5 Easy Steps to Grow Your Email List
If you’re even slightly involved in the digital space, you probably already know how important having an email list is. But many are confused about how to really attract a prospective to sign up. We'll make it easy with just 5 steps to grow your email list.
The Basics of Email Marketing
My favorite email marketing service is MailChimp. They're easy, simple and affordable. In fact, they even offer a free subscription for lists fewer than 2,000 recipients. I love MailChimp because it takes out all the hard stuff associated with sending marketing emails, automated messages, and targeted campaigns. You can easily design templates to use in all of your emails, keep your email lists in one place, and keep track of who’s opening what and when. It’s no wonder so many people in the creative world use it!
One of the major uses for MailChimp is inbound marketing. Basically, inbound marketing means you’re marketing to a group of followers who want to receive your content, instead of begging for the attention of random individuals who may not even be interested. The easiest way to inbound market is through creating content that is helpful and engaging for your audience through emails.
The formula is pretty simple: The more helpful and engaging emails you put out, the more people will hop on your email list, which means the more people you have access to for marketing your products, and the more clients you gain. Everybody wins.
How To Grow Your Email List
MailChimp is pretty easy to use, but most people get stuck on how to actually grow their email list. Here are 5 tried and true techniques to exponentially increasing your list:
1. Take Advantage of Opt-Ins
Opt-ins are basically the really awesome version of Pandora’s box. When you offer a free downloadable, discount code, webinar, or really anything else, all you have to do is require they submit their email first. When you get their email, you’re now able to show them all the amazing products and services you have to offer, and just how helpful you can be to them!
2. Co-Market With Someone
Maybe you’ve got a friend who does graphic design and you’re into photography. What if the two of you promoted a joint webinar on how to create beautiful brand imagery through your own individual businesses? In the end, swap leads and add them to your email list. The addition won’t be unwelcome because they already know who you are through the co-marketing opportunity you hosted.
3. Put It Everywhere
Don't be shy about posting your email sign up around your website. I like to encourage placing one of these sign up forms at the bottom of my blog posts to help grow my email list. Don’t be too obnoxious by placing it on every page thru out your site though.. If it dominates your website, it will seem like you have nothing else to offer your potential clients and it will only annoy people.
4. Promote a Contest, or Offer Freebies
Hosting a giveaway or contest is one of the easiest ways to gain email addresses because everyone loves free, awesome things! When people enter to win, just make sure one of the requirements is to give them your email and you’ll see your email list grow exponentially.
5. Make Your Content Shareable
This is meant to be interpreted in two ways. The first means creating really, really good content, which is sort of a “duh” thing. The second means encouraging the people on your email list to share with their friends and family! If even one person does this, that means there’s at least one more person who knows what you’re all about.
Growing an email list can seem stressful, especially if you’re just starting out or your business is feeling stagnant. It doesn’t have to be like that, though! By employing one or more of these strategies, your email list will grow bigger and bigger, and when that happens, so will your revenue.