An email list is one of the most valuable assets for any business
It allows you to reach out to potential customers and stay in touch with your existing customers. It's also a great way to keep up with the latest trends and introduce new products or services.
Growing your email list from the ground up is challenging, but it is essential for long-term success.
Building an email list that genuinely engages with your content and supports your business objectives takes time, strategy, and commitment.
Fortunately, there are a variety of strategies available on how to build email lists from scratch to help you grow your subscribers.
These nine proven strategies can help you increase your email subscribers and create a loyal audience.
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How to Build Email Lists: Trends to Watch Out For in 2023
Here are some critical email marketing trends to help marketers better understand and target their audiences.
- Track the Right Metrics: Email marketers should track the content engagement of their emails, such as the number of clicks, time spent on each page, and more. This will help them gain valuable insights into their customers' preferences and interests, allowing them to tailor their messages to meet each reader's specific needs. Additionally, tracking these metrics can help marketers optimize their email campaigns for better open rates and increased conversions.
- Privacy-Compliant Tracking:Data privacy is becoming increasingly important for companies of all sizes. Consumers are becoming more aware of their data rights, and marketers must comply with industry regulations such as the GDPR, CCPA, and PECR. Email marketers should securely track their customers' data to ensure compliance while taking extra precautions to protect personal information.
- Interactive Content: In recent years, interactive content has become a key component of email marketing. Incorporating interactive elements like quizzes, surveys, videos, polls, and more can make emails more engaging and entertaining. Furthermore, interactive content can also capture valuable insights about customers' preferences and behaviors, giving marketers an edge in creating relevant and personalized messages.
Now that you have an insight into the email marketing trends to be mindful of this year, it's time to get down to business. Here are nine best practices on how to build an email list.
1. Give Something Away for Free
To grow your email list, you must give away something of value for free. One of the best ways to do this is to offer an e-book or whitepaper.
An e-book is a great way to position yourself as an expert in your industry and share your knowledge. You can cover any topic related to your business or something entirely unrelated.
A whitepaper is a great way to position your business as a leader in your industry. It's a comprehensive guide that shares valuable information with readers on a particular topic.
Whatever content you choose, make sure it’s valuable and applicable to your audience. You want to inform your readers. You also want to ensure that your content is easy to digest.
2. Create a Pop-Up or Slide-In Form
Pop-up and slide-in forms are proven strategies for capturing email subscribers.
What’s great about these forms is that they don’t interrupt the user experience. That means you’re less likely to annoy readers and more likely to convert them into subscribers.
- Pop-up forms are generally displayed in an overlay window. When the reader clicks a specific button— or simply scrolls to a certain area on the page— a window is displayed with the form. Pop-up forms are especially effective on squeeze pages. These pages lead readers through a call to action that asks them to subscribe to your email list.
- Slide-in forms are displayed on a web page. A section is slid out with the form when the reader is on the page. Slide-ins are generally less intrusive than pop-ups, but they work just as well.
Design the pop-up or slide-in form however you like, but it's essential that it's visually appealing and contains a compelling offer.
You could provide a discount code, exclusive content, or a free trial in exchange for your leads' email addresses.
When designing the form, include the following:
- A simple headline.
- A brief description of the offer.
- A CTA button that links to the signup page.
If you're using a pop-up form, consider using animation or an audio cue to attract attention.
3. Use a Welcome Gate
Welcome gates are another type of call to action featured on most email list-building landing pages. It's a simple message that tells readers exactly what to do next.
When a reader lands at your welcome gate, they’ll first be prompted to enter their name and email address. This information is then verified and added to the subscriber’s email account.
Welcome gates are a great way to reduce the number of spam emails on your email list. This is because all new subscribers are verified by entering an email address and name.
They’re also great for increasing the number of subscribers on your list. This is because there’s no other way to join the subscription list.
You should also ensure that your welcome gate page is optimized for mobile devices.
4. Host a Contest or Giveaway
Another great way to build your email list is to host a contest or giveaway. This is a low-cost strategy that’s highly effective for growing your list.
Take note that a contest or giveaway must have a prize. You can’t simply ask readers to enter their email addresses without offering something in return.
You can choose from a variety of contest or giveaway types, like hosting a quiz contest, a photo contest, a video contest, or even a gift card giveaway. The key is to make the contest or giveaway enticing enough to get readers to enter their email addresses.
5. Leverage Social Media
One of the best ways to build your email list is to leverage your social media accounts.
Start by adding an "Email List" section to your bio. This is a great place to let readers know how they can join your email list.
When you post on social media, include your email list signup call to action. You can also add an email list signup button to your social media profile to connect with your followers.
- Add a Sign-Up Form to Your Facebook Page: Facebook is a great place to build an email list, but it does take some work. Facebook pages are designed to drive conversions and generate leads, so adding a signup form to the page makes a lot of sense. When you add a signup form to your Facebook page, you'll allow readers to sign up directly from the page. They can enter their name and email address and select the type of communication they want from you. You can either add the signup form above the fold or below it. It all depends on the layout of your page.
- Use #Hashtags to Reach Potential Leads: Hashtags are a great way to reach people on other platforms who are not following you yet. They can also help you find others with similar interests so that they can subscribe and see what else is happening in the marketing world.
6. Embed a Sign-Up Form on Your Website
When you embed a signup form on your website, you give readers the option to sign up directly from the site. This means no extra effort is required on your readers' part.
You can either display the signup form above the fold or below the fold. The main idea is to make it visible and accessible for readers to sign up.
You can grow your subscriber list with a direct signup form on your website without extra effort.
7. Personalize Call-to-Action For Each Page
A call to action is one of the most critical parts of an email.
It's what you want your audience to do after they've read your message, and it sets the tone for the rest of your emails.
But how can you ensure each page has a unique call to action?
The best way is to personalize each page. If you're selling a product, it should be tailored to the person reading it—whether it's their age or gender or what kind of life experience they have had.
When you use a call-to-action on every page, you'll never have a situation where someone who's not the right audience sees an offer for something that isn't in line with their interests or needs.
8. Use an Exit-Intent Pop-Up
Exit-intent pop-ups are another type of pop-up that’s proven for growing your email list. These pop-ups appear when readers attempt to leave your site.
They are designed to stop people from leaving without providing them with an opportunity to sign up for your email list.
These pop-ups usually include a message like, “Are you interested in more content like this?”
Exit-intent pop-ups are effective because they're triggered when readers leave or engage with a specific page. This means they're highly relevant to your visitors and less likely to annoy them.
9. Purchase an Email List
Finally, you can build your email list by purchasing an existing email list.
You can buy an email list compiled by another company or build your email list by purchasing a hosting package.
When you purchase an email list, you're essentially acquiring new subscribers. This is a great way to grow your subscriber base fast, but it's important to remember that you have no control over this list.
These are people who have yet to engage with your brand, products, or services. That means you have to work harder to earn their trust and convince them to open your emails. When you purchase an email list, you risk having your emails sent to spam folders.
It's because readers haven't engaged with the emails on the list. You can avoid this by sending an initial email blast where you offer something of value to readers.
How to Build Email Lists: Takeaway
Generating leads and growing your email list are two activities that should never be ignored for your business.
The more prospects you have on your email list, the better chances you can connect with them. The emails you send should be personalized and unique to increase your messages' relevancy.
But remember, every business is different, and every audience responds differently when acquiring subscribers.
No matter which strategy you choose, these nine proven strategies are all excellent places to start, and they will help guide you toward building those email lists that attract the right customers.
