In Part 1 we talked about why you need email marketing for your business, and in Part 2 we took a look at some of the best service providers out there. In this post let’s focus on list building―because without that email list, there’s no email marketing!
Why should people subscribe?
Email is considered a very personal form of online communication, so why would anyone willingly give away their email address?
If you offer something of real value―something that’s going to improve people’s lives in some way (whether for their business, personal lives, or just daily entertainment)―then you’ll get your subscribers. Here are a few things worth signing up for (and make sure they’re aware of all these benefits):
- Interesting newsletters or company updates (that will help your users)
- Special offers, discounts, coupons, gifts, etc.
- Useful blog posts, tutorials, and guides.
- Something they won’t have access to unless they sign up: like white papers or ebooks.
Sign up form
The sign up form is one of the most crucial things here! Make sure you have one on your website homepage (prominently displayed); the link to it in your email signature; and on your blog and social media channels. There are a couple of things you should do near/next to your sign up form:
- Most importantly, tell them what to expect if they opt in. This doesn’t just mean what type of content they’ll receive, but how often they’ll get the emails (every week for example); what days/times they’ll be sent; and anything else they need to know. This lowers your unsubscribe rates, because there won’t be any unwelcome surprises when they receive your email.
- Use the sign up page to reinforce why users should subscribe. You could add a few great testimonials of your company/service/product in the sign up area. If you have some great numbers, show them off; examples could be: number of email subscribers, product users, satisfaction rate / repeat clients, Facebook fans, etc.
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In the next post of this guide, we’ll take at your email content. How do you attract new subscribers?