If you know anything at all about marketing in today’s technological landscape, you probably already know that having an email list is imperative. There’s just no getting around that fact that most of the world today communicates through a screen.
Even more important is having an email list that’s engaged, with people that actually want to receive your emails. That’s no small feat in an era of too much information and inbox overwhelm. So how does one go about building such a holy grail of modern-day marketing? There are several ways actually and implementing a few of them at once will likely give you the best results.
Use Social Media Ads
This requires a little seed money but can be a good way to generate leads and build a solid list of subscribers. However, you can’t just slap an ad up and expect results.
You have to take some time to find the right targets and understand who you’re marketing to. Otherwise, you’ll be paying for a lot of clicks, with very little conversions. You will also have to provide some kind of incentive for signing up to your newsletter, such as a free white paper or perhaps a coupon code for discounted services.
Host an Online Webinar
Webinars are a great way to grow an email list that allows you to be interactive with people. In addition to sharing great content and connecting on a real level, webinars help to position you as an expert in your industry. People who attend your webinar will be able to get a taste of what you can offer them. You can also use past recorded webinars as a lead magnet or incentive to sign up new subscribers.
Create Gated Content
If you have a blog for your business (and you should), you can utilize a gated content strategy to help grow your email list. Gated content is similar to lead magnets and incentives on a landing page, encouraging readers to sign up with their email address to get the goods.
However, strategically gated content is utilized throughout your blog, not just a landing page. So, if you make a series of posts about something related to your industry, that provides valuable, actionable information for readers, you can require they access it by sharing their email first.
Use Your Email Signature
Asking for subscribers in your email signature is probably a currently underutilized way to gain new subscribers. If you think about all the emails you send out in a day though, it really just makes sense to create an email signature that includes a link to a landing page. From your landing page, you can give them a reason to subscribe. It’s just one more way to get eyes on your offer.
Leverage CTA’s
Another simple, yet effective way to gain more subscribers is to leverage CTA’s throughout your website. CTA means a “Call to Action.” In other words, you are calling out to readers and asking them to subscribe to your newsletter or mailing list.
You can add a CTA in many places on your site, including underutilized space like the about page, in blog posts (before, within, or below), on your FAQ’s page, as well as in your website footer or sidebar. You can also add CTA’s to your social profiles. The reality is if you don’t TELL people what you want them to do, they probably won’t do it. That’s the beauty of using a CTA.
Host Events
If you host any events for your business, those events are a perfect time to ask for email addresses from potential prospects. You’re already gathering information anyway, so it doesn’t take much more effort to also ask for their email address.
Leveraging Trade Shows
Similar to hosting events, if you are doing trade shows, you’re already asking for information from visitors. You might as well ask them for their email addy too. You can also offer incentives, like discounted services or gift and swag items.
Partner with Local Businesses
Some businesses that offer complementary services and products find that partnering together and cross-promoting each other is a great way to build an email list. As long as they aren’t your competition, there is plenty of room for both businesses to benefit from the cross-pollination.
Reward Employees
Finally, one method you might easily overlook is rewarding your current employees for encouraging people they know or come in contact with to sign up to your newsletter. While you may not get a ton of subscribers using this method, the ones you do get should be very relevant to your industry, which helps make your list more responsive and engaged.
There are numerous ways to build an email list, with some methods being more effective than others. What works for one business may fail miserably for another. Successful list building requires some experimentation and perseverance. Ultimately, you’ll find that having an engaged email list that you take care of and respect (not SPAM), is worth its weight in gold.
See Also:
Email Marketing: 7 Strategies to Blow Away the Competition
How to Create a Well-Designed Email Newsletter That People Will Actually Read
Your Contact Page Equals Prime Internet Real Estate–Here’s Why
