Did you ever wonder why some businesses seem to have a loyal audience that is always ready to buy, while others struggle to get noticed? Depending on the business, the secret might just be their email list.
Building an email list is crucial, especially for digital businesses. Why? Because it gives you a direct line to your audience. Letting you communicate personally and boost your chances of turning leads into customers.
In this article, we will explore 10 simple and effective techniques you can employ to start building your email list today:
- Make sure your offer is valuable
- Make Sign-ups Easy
- Offer Instant Gratification
- Use Landing Pages
- Drive Traffic with Ads
- Organize Giveaways
- Leverage Social Media
- Catch Signups at Checkouts
- Collaborate with Influencers
- Exit Intent Popups
Let’s help you grow your business and connect with your customers like never before. First,
1. Make sure your offer is valuable
It might sound obvious, but if you want people to give you their email, you need to offer them something they truly value in exchange.
Here are a few ways to make sure your offer hits the mark:
- Solve a problem: Think about some of the biggest challenges faced by your audience and offer a solution. When your offer helps them overcome an obstacle, they will see it as something truly valuable.
- Exclusivity: Plenty of creators offer exclusive content in exchange for a subscription. Give your subscribers access to tips, guides, or resources they cannot find anywhere else. People love feeling like insiders with special information.
- Make it quick and easy: Your offer should be something your audience can consume or use right away, bonus points if they come across your offer while looking for a solution for the exact problem your offer solves.
People are bombarded with emails every day; they also see sign-up forms pop up in their face on every other website they visit. So, your offer must stand out, feel like it will be worth their time, and of course they must trust you to consider it in the first place.
2. Make Sign-ups Easy
Making it easy for visitors to sign up is one of the smartest moves you can make when building your email list. Here’s how to keep things simple and inviting:
- Place Forms Natural: Put sign-up forms on your homepage, blog posts, footer, and the occasional popup. The more visible they are, the higher your chances of catching attention.
- Use a Clear CTAs: Your call-to-action should tell people exactly what they should expect in exchange for their email address: “Get your free e-book now” works better than a vague “Subscribe.”
- Keep the Form Short: Ask only for what is needed, usually that is the first name and email. Interested in some inspiration? Check out these 20 newsletter signup ideas.
If you expect people to jump through hoops or hunt around your site to find where to sign up, do not be disappointed if they simply walk away.
3. Offer Instant Gratification
Everyone loves a little instant gratification; it is what keeps people coming back for more.
Here’s how you can do it:
- Offer a Freebie or Discount: Whether it is a downloadable guide, a quick checklist, or a coupon code, give your new subscribers something useful the second they join. This lets them experience the benefits immediately, plus it gives you a splendid call to action!
- Quick Wins in a Welcome Email: Share easy tips or advice they can use right away in a welcome email. When people see fast results, they are more likely to stick around and engage with your emails.
When you offer immediate value right after someone signs up, it builds trust and makes them excited about being part of your list.
4. Use Landing Pages
Landing pages have been a game-changer when it comes to growing your email list for quite a while. Unlike regular pages on a website, landing pages are designed with one goal in mind: to get visitors to sign up.
Here is how to make the most of them:
- Clear and Focused Message: Your landing page should explain exactly what people will get and why it is valuable, try to keep it simple and to the point so visitors are not confused.
- Use Eye-Catching CTAs: You should make your call-to-action buttons stand out with bold colors and some compelling text like “Get Instant Access” or “Join for Free.”
- Short Forms: Once more, you should only ask for essential information, like an email address. This will make signing up quick and painless. The fewer steps, the better!
By focusing all the attention on your offer and removing distractions, landing pages make it easier for people to say yes.
5. Drive Traffic with Ads
Already have a landing page but no eyes on it? Driving traffic with ads is a powerful way to get more eyes on your signup form, quickly.
Here’s how to make your ads work for building your list:
- Target the Right People: Use ad platforms like Facebook and Google to target audiences who are most likely interested in your offer.
- Grab some Attention: You should use clear headlines, attractive images, and a strong call-to-action so that people know exactly what they will get when they sign up.
- Link to your Landing Page: Make sure your ads lead to the focused landing page from the previous section!
Unlike waiting for people to stumble onto your website, ads help you reach exactly the right audience right away.
6. Organize Giveaways
Everyone loves a good giveaway. Organizing giveaways is a fun, easy, and effective way to encourage people to join your email list because everyone likes the chance to win something valuable.
Here’s how to make your giveaways work:
- Offer Something Relevant: Pick something related to your niche that will excite your ideal subscribers. The more relevant the prize, the more signups you will get.
- Make Entering Easy: Just ask people to sign up with their email to enter, keep it simple so nobody feels overwhelmed.
- Promote on Social Media: Share your giveaway on social media, in blog posts, and you can even run some ads on it to spread the word. The more people who see it, the bigger your list grows, bonus points if you can collaborate with influencers.
Plus, the giveaway will create excitement around your brand and get people talking about you.
7. Leverage Social Media
Social media platforms are goldmines for finding new subscribers for your mailing list, but you need to be strategic about it.
Here’s how to do it:
- Content Marketing: You should post helpful tips, guides, or sneak peeks that lead followers to your signup offer. Make your audience curious and eager to learn more by joining your list.
- Run Contests or Polls: Encourage participation with fun activities to grow your audience, preferably you could also direct people towards your signup form.
With social media, instead of just posting random signup links, you need to focus on engaging your audience and offering value first
8. Catch Signups at Checkouts
Do you run an online store? The checkout process is a perfect place to grow your email list. Customers are already invested in your brand, so why not invite them to get more perks through your emails?
- Offer discounts or freebies: Give a coupon, offer free shipping, or a bonus product for signing up during checkout. It’s a win-win, they save money and you get a new subscriber.
- Keep it simple: Include a clear checkbox with a short explanation, let the customer know that signing up means exclusive offers and updates. Do not make it mandatory or complicated, and you will find that plenty of customers end up ticking that box for those juicy exclusive offers.
- Schedule a Welcome Sequence: Once they sign up, you should make use of a welcome sequence to entice additional sales, plenty of brands will sprinkle in some discounts to make the new subscribers feel welcome.
9. Collaborate with Influencers
Collaborating with influencers is one of the smartest methods to grow your email list, especially because your aim in such a scenario would be to reach new people who already trust someone with a bigger platform.
Here is how to make influencer partnerships work for you:
- Find the Right Influencers: You should look for people whose followers match your ideal audience while also sharing values similar to your brand. It is not about size, smaller and engaged audiences can work better depending on your needs.
- Create a Win-Win Offer: Work together to come up with an irresistible deal or freebie that the influencer can promote confidently to their community. If possible, you should make it a Win-Win-Win offer by also adding value for the influencer’s audience.
When influencers share your offer with their audience, it gives you instant credibility and boosts your chances of getting signups. Branches large and small team up with influencers to tap into new audiences quickly. You can also do so to build your list much faster.
10. Exit Intent Popups
Have you ever noticed an exit intent pop-up? They appear right when you are about to close a tab or leave a site, a little window pops up trying to catch your attention. These exit-intent popups work great for grabbing last-minute signups before visitors bounce.
- Offer a Special Deal: Give visitors one more reason to stay connected with an irresistible offer right before they leave.
- Keep it Friendly: Make sure the popup is easy to close so it does not annoy people. The goal is to gently remind, not to bully.
- A/B Tests: These are shown to people who have already tried to leave your website! Try different variations to see what offers or wording convince the most people to sign up.
Even large brands like Nike and Adidas use these on their websites, what is stopping you?
Let’s Wrap it Up
Strong email lists are not built over night, you may have found the above tasks too daunting – but fear not, there is no need to everything we have mentioned here.
You can pick one or two strategies and begin implementing them today, then work on expanding once you have them figured out.
Remember though, growing your list is just the first step; the real magic happens when you nurture those relationships by sending useful and engaging content to keep your subscribers excited and connected. Implement a sales pipeline if you do not have one already!
Stay consistent, listen to your audience, and watch your email list turn into one of your most powerful business assets.
