Email List Building Probably one of the best ways to ensure that your engagements, customer relationships, and sales are taken to the next level is through building an email list. Actually, it means in a time where the wheels of change on social platforms rotate by leaps and bounds, email has stood its ground as the immovable line to your audience. In 2024, growing that email list of yours is way smarter and way more effective than ever in the past. This guide will point you in the right direction toward the most robust approaches, look at some frequently asked questions with their answers, and aspire to give you insights that can enable you to craft a high-quality email list.
Why Building an Email List Matters More Than Ever
That said, email marketing supposedly remains the top ROI opportunity, with some averages suggesting it could bring back as much as $42 for each dollar spent. But to get this right, you need an email list that is targeted and engaged. All this boils down to time in the creating, toward a strategy to that end, but it is completely worth it. Give a face to your email list. An email list, when well-crafted, will stand direct and personable, clear of any noise that other classes of social media would try to have you absorbed in.
1. Irresistible Lead Magnets
Great email list building, though, is hinged on the lead magnets themselves. The lead magnet should normally be a free resource that you share or offer in exchange for a person’s email address. A good lead magnet works well when it is super-targeted, straight to the point with the audience, and delivers value instantly.
Examples of Lead Magnets:
- E-Books and Guides: These need to be in-depth documents on given pain points or solutions being offered on a certain topic.
- Checklists and Cheat Sheets: Pretty self-explanatory.
- Templates: Pre-done forms that help save the reader some legwork, like content calendar templates or business plan templates.
- Pro Tip: Make your lead magnets personalized according to user behavior. For instance, if he reads an article on social media marketing, then provide him with a free social media content calendar.
2. Get Your Signup Forms Optimized for Conversions
Sure, if your signup form represents the initial contact that a potential customer has with your email list, it definitely should be the most optimized contact point so that the maximum number of people there convert. First of all, make sure your forms are easy to find on your homepage, your blog posts, and throughout any landing pages you may have. Then, load up on the real compelling copy that spells out the value of signing up. And only then land the helicopter—with as few fields as you can get away with, of course.
Important Elements of a High-Converting Signup Form:
- High-Value Headline: Have a clear and crisp headline, using the above “What Will You Send?” to tell subscribers what to do and what they’ll gain by doing so. For example, “Get Exclusive Marketing Tips Delivered to Your Inbox.”
- Minimal Fields: Get the most minimal of information you can get away with—usually just an email address. You can easily add to this later.
- Strong CTA: Must be an action-led link text or button like “Download Now,” “Join the Community,” or maybe “Get Started”.
- Pro tip: Test a few different versions of your signup forms to understand more about what works the best. On a quest to increase conversions, start fiddling with headlines, the CTA text, the placement of the form, and design, amongst others through A/B testing.
3. Use Content Upgrades for Higher Signups
Content Upgrades: They are simply a more targeted form of lead magnets—right inside the existing content. For example, if you are writing a blog post on email marketing strategies, you may have a downloadable checklist or resource.
Here’s why you should use content upgrades:
And, they work like a charm because they are target-based and are concerned with the content your readers are already so in love with. More importantly, they cannot resist instant gratification; that is, they begin to feel more and more compelled to give their email addresses in exchange.
Pro Tip: You might use OptinMonster or Thrive Intelligence to quickly bolt upgrades onto your blog posts. Record which worked best in Notebook One, then next time, duplicate this incentive on your site.
4. Increased Leads with Quality Webinars Hosting
Webinars are a great form of audience engagement and list-building strategy. The best part is that you’re able to capture far more email addresses by requiring viewers to register for a webinar while simultaneously giving them some type of useful and engaging content.
How to Make Your Webinar Irresistible:
- Pick Relevant Topics: Focus on those topics that would answer the major pain point of your audience or provide a solution to common challenges.
- Cross-Market: Use email, social, and your website to get as many registrations as possible for your webinar.
- Offer a Replay: Many may not be able to attend live, so offer a replay for those who register.
- Pro Tip: Try a two-for-one approach with big-name influencers or other industry experts willing to host the same webinar — for the very same value — with their audience.
No one will fear to take action when they see their fellow peers doing the same. This is akin to testimonials, subscriber count, and user reviews when it comes to social proof to grow your email list.
Some Examples of Social Proof:
- Subscriber Count: Let them know how many people have subscribed to your email list.
- Testimonials: If you provide any service or sell any product, then make sure you write two or three quotes from subscribers or customers.
- Case Studies: Shows how people became successful with the help of your products or services.
- Pro Tip: Add the logos of credible media to make your visitors trust more in you and increase sign-ups using trust badges like “As Seen On.”
6. Exit-Intent Popups
Exit-intent popups are displayed as soon as a visitor intends to exit your website. This shows a trigger to leave, and at that moment, you can grab their emails before they step away. However, even though these popups seem to be annoying to the public, they really are useful if you want to increase your subscribers.
Best Practices for Exit-Intent Popups:
- Give them something available that they simply can’t refuse: a discount, a free guide, or exclusive content.
- Make it short as you are not writing an essay. Get to the point and have a clear CTA.
- A/B Test: Different types of offers, designs, and differences in text to see what works out with your audience the best.
- Pro Tip: Together with services like OptiMonk or Sumo, you can design and control exit-intent popups to be displayed with ease.
7. Sharing and Referrals:
Make your current subscribers your best evangelists on how to grow your email list. This can be done in many ways, like having your list members share your content with friends and colleagues.
Sharing Mechanics:
- Social Sharing Buttons:
- Ask for Referrals: Sometimes all you need to do is ask for it. You could put in a CTA in your emails to forward the email on to their friends.
- Pro Tip: Offer some kind of exclusive content and make them unlock it by doing a referral. Kind of gives an element of exclusivity, and that will definitely motivate them to share.
8. Influencer and Industry Leader Collaboration
Use an influencer or leader in the space to access a different audience. They help grow your email list at a faster pace since the influencer already gains the audience’s trust.
How to Determine the Right Influencers:
- Relevance: They should be aligned with the target market.
- Engagement: Choose high engagement over the number of followers.
- Credibility: Only the influencers who have credibility in your industry and have a long line of dishing out value to their audience.
- Pro Tip: Co-brand a working lead magnet or some exclusive content only for the audience of the influencer, through which you are sending traffic. This not only serves them but also, in order to download it, they’ll have to sign up.
