To run successful email campaigns, you need an active and ever-growing list of addresses. Most companies, though, struggle to grow their email list beyond their most loyal followers and friends.
People’s inboxes are crowded so they’re probably going to need a little push to sign up for your email newsletter. Here are some strategies you can use to grow your email list:
1) Run an Online Contest
Contests are one of the best ways to grow your email list. Many people will give you their address in exchange for a chance of winning something of value, and the inherently time-limited nature of a contest creates a sense of urgency. Many social media platforms have introduced tools that make contests easy and affordable to run. Read this previous article to learn more about the benefits of contests for list growth.
2) Add an Email Signup Form to Your Website
If your website does not have an email sign-up form, you’re really missing out. They are easy to add to most website platforms and you have a few options on how to go about prompting your visitors. You can have a message popup that asks people to sign up. You can also have a form on the side or bottom of every page on your site that allows people to sign up while they are browsing your content. If you sell things on your site, you almost certainly gather email addresses at checkout, so ask the customer for permission to send them your email newsletter. You can make opt-in permission the default response or not.
3) Have an Email Sign up Sheet for In-Person Customers
Sometimes simple is best. Put a physical paper signup sheet at the front checkout and encourage people to sign up. Offer them something in return, such as coupons, information about upcoming sales and deals, or special content that only your email list receives.
4) Add a Signup Tab to Your Facebook Page
Facebook now lets you add email newsletter signup forms to your business page. Your newsletter signup will have its own tab on your page. (At this time, it’s only available on desktops, not on the Facebook mobile app.) You’ll need to integrate your email newsletter platform with your Facebook account, and set it up through Facebook, to collect emails. MailChimp has a nice Facebook integration setup.
5) Generate and Promote Email-Gated Content
Gated content is any content that can only be accessed once a visitor has provided lead information. This can be a good tactic for business that are most interested in lead generation and invested subscribers. In this scenario, rather than just asking people to sign up for your newsletter, you are making them a special proposition, saying, in effect: “You give us your name and email address [and possibly other information] and we will provide you with content that can only be accessed by our subscribers.” This requires the creation of truly valuable special content. The biggest benefit of gated content is that it gathers valuable information about your customers that you can use in a multi-stage sales process. The drawback is that it reduces the signups to only the most highly motivated prospects, so it’s not a highly valuable tool for low-cost and nonspecialty items or services.
The Light Digital can help your Bay Area business grow its email list to improve the effectiveness of your newsletters. Contact us to learn more.
