3 ways to grow your email list
Are you struggling with growing your email list?
We all know that, when it comes to marketing return on investment, email is considered number 1. Again, and again!
If you don't currently use email in your marketing, find out more about why you should be including email in your marketing, here.
Because email marketing is so important (and such a valuable marketing tool), it means growing your email list is really, really important!
However, before we get into the actual ways to grow your email list there’s something important you need to know.
Let's KISS!
This important thing follows the KISS principle!
I’m talking about your actual sign up form.
When you create your sign up form, you really make sure you Keep It Simple, and as minimal as possible.
If you're asking people for too many details in your signup form, they just won't complete the form. Unless they're like Uber, Uber, Uber driven to join your list.
So, I recommend only asking for an email address, which has to be compulsory and first name. And I usually make the first name compulsory too.
Why make the first name compulsory? Because you want to be able to personalize your emails.
The other thing to consider is that by only going with the first name, it helps with people feeling private. Lots of people have privacy concerns and they don’t like to give you their full name. So, by only asking them for their first name, it’s less of a barrier for them to cross in terms of their privacy concerns.
So how do you grow your email list?
While there’s quite a few ways that you can actually grow your email list, today I’m sharing 3 ways to grow your email list that don't necessarily cost you a financial investment.
1. All Aboard!
The first tip is to add any new clients or customers to your list as part of your onboarding process. Disclaimer: I’m not a lawyer, so it would be worthwhile to check first. But most clients or customers will potentially fall under the Inferred Permision category of the Spam Act.
According to ACMA (Australian Communications and Media Authority),
“You may infer that a person gives permission to get your marketing messages if you can satisfy both of the following:
- they are a current customer
- the message you want to send is related to the product or service they already bought from you
Otherwise, you may infer permission if you can satisfy all of the following:
- the person made their email address or phone number public, such as online or in a directory
- the person does not state that they do not want commercial messages
- the phone number or email is for an individual or office holder
- the subject of your message relates directly to the person’s role or function
- there is a link between what you are promoting and the person getting the message”
Adding your new clients and customers to your email list is another way to help build your relationship with them and strengthen your Know, Like, and Trust factor.
2. Everyone loves a freebie!
This is a really popular option. One that we see all the time. It’s the freebie, otherwise known as a lead magnet.
Creating a freebie that you can use across various different marketing activities and platforms.
And to get that freebie that you're offering, people have to hand over their email address.
So it's not really a freebie because they're giving you something
The thing with a freebie is it needs to be something of value that people will actually feel compelled to hand over their email address.
So, in professional services or in business to business industries, it can be things like checklists or how to videos.
For retail or your product based businesses, it could be something like a 20% off your next purchase voucher. For a single purchase only, of course.
Once you’ve worked out what your freebie is, put your freebie offer everywhere!
3. Pop goes the website!
Have a pop up box your website.
Yes, pop up boxes are annoying. But they work! The important thing is to get the timing of your pop up box right. Don’t have it set to appear as soon as someone visits your site. Give them a bit of time to learn about you. Then, if your website is delivering value, there's an increased chance of that when your Pop-up appears, they will sign up to your email list.
Or, if you really don’t want to have a pop up box on your website, offer your freebie on your website – across every page. This can involve having a static sign up form in your footer or header, or to the side of your site, with your freebie offer. So it doesn’t matter what page people visit, your offer is there.
It's as simple as 1.2.3!
So, there you go. Three simple ways to start building your email list.
The important thing to remember is to make sure your communications deliver value. If you start seeing lot’s of unsubscribes or your email open rates are going down, then that means the people receiving your emails aren’t really liking them. If that happens, it means it’s time to mix things up a bit with regard to your content.
On that note, next week, I’ll be talking about ways to plan your content for your newsletters and EDM’s (Electronic Direct Mail). See you then!
Do you need email marketing help?
Email marketing can be daunting at first. Even identifying what you want to communicate to your market can seem overwhelming, let alone growing your email list or actually writing the content of your emails.
We're here to help – as little or as much as you want.
If you want to do it yourself we can coach you on what to do. Or we can do the lot for you (writing, setting you up on the right email platform, building your templates, managing your email database and more).
It's your choice.
Book your complimentary, no obligation coffee catch up to see how you can start your email marketing.
