If you’re like most small business owners who want to grow their audience and reach more people with targeted content, what you need to do is learn how to grow your email list.
When done correctly, you can not only increase your followers exponentially, extending your brand’s influence to new areas in the process—you can also grow your sales (and thus, your business).
Sound like a plan?
Lucky for you, it’s easier than it seems. These four proven email marketing strategies will help you take things to the next level.
Collect Emails in Person
Let’s say you spend most of your time working face-to-face with your customers or clients. You and your brand message are top of mind, so why not leverage that face time by asking for contact information directly? If you’re just starting out with email marketing, this is a great way to begin.
Make Opting in Easy
One of the easiest ways to get new subscribers is to put an opt-in form on your website. Whatever email marketing software you use (we primarily use ActiveCampaign) should have opt-in forms that you can add to your site. These forms allow visitors to your site to sign up for your newsletter or special promotions.
When you add one of these forms to your site, it’s important to remember that location is everything. If you add it somewhere that it isn’t going to get much attention, your email list probably won’t grow too much. Make it easy on your site visitors by putting it in a prominent place on the page, preferably on more than one page.
Want to make it even easier for visitors to opt in? Limit the information that you collect to name and email address. The more information prospective contacts have to part with, the less likely they will be to sign up.
Hold a Giveaway Contest
You’ve got to give a little love to get a little love! If there’s nothing in it for people who sign up, then what’s driving their decision? One way to increase interest and boost your audience numbers is to hold a giveaway contest. Sure, you will have to invest in whatever the prize is going to be, but if you get enough people to join your list, your investment will probably pay off in sales.
Don’t want to go to the trouble of holding a contest and selecting a winner? Why not promote your email list by offering a discount promo code that people can use on your products or services?
Create a Lead Magnet Campaign
If holding a contest is not your style, then there are other ways to offer something of value to prospects. Ask yourself about the pain points that your audience has. What problems can you help them solve? What questions are they asking that you can help answer? Then, when you have a solution in mind, create content that will give them what they want. Some examples include checklists, guides, video tutorials, and other content that packages information in an easy-to-digest way.