Email marketing is a high ROI activity that every online business owner should be pursuing. The influx of messages people receive on a daily basis, though, makes growing your subscriber list particularly challenging. You not only need to convince people to join your list, but also to continue opening your messages. Many marketers take a direct approach which some people regard as pushy and unappealing. While this style of marketing won’t suit everyone, there are alternative ways to promote your list and satisfy site visitors. So what methods should you be using to grow your list?
Improve Your Lead Magnet
People need a good reason to join an email list. Virtually every site you visit will offer a newsletter of some kind, so visitors are used to ignoring them. People want to know they will get excellent value, but this is hard to convey from an opt-in form. A lead magnet, though, can do the difficult work of promoting your email list, offering something that gives recognizable value. The most common example of a lead magnet is a report or video that provides insight or a tutorial on a relevant topic. You could, however, use a physical product or software tool to stand out.
Reduce the Subscription Steps
The more steps you add in the subscription process, the fewer subscribers you will gain. There are good reasons for some businesses to have a more complicated process, with the ability to tailor the email content depending on personal preferences. A clothing store, for example, might want to send separate emails to men and women. There is also debate over whether to ask for a first name, giving you the ability to personalize messages. If your main focus is subscriber numbers, though, a simple request for an email address will usually maximize results.
Post the Opt-In Box in Multiple Places
You cannot expect visitors to always notice an opt-in box placed in the sidebar of your site. Most people will be focused on the main content, so you will need to promote your email list more directly. Consider adding an opt-in box within the main article, making it a natural progression when reading an article. You can add a pop-up box and exit pop page if you want to increase subscriptions, but these tactics can be frustrating and may be considered pushy. Additionally, it is worth building separate landing pages to promote your lead magnet without interruption.
Display Testimonials
Social proof is a great way to promote products, with reviews and testimonials to be found on sales pages, e-commerce stores, and more. Fewer businesses use testimonials to promote their email lists, but they can be just as effective. You can message your subscribers asking for feedback, though, you may also get some unsolicited testimonials just through offering real value. These testimonials will work best on a dedicated landing page that has more space to promote the list. However, you could still add them to a smaller opt-in form, possibly using a carousel to show a number of positive reviews.
Use Social Media to Promote a Landing Page
Businesses should be taking advantage of social media to build their brand. Most social platforms let you link out to a URL of your choice, so this is a great opportunity to promote your email list. Build a dedicated landing page for social media followers, possibly creating a unique lead magnet. You could even personalize each landing page to mention the referring social media site. A dedicated page can usually offer a significant conversion rate, giving you the chance to build a list of targeted subscribers. Also, if you track the links, it will become clearer which platforms provide the most subscribers.
Visitors to your site might naturally be skeptical about joining a new list. Email inboxes are full of messages promoting new products, while there is also a concern about how email addresses are used. If you can convince people to join your list, though, you can build a relationship that sustains into the future. Building a brand requires staying in contact with people, having multiple communications with them in different ways. Using these techniques, you can convince people to join your list without being pushy, letting you provide value and grow your business.
If you have any questions, our team would be more than happy to help. Call us today at 215-393-9787.
