How To Grow Your Email List The Right Way
Marketers understand how important it is to constantly increase their email list size while keeping current subscribers engaged. But, subscriber email addresses change as they move from one company to another, opt-out of your email communication, or abandon their old email addresses they only use to fill out web forms. And since average email database degrades 25% a year, company’s must always be on the lookout for new and innovative techniques for growing the list with high-quality subscribers. But doing so legally while still generating quality contacts is easier said than done.
In this post, we outline key strategies brands can implement to ensure they are doing whatever they can to optimally grow their list size each year:
1. Focus on Quality vs. Quantity. Just because you have a large list, doesn’t mean that all those contacts will convert or engage. Focus on gaining subscribers that are the ideal customer fit vs. low-quality contacts that are less likely to ever convert. Once you gain subscribers, make sure your emails are highly relevant. If you want contacts to stay subscribed and forward your emails to their friends, family, and colleagues that aren’t already on your email list be sure you are sending quality content.
2. Implement an Overlay. We find this to be the #1 sign-up source for our clients. Capture subscribers when they are most engaged with your brand and onsite browsing your products. You can even implement different segments and messaging depending on past onsite behavior and by what types of products they are browsing. A couple tips when implementing your overlay:
Be sure to test things out to see what works best for your audience
Test different promotions, but be wary of giving too big of a discount. Contacts signing up for a big discount may not really be interested in your content and are more likely to unsubscribe, become less engaged more quickly, and not come back for a second purchase
Make sure your overlay is optimized for mobile. More and more visitors are browsing your site on their mobile devices. Don’t miss out on capturing their information by not have an overlay optimized for your mobile site.
3. Include prominent on-site email sign-ups. Make sure you have an email sign-up in both your header and footer making it easy for site visitors to find out how to sign-up and also be able to sign-up if they close out the overlay
4. Invest in SEO and PPC campaigns. Driving more traffic to your site will get more eyes on the overlay, thus increasing email sign ups
5. Social Sign-ups. Be sure to include email sign-ups in your social pages, social posts and social ads. Don’t miss out on this easy way to grab sign-ups from other channels as cross-promoting your list sign-ups should be a key part of all your messaging. Also, be sure to promote offers on your Timeline, and add social sharing buttons to the landing pages and thank-you pages.
6. Include an email sign-up at the checkout process. Be sure to grab email signups when your brand is top of mind to your loyal customers as they are buying your products to ensure you gain their loyalty and turn them into repeat purchasers.
7. Consider implementing “refer a friend.” This can be implemented in both your emails and social pages, and make sure that the opt-in is for both the referred friend and the referrer.
Final Thoughts:
Continuously increasing your email list with quality subscribers is the secret to email success. By having solid onsite and cross-channel list building strategies you can ensure that your list size will grow, engagement will remain strong, and revenue will increase.
Learn more about how one of these strategies helped Francesca’s grow their email list in our case study: Francesca’s Collections Realizes 34% Email Revenue Growth With New Personalized Offerings.
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