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Building your email list is the backbone of any marketing campaign. With email marketing still being one of the most effective ways to engage with potential and current customers, it's essential that you're doing everything in your power to build an engaged following.
In the past, email marketers would subscribe individuals to their list based solely on an action they took on an offer or website. Nowadays, you need something more sophisticated than that if you want to stay competitive in your industry.
There are many tried-and-true methods for growing a mailing list, but these five creative strategies will help you stay ahead of the curve.
1. Offer a Free Gift or an Incentive When Someone Signs up for Your Newsletter
Giveaways are a powerful way to grow your list while gaining new readers. To be effective, the giveaway should relate closely to the content on your website and be something of value that you can offer for free in exchange for an email address.
eBook
Utilizing eBooks is an efficient way to promote your business or products. Not only can you build up a list of potential customers and new subscribers, but you will also increase brand awareness and trust in the process.
Incentivizing visitors with free eBooks is a great way to attract new subscribers. Visitors are likely looking for engaging content, and an eBook provides both immediate value and perceived future benefits that come from being subscribed or an active member of your site.
Templates
If your website provides resources that readers can download and use, you may want to consider offering them for free in exchange for an email address. This is a great way to build up new subscribers and will provide more opportunities for future growth through email marketing campaigns.
Discounts
Offering a discount is one of the most common ways companies attract new subscribers and grow their email list. This method is effective because people are more likely to subscribe if they can receive a product or service at a discounted rate, especially when they’re deciding whether to use your services.
2. Create a Prominent Opt-in Form on Your Website That’s Easy to Find
A signup form is your best bet to encourage prospective subscribers to opt-in for email marketing messages and grow your email list. This particular kind of opt-in typically prompts visitors to enter their contact information and receive emails from your business. Additionally, opt-in data allows companies to make sure that they are sending engaging and high-quality content to their audiences.
There are many ways your visitors may interact with your opt-in. They could click on a link from within the page, scroll to a specific section, or even wait for some time before clicking anything in order to trigger an event that would show them what they need.
It's essential to make sure that you are using an aesthetically pleasing presentation for your opt-ins so people will want more information and not be turned off by what feels like spam. Platforms like OptinMonster are excellent for creating high converting opt-in forms and more. Check out my full review of their software here.
3. Create a Contest, Giveaway, or Sweepstakes
To grow your business, it is wise for you to enter into a partnership with other companies in the industry. Sweepstakes and giveaways are great ways of doing this because they allow businesses on different platforms or levels within an industry to help each other out while also growing their email lists and social media following at the same time. It can be mutually beneficial if another company allows you to give away one of their products as part of that sweepstakes or giveaway.
Landing pages are the perfect place to host giveaways and contests because they're designed with a single purpose in mind. These pages provide a place to implement persuasive copy such as "Enter for your chance" or "Don't miss out on this opportunity," improving your chances for conversions.
4. Use Facebook Ads to Target People Who Like Similar Pages as Yours
Facebook Ads are a great way to build your online presence and reach new people on social media. Not only can these ads help produce leads, but they’re also effective for generating sales and creating loyal subscribers who return for future purchases or services.
To use Facebook Ads, you'll need a budget and a targeted audience in mind for the campaign. One particularly effective strategy is targeting a similar page's audience since they have already expressed interest in your niche.
By targeting audiences who like similar pages, you have access to an easily defined group in which you know the general interests, demographics, and behaviors that they exhibit as a result of their loyalty towards your competitor's product or service. As such, this can allow for better targeting when it comes time to create your ad campaign since you already have insight into at least some subset of these users.
5. Create a Video on How to Use Your Product and Include an Opt-in Form in the Description
In the digital age, it's becoming easier and more popular for business owners to use video tutorials to introduce their products or services. Millions turn to the internet for more information, which is why how-to videos are one of the most popular forms of media. The majority of your prospective subscribers have watched a video online to learn new skills or purchase an item at some point.
Make sure to include an opt-in or call to action to subscribe in your video's description for further engagement. You can also integrate this directly into the content of the video to encourage viewers to become subscribers.
Key Takeaways and Next Steps
The tactics we’ve shared in this article can help you grow your list and start getting more subscribers. Whatever email marketing strategy you choose, the key to success is consistency with a strong call-to-action that drives people back to your site or landing page. But don’t stop there; there are many effective strategies you can employ, including using Facebook ads for capturing emails or running contests on social media platforms. Ultimately, it all comes down to; Which one will work best for you?
