If you’re new to email marketing, you may be wondering how to get someone besides your mom to sign up for your newsletter 😉 The trick? Create multiple ways to attract new subscribers — methods that don’t require much time to manage but produce steady results.
Even if you’re an experienced pro, you know that building your email marketing list is a never-ending commitment. Newbies have to start somewhere. So here are 7 methods used by successful email marketing pros.
1. Make it easy
When you make a new friend, do you ask them to fill out a questionnaire? No, you just ask for their name and how to stay in touch.
Subscribers are new friends, so just grab their name and email address. You can fill in the details a little farther down the road.
Better yet, let them subscribe using their social media login. It’s quick, easy and friendly.
2. Be everywhere
Is there a newsletter sign-up form on your website? How about your blog? Be sure to include a sign-up form on your social media accounts too, or at least a link to your sign-up page. Use a contrasting color to make it “pop”.
And make it easy to find. The most common location for a sign-up form is on the right side of the Web page, “above the fold.” That’s where visitors look for information about the site. So be there!
3. Offer incentives
Free is hard to sell. Counterintuitive but true. Visitors won’t sign up for a newsletter just because it’s free. They need a little persuasion.
Depending on your type of business, you might offer a special report, a discount for your services, or a money-saving coupon for your e-commerce store as a sign-up bonus. It’s just one more way to demonstrate value.
4. Offer more info
Some visitors will just enter their name and email address and click the sign-up button — no problem. Others hesitate.
So provide a hesitation link. That’s a link directly underneath the sign-up button:
“Need more info? Click here.” Something like that is good enough.
The link should lead to a separate landing page where they learn more about the value of your newsletter. It should include testimonials and a strong call-to-action (CTA) asking them to . . . . sign-up for your newsletter, of course.
5. Ensure privacy
Do you sell your email subscribers’ email addresses and personal info to roving bands of criminals and hackers? Of course not. So let new subscribers know your code of ethics.
Place a simple statement directly under the sign-up button and hesitation link.
Tell them you respect their privacy. It’s also a good idea to include a link to your privacy policy or terms-and-conditions page. Few will click it, but knowing it’s there gives them more confidence to sign-up.
6. Encourage sharing
It’s a social world now, so make sure you make your content easy to share.
Anywhere you’ve placed a sign-up form — blog posts, Web pages, etc. — put social sharing buttons. Inside your newsletter too. If you’ve created an online archive for your newsletter, include social sharing icons linked to the archive version of your newsletter. And by all means, ask readers to forward your email to their friends.
7. Network
This is the most powerful tip of all. Use social media and personal connections to reach out make friends with others who have an audience. Then figure out how to tap into their audiences.
For example, you might submit a guest post for your new friend’s blog. Maybe their audience would enjoy a webinar — featuring you! Or maybe your friend would be willing to share one of your best newsletters with the audience.
And become a frequent poster in blog comments and social media pages — anyplace that can be linked back to your sign-up page.
Make list-building a lifelong habit.
Email is the most profitable marketing channel by far. Every new subscriber has the potential to become a long-term source of revenue. So make list-building a daily top priority. It’s the best way to grow your business.
And don’t think this list is comprehensive. Every day, creative marketers are dreaming up new ways to expand their email marketing list. Learn from them.
Got a favorite technique? Share it in the comments below. We’d love to hear about your successes.
And if you have a question, ask it below. We’re glad to reply.
