Despite the debate over the effectiveness of email marketing vs social media, email marketing is vital to the health of your business. While building an email list is crucial to growing your business, it can be challenging. Or maybe you’ve already made attempts but they haven’t been very successful.
Either way, a healthy email list is important to business growth these days and there’s no denying it. Depending on what type of business you have, online is not the only source from which to enlist email list subscribers. There are offline opportunities as well. Here are some great ways to get your email list growing utilizing either or both sources.
Pop the Question
At the point of sale, in person or online, ask customers to sign up for your email list. Make it part of the checkout process. Of course, just asking may not be enough to get them to offer up their email.
You need to sell them on the idea of subscribing. Explain the benefits, let them know what’s in for them and what to expect. What will your emails contain? Use them to share information your subscribers will find valuable. Keep them up to date on sales, promotions, new products, and services.
If asking in person, be sure to repeat their email back to them to avoid any errors. If they are subscribing online, most software systems request verification by asking the visitor to type their email in twice and will only accept the subscription if both match.
Tell a Friend
You can infuse new life into your email list by encouraging longtime subscribers to ask their family and friends to sign up. Offer an incentive or discount for the referral and subsequent sign-up.
In-person word-of-mouth is simple. Ask a customer to provide the email of a friend or family member who would be interested in your product or services. Be sure to get the person’s first name so you can send a personalized invitation to subscribe to your email list.
Online word-of-mouth marketing can be facilitated through website features that allow visitors to forward product and service recommendations, sale and promotional information, holiday wish lists, and more to others they think would be interested.
Your customers know their family and friends better than you do and will most likely refer those who would truly be interested or could benefit from what you have to offer.
Exclusive Access
Offering visitors to your website the chance to get information or promotions not available to the casual viewer in exchange for their email is a win-win for everyone. You get the opportunity to connect with and convert them from visitors to customers. They in turn will receive valuable information that may help them solve a problem or provide answers they’ve been looking for. This information can be offered in the form of an eBook, whitepaper, or case study.
Your emails can also provide promotional information that encourages conversion, giving you the chance to show them the quality and service your company provides. A happy customer not only represents return business but the potential for positive word-of-mouth marketing as well.
Incorporate Email Sign Ups
Include email sign-ups on all account registration and eCommerce forms. This will not only increase the number of subscribers to your email list but also the quality.
Those who have created an account with your business either intend to purchase or are purchasing. An account also signifies the potential for return business. Email marketing will give you the opportunity to cultivate that business.
To ensure the effective incorporation of email sign-ups, make clear the benefits of account registration and be sure they are aimed at your target audience. Also include requests for geographic and demographic information so you can fine-tune your email marketing to better serve you and your audience.
Slow and Steady
The quicker you build a healthy email list, the sooner it can start generating business. Resist the urge to buy an email list. While it will give your email list a quick boost, it may not necessarily reach your specific target audience. This often results in a low conversion rate and after all, isn’t that the whole point? To find your target audience and convert them to customers?
Be patient and build your email list through honest and ethical methods. Purchasing email lists is typically a waste of money, against the policy of most email service providers, and even illegal in many countries.
Additionally, it does not foster positive engagement and can lead to complaints from recipients who didn’t sign up to receive your emails. Increased complaints can cause unnecessary aggravation and hurt your reputation. Quality is equally, if not more, important than quantity.
Opt-In Opportunities
When asking those who visit your website to sign up for or subscribe to your email list, you are asking them to opt-in. There are various opt-in methods you can utilize on your websites like automatic pop-ups and fly-ins which are triggered by specific visitor actions or time delays. There are also sidebar opt-ins that allow visitors to sign up any time they want and locked content or lead generators where an email is required to access premium content.
If all of this is making your head spin, we can help. Creative Click Media offers high-quality email marketing services, providing a direct line to your customers. Our designers can create engaging, branded lead generation forms for you to use throughout your site to make building an email list easier than ever. Contact us and start communicating with your existing and potential customers with effective email marketing.
