Email marketing offers an excellent impact for minimal effort. However, it all depends on the quality and size of your email list. How do you ensure its relevancy and help it grow?
What is your email list?
Your email list is simply the list of addresses you have available to send your email newsletters to. Ideally, these should be actively engaged recipients – they should have given you their email address with express permission to receive email newsletters. This is particularly important in order to stay on the right side of the GDPR.
It makes sense – in order to rocket fuel the success of your email marketing campaigns – to get that list as spot on, and as full, as possible.
How to grow your email list
So how can you grow your email list while getting real quality addresses of those who will potentially become your best customers? Here are some of our favourite ideas:
- Use awesome content
One of the easiest and most powerful ways to grow your list is to create email newsletter campaigns with such wonderful content that your existing recipients can’t not to engage with them. Get your current audience to speak volumes for you and you’ll attract the right new subscribers.
- Make signing up easy
It seems obvious, but it is remarkable how often it isn’t used. Make signing up to your email newsletters super easy. Have opt-in options at check-outs (we know these individuals are already valuable customers). Have sign-up options clearly on your homepage, elsewhere on your website, and visible on your social media.
- Segment your lists
A big problem for email newsletter creators is that they take a one-size-fits-all approach. You can’t do this. You need to segment your lists so that your audience doesn’t start sending you straight to their junk folder. Make each email relevant for the individual.
- Go old school
While the size of your list is important, the quality is more relevant. Getting quality sign-ups is highly achievable through old-school methods. Hand out business cards to clients, pop them on your checkout desk, hand them out at trade shows, or even put out an email sign-up sheet.
- Use email signatures
People like personalisation. If your staff are regularly emailing then there should be an option to sign-up to the company newsletter in the email signature. It’s about making it direct and easy.
- Make it a club
Many marketers use a clever trick of encouraging would-be customers to sign-up to a club, related to the business, which provides an email address. A birthday club is a great example. Not only are you making the customer feel like they are getting something special, but you can also personalise campaigns and use timing to great effect.
- Run a contest or competition
It’s hard to resist a competition or a giveaway. Run one where you need to enter an email address, and opt-in to email newsletters. You can even do this by sending direct snail mail, offering an enticement that they will only get if they sign-up to your mailing list.
- Create a lead generation tool
Offer something to download, such as an enticing eBook, in return for sign-up to newsletters. A pop-up on the homepage can showcase your lead generation offer and hook them in before they even spend time browsing your site.
- Use your blog
If you’re blogging then you want to market new posts. If you’ve already got a blog following then this is an excellent way into newsletter sign-ups. Use your newsletters to share news from the blog for example. At the end of posts, encourage the reader to sign-up to your newsletter. Another option is to invite readers to leave comments and make the process such that they are requested to opt-in.
- Offer them extra
Whet their appetite through your website or blog, but then offer them additional information which is only available by email newsletter. For example, if you are a pet sitting agency, offer 5 tips for securing your home when on holiday, with an option to sign-up for 5 more.
- Catch them before they leave
If your website visitor is about to click away from your content, have one last shot at getting them engaged. Use a lightbox requesting an email address which shows up every time someone is just about to leave.
- Narrow it down
It’s tempting to try to collate every tiny facet of information on a lead-generation form. However, request too much and you’re going to switch off potential contenders for your email list. Keep it short and sweet – ask for their email address and consent and nothing more.
- Reward employees
Reward employees for collecting worthwhile email addresses. Make sure they have consent, but your employees can be a great avenue to explore.
- Use a sense of urgency
Some website visitors will think ‘I’ll sign-up another day’ and then never do. Chop and change things frequently so that there is a sense of urgency to signing up. For example, offer a daily special deal which changes.
- Spread the word
It’s traditional, but there’s a great deal to be said about the power of word-of-mouth. Speak about how great your emails are and encourage your existing recipients to do the same. If you’re giving a presentation, running a training course, or recording a new video, pop in a request for sign-ups.
- Use paper communication
You’ll be amazed at how much paper communication you send out each day. On invoices and receipts, put in a signpost to your sign-up options.
Don’t forget to curate
As your list grows, don’t be afraid to curate it regularly. Send out new opt-in alerts. It’s better to have a smaller engaged list than a massive one where you’re simply sending emails direct to junk.
Spend some time growing and nurturing your email list and you’ll be rewarded with active and engaged recipients.
