If you made it here, chances are you already have an email marketing strategy for your business. You may send out weekly or monthly newsletters promoting your company’s products and services. Or, you are just now figuring out how to build your email list.
Either way, your goal is likely to build and grow your email list. You want to gain more subscribers, and you want them to become quality leads – people who are interested in your content and brand. And what better time to implement new strategies than at the beginning of a new year?
Why You Need an Email List
If you don’t have one, you may be wondering why you need one. Isn’t email outdated? Do people even read them?
While this might come as a surprise to some, a lot of people still read emails. In fact, according to a HubSpot study on inbound marketing trends, email is the number one marketing channel based on effectiveness. So, having one and knowing how to grow your email list is important.
There are a few reasons why having an email list is essential. First and foremost, it personalizes your brand. With the increase of e-commerce stores, which also comes with an increase in scammers, it’s essential for consumers to feel like they know you and can trust you. Luckily, email is one way for brands to accomplish this.
Email marketing, more specifically your email list, is something you own – what could be better than that? In a world with Facebook and Instagram, which have policies limiting your reach, having an email list can be pretty relieving. It’s a tool you can use without restrictions, and getting your message out without limiting policies is something to use to your advantage.
Benefits of Having an Email List
So, how can building and growing your email list help your business? One huge benefit is that email marketing comes at a low cost but has a great return on investment (ROI). But how good is this ROI? According to Litmus, marketers, on average, get $36 for every $1 spent. That’s pretty solid.
Utilizing a medium like email marketing is great because your subscribers already want to hear from you. If they see an ad on Facebook or Google, it may or may not be something they’re interested in. However, since they took the time to sign up for your newsletter, they’re already interested in what you have to say. This provides you with a great space to give them engaging and relevant content, so take advantage!
How to Grow Your Email List: Tips & Tricks
When thinking of how to grow your email list, it may be intimidating trying to figure out where to start. While there are many different ways to do this, we picked three of our favorites. Here are some tips and tricks on how to grow your email list in 2023:
Incorporate an Opt-in Pop-up Form into Your Website
Used as a way to draw attention to your newsletter – pop-up forms have been proven to work. MailChimp site users saw their lists grow by an average of 50.8% from adding a pop-up form to their site. The key to these forms and any list-building strategy is to ensure consumers know they’re opting into your list by choice. They are a quick and easy way for potential customers to enter their information and a fast way for you to receive it.
However, there are right and wrong ways to incorporate pop-ups. We have a few best practices for the most engaging ones:
Include what customers will gain from subscribing to your list. Try to offer ways they will benefit from signing up, and give them a snippet of what they can expect from you. Only ask for the information you need, like their name and email address. This keeps things short and straightforward. Lastly, consider adding a delay to your pop-up. Give potential customers a good 20 seconds to browse the highlights of your site before they’re greeted with a pop-up.
Incorporate Giveaways
This strategy is a great way to draw in new subscribers. There is a chance of gaining some subscribers because of free items, not necessarily because they’re interested in what your brand offers. However, this doesn’t mean you should rule them out completely. Giveaways and contests are a great way to help you quickly gain leads.
Make sure to include details of the giveaway somewhere clearly seen and ensure potential customers know they’re subscribing to a mailing list. This is important when determining if someone is going to trust you as a brand or not. If potential customers think they’ve been subscribed to your mailing list unwillingly, they’re less likely to become long-term customers.
Create Referral or Loyalty Programs
Loyalty programs keep customers coming back, and they’re great for bringing in new, potential customers. For businesses with brick-and-mortar stores, loyalty programs are a solid way to grow your email list. Customers can give their email at checkout to ensure they always know what’s happening in your company. However, make sure to use something customers can connect real value to, such as a point-based system. Consumers love a reason to earn “points” or “rewards,” and this aspect of your business will keep them returning. As a bonus, they might tell their friends and family about your business!
Which brings us to another list-building strategy: referral programs. Referral programs are an incentive for new customers, but they also reward your tried-and-true loyal customers. You could combine aspects of a loyalty program and referral program where customers could earn points for referring new, potential customers.
Take these email list practices and implement them at the beginning of 2023 to see your business and customer base expand. Remember, you are trying to gain the trust of potential customers and guarantee they know what they are signing up for. You are also attempting to appeal to real people, not computers, and focus on what you believe your customers find value in and make it personable.
