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Building an email list is one of the best things you can do for your business, especially if you want to make sure that people see you as someone who brings value. Not only can your email list help direct traffic to your site, but it creates a long-term audience for leads. Use these strategies to build your email list without a big following.
Create a Compelling Lead Magnet
In order to convince people to give you their email addresses, you’re going to have to offer something in return. This is your lead magnet. In a day and age of email marketing overload, you want to present something compelling that will make people want to give you their email address.
In a day and age of email marketing overload, you want to present something compelling that will make people want to give you their email address.
To do so, you might consider putting together a tip sheet. A one-page PDF document is quick to put together and can add a ton of value. Numbers sell – so consider topics such as “7 Ways to Monetize Your Blog” or “13 Questions to Ask Your Social Media Manager”
As you put together your lead magnet, you may also want to consider other services or products you offer or provide a 15-minute consultation with you!
By offering a lead magnet that is compelling, a higher percentage of your following will be willing to give you their email. This means that you can still design an active email list while your following is small. Make sure to check out more lead magnet examples on my portfolio!
Add a CTA in Your Blog Post
You need to learn the art of CTAs. A call to action is a strategy for your potential clients or customers to learn more about your products and services. Calls to action are the bread and butter of any blog post. Every piece of content you write for your site should lead up to the call to action. Everything the post has in it should make your customers want to click on that CTA at the end. Simply putting a general CTA in place, such as “sign up for my email list to get valuable information” or “signup for my newsletter” won’t be effective. Get creative and let your followers know that they need to click that link. CTAs are an essential part of your overall marketing strategy, especially when it comes to planning for your digital products
Get creative and let your followers know that they need to click that link. CTAs are an essential part of your overall marketing strategy, especially when it comes to planning for your digital products.
Consider phrases like “boost your business now,” “learn about vacation essentials,” or “find your why.” These phrases are selling phrases without being obvious about it and your readers will jump all over them. This is especially effective if you are helping to alleviate the pain point of your audience. When a mom with five kids sees “How to simplify your morning routine when the kids won’t cooperate”, she’ll be willing to fork over her email address in exchange for that resource.
Keep in mind that the call to action should be at the end of your blog posts because, after perusing your post, your readers will be looking for some sort of action to take!
Build Your List with Quizzes
Who doesn’t love finding out which character they are from their TV favorite show? What the color of their aura really is? Or, how they can use their personality to improve their business? Each of these options can be put into quiz form and will allow your potential customers to be entertained and get valuable information. Building your list with quizzes is a fun way to get to know your audience while also providing helpful content!
Of course, it’s critical to make sure that the quiz you create is highly relevant to your business, entertaining for you ideal clients, and keeps the attention for the entire quiz. By doing so, you’ll provide value to your audience and they’ll be excited to give you their email address in exchange for their results.
Use a Pop-Up on Your Website
Sure, to some those pop-ups can seem pesky, but research shows they are still a valuable way to collect email addresses from website visitors. Make it colorful, offer a freebie, include an enticing call to action and post it live on your site. You’ll likely start getting all kinds of sign-ups that you can then add to your email list.
Host a Giveaway
Sometimes, you have to give a little to get a lot. In this case, hosting a giveaway can provide you with a huge return on investment. Create a lot of buzz surrounding your giveaway leading up to the days it goes live. You can do this by posting on social media about it, sending an email to your current subscribers, and reaching out to friends and family to help you promote it.
You can also consider creating a social media poll about what people would love to get for free. Make it something that people will love: a fashion package, gift card, semi-expensive equipment, or something similar that’s related to your business. Make sure it is related to the pain point your ideal client faces or you’ll have an email list full of contacts that don’t really want to hear about your product or service offering in the future.
The idea is that everyone who provides an email gets an entry. If you build your list this way, ensuring you are reaching your ideal clients, the end result will prove to be far more valuable than the small investment you made on the giveaway prize.
If you have a small following, you can also give people an incentive to share the giveaway! Give them an extra entry for each social share or even consider offering an extra entry for each friend they refer who signs up.
Lead an Event
When you lead an event, you have the opportunity to network with your potential customers as they learn about your expertise in the industry. When you do that, you’ll have no problem encouraging people to sign up for your list so that they can receive future resources and information from you.
BONUS: the people who attend your events are the ones who you want to be marketing to. They’re action-takers and will be more likely to buy your product or service!
Just Get Started
Whether you use the tips outlined above or a different method the key to growing your email list is just to get started. Don’t wait for perfection because once your list gains momentum, it’ll grow exponentially.
Make sure to use these easy to follow tips with our free training on how to build your list with quizzes without feeling salesly!
