7 Ways To Grow Your Email List

Email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to reach your target audience. Frequently small businesses avoid it, in some cases, they’ve got a database that’s not in use which is a wasted opportunity. If you need convincing that email is worth a look, check out this report from Hubspot which tells us that it can deliver $36 for every $1 spent and that 37% of businesses are thinking of increasing their email marketing efforts, those that engage already that is of course.

Whether you’re looking to grow your list or simply keep your current subscribers engaged, here are seven tips that will help you get the most out of your email marketing program.

1. Include a sign-up form on your website

One of the easiest ways to get people to sign up for your email list is to include a sign-up form on your website. You can either add a form to your homepage or create a dedicated landing page for sign-ups. Make sure that the form is prominently displayed and easy to find so that people will be able to sign up with ease. If you didn’t have this feature added when your website was being designed it’s generally not too complex to add one and any web designer should be able to advise on this.

2. Use pop-ups on your website

Another effective way to get people to sign up for your email list is to use pop-ups on your website. Pop-ups are forms that appear when someone visits your site, typically in the form of a pop-up window. You can use pop-ups to offer visitors a discount or incentive for signing up for your email list. Some people however aren’t fans of pop-ups so be mindful of this when it comes to designing yours. Generally, you can choose to have one slide in from a bottom left or right corner or go full-screen where it must be clicked to escape it, my advice is don’t go full-screen with the pop-up as some of us (me included!) will deliberately ignore it as we’re already navigating more than enough with cookies banners, don’t make us work to view your content!

3. Run a contest or giveaway

Running a contest or giveaway is also a great way to get people to sign up for your email list. You can promote the contest or giveaway on your website and social media channels, and include a sign-up form so that people can enter the contest. Be sure to offer a prize that will be of interest to your target audience. Don’t offer a gadget or an in-demand voucher to drive entries, that does nothing for your brand and attracts those who are interested purely in the potential win. If they stick around on your social media they’ll never engage and that will damage your presence there, that’s something for an upcoming post (stay tuned to our blog and social media!). You should also be mindful that social networks tend to have rules in relation to promotions, doesn’t matter what you see elsewhere it’s always a good idea to familiarise yourself with them.

4. Include a call-to-action in your blog posts

If you have a blog, you can also use it as a tool to get people to sign up for your email list. You might include a call-to-action in your blog posts, such as “Sign up for our newsletter to receive exclusive discounts and updates”. You can also include a link to your sign-up form in your blog’s sidebar or header so that people can easily find it.

5. Use social media

Social media is another great platform for promoting your email list and getting people to sign up. You can share links to your sign-up form on all of your social media channels, and run contests or giveaways that encourage people to join your list. Make sure to use relevant hashtags so that people who are interested in what you have to offer can easily find you and from there subscribe to your list. You should always think about your email sign-up when it comes to your social media profile pages and if you have multiple links in it (as we have with our Canva-designed link in bio which you can view here), always include the sign-up option there too.

6. Partner with other businesses

Partnering with other businesses is also an effective way to get more people signed up for your email list. For example, you could partner with a complementary business and offer joint discounts or promotions to customers who sign up for both of your lists. You could also partner with an influencer in your industry and offer their followers an incentive for signing up for your email list. Beware though, you cannot exchange lists or share data as you risk breaching regulations in relation to GDPR and privacy. A business you partner with can run an ad on their email for your joint-promotion and they can ask people to sign up on their social media but you can never hand over data that was collected specifically for your business. Aside from the legal issues that arise, it’s also not great practice for your audience who may well be completely unaware of this partner brand.

7. Use offline marketing methods

In addition to online marketing methods, you can also use offline methods to get people signed up for your email list. For example, you could include a sign-up form at events or trade shows that you attend, or put up flyers in local businesses with information about how people can join your mailing list. QR codes are an easy way to get those sign-ups too and you can create these for free within Canva (talk to us about training if you need it on that app!).

So there you have it, seven ways you can start growing your email list today. None of them are difficult or time-consuming, but all of them will help you to build a valuable database of potential customers. If you’d like to get to grips with email marketing and find out how we can help you achieve great results, get in touch with us today by sending an email to debbie@themarketingshop.ie