As per a recent report, “The average ROI on email marketing is $40 per dollar spent! No other channel comes close.” This statistic is evident in establishing the stature of email marketing in the digital ecosystem. Before jumping on the bandwagon, it’s better to know how to create a user base (and an effective one at that.)
However, you must consider two things while chasing those contacts:
- The traffic on your website should be relevant and ‘decent.’
- You should effectively execute the below-mentioned practices.
So, let’s get started with some of the most crucial ways to build your email list.
Opt-in form
The go-to choice to build an email list is by having a standard opt-in form on your website. Almost every site has this opt-in form enabled, usually placed at the bottom or in the middle of the screen. It can be disabled. However, it is only advisable to do if you have another signup form available.
If you want to take a different approach, you may include a signup form on the screen’s bottom or side. For email marketing and especially for e-commerce ventures, opt-in forms are indispensable.
Popups
Signup forms are an essential aspect to create contacts, but they are still relatively passive. You are at your visitors’ mercy to sign up for your newsletters by their own will. Also, you cannot determine whether or not your visitors are interested in your brand. Hence, it becomes imperative to feature a popup form in your list-building strategy. Popup forms have a dynamic nature. Moreover, they can be programmed to appear at certain times or for specific events. They also happen to be great at delivering lead magnets for lead generation.
Incentives
It’s hard to get something done for free, and in email marketing, it’s even more difficult. When you ask visitors to sign up, you need to offer them something in return – something that’s relevant and holds value. No incentive is more relevant to a dear visitor than offering a sale, discount, or free shipping for a limited period.
Gamification
An engaged visitor is more likely to subscribe to be a part of your email list. Gamification is your best bet to achieve higher visitor engagement. It is a great way to attract visitors. Gamification is that one aspect of email marketing, which lets you go bonkers with creativity. You can design your interactive signup that your visitors find fun and effective at the same time.
Having a professional team on board is the best you can do to boost your list-building endeavors further. Professional services like Mailchimp email experts or Marketo certified associates would not only help you attain a dream email list but would create an impeccable email marketing campaign for you.
Landing pages
Well, you can also create that email list out of your usual website’s ecosystem. Specific funnels go a great length for getting sales or subscribers in your marketing and advertising campaigns. It’s better to create a particular landing page to mention those funnels, such as a limited-time deal or a free shipping offer.
A dedicated landing page’s advantage is that it contains far fewer elements than your usual website pages. Hence, it’s better-suited for high-flowing conversions by ‘funneling’ on one aspect only. Once your visitors arrive on the landing page, you can ask them to sign up to avail the offer. Adequate testing would help you improve your landing page’s conversion rates and eventually build your email list.
Giveaways
Another trick that you can have up your sleeve is giveaways. Your brand’s social media channels are a great tool to conduct these giveaways. You can leverage the reach of these platforms to spread the word and get more people signing up.
Referral programs
Okay, to be honest, the practice of referral programs is basically bribing your existing subscribers to get more people to join your brand’s bandwagon.
However, suppose you want to refrain from bribing your contacts. In that case, you can simply add the option to forward or share your newsletters (or any email content of your brand for that matter) with others without mentioning any benefits.
Having trouble creating that oh-so-tempting referral content? Well, using email templates seems to be the savior in that case. You can leverage custom coded Mailchimp email templates or Salesforce email templates to get the best out of your email marketing campaigns. And they won’t just stop with your email list. Instead, they can support your entire email marketing and reap more leads.
Lead magnets
If you want to convert your visitors into subscribers without incurring a cost on their part, you can do so with a lead magnet. Well, a lead magnet is a relevant resource. It can be anything: an ebook, a PDF guide, stock images, etc. something that holds good value to your visitors. Lead magnets are one of the best tactics to build an email list. When they wish to get that resource, you would ask to sign up for your newsletter and email campaigns.
Wrapping up
As an email marketer, you should remember it’s not about how many contacts in your list but rather how relevant they are. Having an irrelevant email list would harm more than having a smaller one. So, follow these tips and create yours today!
About Us
Kevin George is Head of Marketing at Email Uplers, one of the fastest-growing custom email design and coding companies, and specializes in crafting professional email templates, PSD to HTML email conversion and free email templates in addition to providing email automation, campaign management, and data integration & migration services. He loves gadgets, bikes, jazz and eats and breathes email marketing. He enjoys sharing his insights and thoughts on email marketing best practices on his blog.
