in is too confusing or hard to do.

When it comes to getting someone to sign up, less is often more. Minimizing the amount of information a visitor needs to give will maximize the chance they’ll subscribe. If you need additional information, like a home address, it is better to follow up later and ask for it.

 

  1. Strategically placed opportunities

Sometimes increasing the number of subscribers is as simple as adding more opportunities for someone to sign up. Take a look at how many forms are on your company’s website and where they are located.

Apart from the usual places like a landing page or your site’s sidebar, consider adding a form to an about page, 404 page, or at the bottom of posts. Just be cautious not to add so many that your visitor becomes annoyed and clicks away.

 

  1. Try different copy

What words and images are you using to tempt people to opt-in to your list? Often just changing a few words or images can make the difference. Try experimenting with different calls-to-action, colors, and pictures.

Are you giving away too much? Often, business owners get caught up in trying to explain too much on the signup form. To be effective, you’ll want to limit what you say to just enough to get the visitor hooked, leaving them no other option but to sign up to get the rest of the information.

 

  1. Leverage social media

If you have connected with people on social media networks, then they already know you and are open to sharing an email address. Another way to use social media is by offering a signup form through your Facebook or Twitter profile.

 

  1. The guarantee

With scammers and spammers ready to abuse someone’s email address, most visitors are hesitant to give up their information. Letting your potential subscribers know that their information is safe, private, and not for sale, significantly improves conversion rate.

 

Despite what you may have heard, email remains an extremely effective form of marketing. Building a large and engaging email list takes time, creativity, and patience, but it will have a huge impact on your business.