Your marketing strategy needs a refresh and you’re ready to grow your email list to give your campaigns a boost.
There’s a hitch, though: Where do you start?
Digital marketing is continually evolving. It seems like there’s a never-ending stream of new technologies and platforms available every month. The best way to grow your email list, though, is with some straightforward, tried-and-true methods.
What is an email list and how do you create one for marketing campaigns
Your email list is a group of subscribers, either customers or site visitors. In general, you add an email to your list every time you sell to a new customer. Otherwise, you have to work to grow your email list.
The most common ways to create a new email list are:
- Collecting emails at checkout: you can set this up easily with most ecommerce platforms, though it’s an ecommerce best practice to not require a new account. Over 30% of businesses experience cart abandonment because they require customers to create an account.
- Including email signup forms on your site: most ecommerce platforms and content management systems make it simple to add email signup forms to your website. You can add them to a sidebar, the footer, or as an exit intent pop-up.
- Using social media to encourage signups: social media is big. Instagram has the highest median engagement rate at 1.6%. That’s with over one billion users every month—and 90% of them are following businesses already. Use social media to promote new products or valuable content.
It’s a good idea to invest in an email marketing platform to help you manage your list. The right tools can help you incorporate email personalization and segmentation, plus automate your email and social media campaigns.
Ways to grow your email list
Creating a new list is just the first step to boosting your marketing efforts—you also need to grow your email list to connect with new customers and reach long-time followers.
1. Instagram posts
Your social media strategy is crucial to growing your email list. You can schedule posts, upload photos and videos, and even tag products in your ecommerce store with the right Instagram settings. Custom hashtags can make it easy for people to find your brand too.
One of the caveats of using Instagram is the inability to include links in your posts. You can circumvent this hurdle by including your email signup link in your Instagram bio. When you create content, let your followers know the link is in your bio.
You can use similar tactics with other social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter. Incorporate A/B testing to figure out which platform gives you the most email signups. Most social media platforms give you the option to sponsor a post too, so you can pay to get it in front of more people.
2. Short videos
Videos are increasingly popular in email marketing campaigns. More than 80% of businesses use them and video consumption is growing 100% every year. People love videos. They increase engagement with very little investment.
Viewers also share content—92% of them indicate that they share videos they like. You can incorporate videos into your social media campaigns to boost email signups too.
A new video platform, TikTok, is a rising social media star. The platform boasts 800 million users worldwide with less than three years on the market.
Incorporating short videos on your website is another way to reach new customers. A good strategy is to place the video on your website, so you can direct visitors to it and a signup form.
3. Referral programs
The customers you already have can be an extension of your marketing team. Over 75% of people are more likely to purchase a new product because they heard about it from a friend or family member.
Of those people, 84% of them say they either somewhat or completely trust referrals from people they know. That makes referral marketing one of the most trusted sources of information about new businesses or services. Influencer marketing is an offshoot of this.
Incentives can encourage over half of your customers to refer people to your brand. You can leverage that by building a referral strategy that offers cash rewards, discounts and coupons, or bonus points in your loyalty program.
4. Giveaways and sweepstakes
Contests, giveaways, and sweepstakes can lead to engagement rates of up to 5.8%, plus conversion rates of almost 34%.
That makes them the most lucrative forms of engagement in content marketing. And the only real cost is what you’re giving away and what you put into the marketing campaign, which means higher ROI.
You can even leverage referrals with giveaways. Almost 95% of people will immediately share a giveaway or sweepstakes as soon as they enter. Using social media to spread the word? Over 62% of users will share the contest with a friend to get extra entries.
Start by creating a landing page for your giveaway—this will give you valuable insight into your marketing efforts. Then use social media to encourage email signups and referrals.
5. How-to video series
You can approach video marketing in two ways: one-off videos for a specific campaign or a series of videos you can track. A how-to video series is a key strategy for brands that offer services. It gives your company a chance to communicate valuable information with context.
Explainer videos are one of the most popular forms of video content—96% of online users have watched one to learn more about a product. Almost 75% of viewers have purchased or downloaded software after watching a video about the service.
A video series can keep engagement up longer. About two-thirds of people prefer to watch short videos, so break up tutorials into bite-size pieces for maximum impact.
6. Exit intent pop-ups
Exit intent pop-ups work. You can see average conversion rates of 3.09% with pop-ups, while some of the highest conversion rates are closer to 10%.
As with any marketing tactic, there are some best practices for using pop-ups. You can use cookies to track which visitors are new or returning, so you don’t continue showing it to people who already signed up (you can also check out this guide to exit intent pop-ups for other tips.)
Not sure an exit intent pop-up is right for you? Consider a sidebar email signup form—you can see a whopping 1,375% increase in your email list growth with this simple tweak. Your footer is another option for email signup forms.
7. Add share and join list buttons to your email
This list-growth tool is often overlooked but can be your best source of new leads. After all, not everyone who sees your email will be on your email list.
And leads who arrive via existing clients or customers are more likely to trust your brand before you’ve even had the opportunity to nurture them.
You can achieve this with a simple prompt that encourages readers to share your content and convince their contacts to join your email list. Share buttons especially stand out. These should encourage readers to share via email forwards and on their social media pages.
You’ll also want to provide a simple means of getting these new readers to join your list.
Make this as straightforward as possible with a “join list” button prominently displayed on your emails. Readers who click this button will be directed to a landing page where they can quickly submit their contact information.
8. Add a lead-generation landing page to your social media profiles
Social media offers a powerful platform to build an audience for your business. But it’s also important to move relationships off social media and encourage fans and followers to join your mailing list.
This will give you a better way to reach your audience on your own terms — without having to worry about network changes or declines in reach.
To add one to your social media profile(s) simply create a lead generation landing page and then add a signup button to your Facebook Business Page or LinkedIn Organization Page, or add a link to your Instagram or Twitter Bio.
9. Run lead-generation ads
Speaking of social media, various social media platforms provide valuable opportunities for connecting with a vast audience. Paid advertising, in particular, offers an excellent means of attracting attention from qualified leads.
Which platforms you rely on will largely depend on your industry and target audience. Favorites include:
No matter where your lead generation ads are displayed, they should direct users to relevant landing pages. Upon arrival, users can complete sign-up forms and willingly join your email list.
When using tools like Facebook Ads to get more leads, you can target a custom audience of users more likely to show interest in your message and offerings. To better target these ads, create multiple versions to show to different types of users.
Using Facebook Ads, Liberty Jane Clothing added more than 2,000 contacts to their email list in a single month.
10. Put a sign-up form on your website
Your website will be the first contact many people have with your business. Don’t miss the opportunity to stay connected with new visitors. Sign-up forms come in all shapes and sizes. The following are especially helpful:
- Pop-up. As their name suggests, these forms pop up for website visitors. Like the example above, they’re impossible to miss, so this is one of the best options for getting potential customers to notice.
- Flyout. Similar to pop-up forms, flyout sign-ups instantly attract attention. These slide into view, originating near the top, bottom, or even the side of the page. Their main benefit (or disadvantage, depending on the situation) over pop-ups is that they allow website visitors to continue browsing the page before they sign up or exit.
- Banner. Simple yet distinctive, a banner display stretches across your web page. Banners can be placed near the top or bottom of the page to encourage visitors to join your email list.
- Inline. An inline solution is probably your best bet if you have a specific vision for your sign-up form’s function and location. Embedded within your site’s content, these are among the most versatile and adaptable solutions for getting visitors onto your email list.
No matter which style you prefer, your sign-up form should highlight the advantages of receiving emails from your business. Be sure to emphasize your lead magnet or promo.
11. Use a paper sign-up sheet (and let people know what they’re going to receive)
While not the most high-tech option, using a paper sign-up sheet is one of the simplest ways to grow your email list. It’s also one of the most effective. This is especially true if you have a retail store or a brick-and-mortar location where you interact with customers face-to-face.
The trick is to make the benefit of your email list clear. What’s in it for your email subscribers? Will they receive special offers? Will they be the first to know about your new inventory?
Add a sentence or two at the top of your email opt-in form to make it clear what they’ll get for giving you their email address.
12. Customized QR code
If you want to add a little flair to your QR code, you can use different QR code generators like QRstuff to change the color and select codes for specific data types, Delvir to customize the size and color, or QRCode Monkey to design a QR code that incorporates artwork and allows you to add and change colors.
You can then download or copy the image and paste it into any form of print media you’d like. We suggest putting it in all of your print media, from business cards to fliers — even on your paper sign-up form to give people the option to either write or type their information into your sign-up form.
