Whether you’re looking to grow your business, improve product visibility, or earn some income from advertising dollars, these days it is extremely important to be constantly adding new subscribers to your email list–about 25% of companies still rate email marketing as their most effective marketing channel when it comes to ROI. So how can you add new leads to your list on a consistent basis? Here are 10 tips to get you headed in the right direction…
1. Offer a Free Report / Study
A free report is a proven way of gaining interest. Site visitors will be reluctant to give their email without an incentive, but a report or recent study can offer something insightful like a tutorial, test results, or a handy guide–something educational and instructive. Ideally, the report should be something specific and relevant to right now, avoiding general blog content or broad subject matter.
2. Test Email Form Placements
Adding an email form to the sidebar of a website is a common strategy, but it won’t produce optimal results. Look for additional placements, including isolated landing pages that focus only on gaining new subscribers. A pop-up form usually has a high conversion rate, while adding forms beneath articles can also work well.
3. Remove Field Options
An email form with many fields will usually have a lower conversion rate than one with limited options. In most cases, there is no real need to ask for additional options, with some marketers asking only for an email address. You may decide to request a name to add personalization, but you can test your form to see exactly what produces the best results.
4. Update Your Site / Content Frequently
It is important to maintain quality, but a steady stream of posts ensures you have get visitors, with a proportion of these readers signing up to a list. You are also creating content you can use or re-purpose in your marketing emails, so depending on how you leverage it, the content value could be exponential.
5. Negotiate Reciprocal Mailings
Fellow list owners will often be open to a reciprocal arrangement that helps both of your businesses. A reciprocal mailing can be a simple recommendation, but best results can usually be gained by offering a report or video as an incentive. It is wise to limit the number of reciprocal arrangements to avoid diluting your list too much.
6. Use Facebook Ads
While there are many advertising platforms you could consider, Facebook is currently the platform of choice for most marketers looking for positive returns. Facebook rates are still reasonable, allowing you to make a profit on a low ad spend. Also, the level of demographic data lets you focus on those who match your ideal customer.
7. Develop a Video Tutorial
Video, depending on the niche, might get a better response rate than a report, but can feature the same content. It is worth testing what people respond to, with the possibility of offering both a video and report combined. While professional videos can produce results, it is possible to succeed with a simple video production from your own home.
8. Create a Structured Series of Tutorials
A tutorial series involves scheduling a number of email lessons over a designated period of time. You could, for example, create a five-part series that subscribers receive over the course of a week or a month. While some subscribers want everything immediately, it can help to build a relationship when you have an active audience opening each message over a period of time.
9. Speak at Events and Conferences
If you can swing it, this kind of exposure can be huge–start seeing what kinds of events are relevant in your industry and see if you can get a speaking slot, or a panel placement. Events and conferences allow you to reach a targeted audience and greatly grow the credibility (real and perceived) of your brand. Most events are used to impart knowledge, sell products, and grow a business, but you can achieve all of these things if you can convince a group of attendees to join your email list.
10. Add a Content Locker
A content locker, or a “gate”, is a tool that blocks premium content until an action is taken. For example, you could include a resource list at the end of a quality blog post, but force readers join the email list to gain access. Excessive use of a content locker could potentially aggravate readers, but occasional use with valuable content will produce results.
Make no mistake: email marketing does require consistent effort (especially in growth phase), creating new messages and testing versions of existing ones to find the optimal versions. When it comes to earning consistent income and building a valuable asset, though, from startup to giant, there are few endeavors that can beat email.
