How can you grow your mailing list?
You lose nearly 25% of your mailing list each year. Email marketing is one of the best ways for any type of brand to stay connected with their audience and increase sales. That is why it is important to always be growing your list.
Case in point:
Forbes recently published an article about an author who makes nearly half a million a year just using Facebook to build his email marketing list and selling to his subscribers.
Email is a powerful tool, but only if you have the right list. So how can you build a subscriber list?
Have a sign up page or pop up.
How prominent is your email sign up? Be sure you have a sign up form on all your web pages, and in an easy-to-find location. Pop ups are back in style, so consider using a pop up window to ask for website visitor’s emails.
What does a great email sign up look like?
- Tell them what content you will send.
- How often you will be emailing them? Weekly, daily, monthly.
- Use eye-catching words on your submit button.
Add an email signature link to your sign up page.
Include a link to your email sign up in your email signature, and if you have employees, ask them to do the same. That will ensure people you or your employees email will have the option of joining your mailing list. It is a great way to remain at the forefront of potential customer’s minds, and let them know of special promotions or other valuable content.
Encourage sharing or forwarding of your email content.
How can you get people to share your content? Make sure it is interesting or useful. Also, you need to include a share or forward link in the header, as well as social media sharing buttons. The easier it is for people to share, the more likely they are to do so.
Offer something for free that requires an email submission.
This is the secret to many brands’ success in building an email list. Create something of value, such as an ebook, a checklist, or article, and require an email before users can access the content. You can also host a webinar that requires an email sign up.
Use your blog.
Put a sign up form on the sidebar (or a pop up) on your blog and create great content that attracts visitors. Promote your blog content on all your social media sites, and be sure it is optimized for searches. This is a great way to bring visitors to your website and then stay at the forefront of their mind. Your blog is also a glimpse of the kind of content you will send, and might make them more likely to join your list if they find it useful or interesting.
Use your Facebook page.
Facebook has several ways to promote your mailing list. You can use the Call to Action button and send users to your email sign up. Post your free content on Facebook that requires an email sign up, or just promote your email sign up page on your wall. Consider trying an ad or promotion and see how many sign ups you can gain.
Promote your offers or mailing list on social media.
If you create free content, be sure to promote your links on all your social sites. Occasionally ask your followers and fans to sign up to your list, or share an example of the content they might be getting if they do join your list, such as exclusive deals.
Guest blog.
If blogging is your strength, offer your blogging services to partners or other blogs in your industry. Be sure they include an author bio with a link to your email sign up page so their readers can become your subscribers.
Cross-promote with partners.
Reach out to other brands that might be willing to cross-promote one another’s content. For example, if you are a book author, you might contact other authors and review each other’s work and share it with your mailing lists. You can promote your free content, a special promotion, or send a “guest post” email where you include the type of content you normally send your list--which is hopefully useful, entertaining, or inspiring content!
Use offline events.
Collect business cards or emails at offline events and ask if you can add them to your list. Most people you meet will say yes. Trade shows, Meetup groups, or other events are great places to collect emails.
Consider paid advertising to acquire subscribers.
Don’t be afraid to set aside a small budget for growing your list. Paid advertising, like Google Adwords or
these other top paid advertising platforms, can really
pay off (pun intended). Email has the highest ROI of any digital marketing medium, so it’s worth a little investment. Use a webinar or free content offer to entice people to click through to your page and enter their emails. Paid ads can give your offers that extra jump in traffic to really succeed.
What have you found to be the most effective way to grow your mailing list? Share your successes (and frustrations) in the comments below.
