Shane BarkerIf you’re a blogger or online business owner, then you must have heard that building an online mailing list is the key to success in growing your web traffic. Despite popular belief, email marketing hasn’t become washed up with the evolution of social media. There’s a whopping 2.9 billion email accounts, which means you can reach three times as many people as Facebook and Twitter combined. Also, emailing marketing campaign ranked the best in terms of ROI with 68% companies rating the channel as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’.
In my past 15 years of experience, I’ve seen many changes in communication for building a better online presence. However, the online mailing list is still the finest way to proceed with a high degree of conversions.
Why Is Email So Powerful?
- Email is personal; it’s something you don’t want to share with anyone. Email is where people keep their important and official documents, so they’ll check it frequently to stay updated on new messages.
- Email allows you to use a straightforward approach and directly contact clientele. People are more likely to see emails and click out of curiosity. If your email has something unique and intriguing, then you’ll notice high conversion rates.
- Email is very common. If you’re running any kind of online or offline business, you need a way to stay in touch with clients anytime you want. Mostly everyone in the world has one thing in common i.e. an email address. Building an online mailing list is an economical, cost-effective solution.
- Email opens an opportunity to expand your reach beyond social media. With a single click via MailChimp or any other email marketing tool, you can spread your business’s message to a larger audience. Having more email subscribers increases your potential for online success.
How Do I Grow An Online Mailing List?
Now, you’re probably wondering how you can cash in on the email marketing trend for your own business. The following are my top 11 simple tips that can be utilized to grow an online mailing list that works to drive traffic towards your website.
1. Create Remarkable Content Regularly
Publishing epic content on your website is essential to impress your visitors and encourage them to keep sharing your content with others. I’ve seen first-hand the long-lasting effects that quality, informative content can have on businesses. Users start loving the engaging posts and come back often to check for regular updates. They’re then more likely to subscribe to your online mailing list and bookmark your website for future viewing. Also, opting new content marketing strategies will help in receiving more subscribers and traffic.
2. Make New Lead-Generating Offers
Cranking out original content often won’t always bring in a big bunch of email subscribers, so it’s best to have a back-up plan. Giving people a special offer for subscribing can be a game changer in generating quality leads. Use your industry expertise to develop useful guides, eBooks, or newsletters and ask your users to download it by subscribing.
3. Host Online Webinars
Another effective method for growing an online mailing list is via webinars. I personally host many webinars for loyal users of my services and it has worked beautifully. You’ll find that visitors are more likely to subscribe to emails and newsletters when they get a premium part of your story.
For instance, Dataversity used an organized webinar strategy and realized a 91 percent increase in their registration rates. Webinars are great for building brand awareness and expanding your online reach dramatically.
4. Set Up Free Giveaway Contests
Online giveaway contests are routinely used by smart marketers as a part of their branding strategy, but it’s also helpful in generating more email subscribers. Of course, users love competing to receive cash prizes, coupons, free merchandise, and other special offers. Research by Unbounce found that giveaway contests can increase conversions from 200 percent to 700 percent. If you promote the contest via social media and some paid campaigns, then you’ll see more significant results.
5. Add an Email SignUp Call-to-Action on Facebook
On your business’s Facebook page, you should add a call-to-action for email subscribers as a custom tab. This is an effective way to increase subscribers by giving more exposure to your online mailing list. Yet, make certain you’re using an impressive and catchy banner image that directs users’ eyes to the call-to-action. Eye tracking research clearly shows that companies benefit from more clicks by directing towards the SignUp button.
6. Place Clear Call-to-Actions
Similarly, you need to establish clear call-to-action buttons on your own website to avoid missing out on valuable subscription opportunities. Always keep your call-to-actions at the top of the navigation header, on the sidebars, or even floating as popups. Don’t forget to keep the color contrast prominent so that it’s easily visible and readable by interested visitors.
7. Engage in Offline Events
While your online presence is important, getting in touch with people offline can assist in building a great list of subscribers too. Engage with your targeted audience by hosting conferences, meetings, and other events. Ask for attendees’ email addresses at the time of registration. Studies have proven that 31 percent of marketers have benefited from this very effective branding tactic.
8. Start a Google AdWords Email Capture Ad
Google recommends that businesses try to create an AdWords email advertisement. This feature is still an AdWords experiment, but it can be useful. You’ll be able to add a newsletter subscription field right under your website’s ad. It’s a pretty easy way to get new mailing list subscribers because advertisements usually appear on SERP results first.
9. Start Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is one of the most respected old-school SEO techniques for growing an online mailing list that works. By contributing your knowledge to a quality resource, you’ll gain more backlinks and email subscribers. In your author bio, make certain you have a clear call-to-action directing traffic to your website and a subscription button. When people start loving your content on other blogs, they’ll want to hear more.
10. Take Advantage of Social Media
Social media offers an unmatched opportunity to grow an online mailing list by connecting with a wide audience of engaged Internet users. You could run a Twitter campaign with lead-generating offers like free eBooks or guides for your followers. Make an email address required for accessing the offer. Add an email signup button to your Google+ business page’s about section. Create posts for Facebook showing offers and adding lines like “Free download to your X factors for business.” You can also attract subscribers on LinkedIn, YouTube, Tumblr, Instagram, and more.
11. Use a Call-to-Action in Your Email Signature
Last but certainly least, you should add a signup page link directly to your email signature. It’s been shown that over 108.7 billion emails are sent and received daily. If you contact people with an optimized email signature, then there’s a good chance of conversion. Users wishing to get in touch with you will go the extra step to subscribe and learn more about your business.
Final Words
As you can see, there are many effective ways you can increase your online mailing list. You’ll need to check out which techniques work best for your growing business. It might be possible that webinars could be your greatest hit or offline events may maximize your subscribers. Techniques have different levels of success based on industry. Now, you’ll have the tools to draw in a big database of subscribers and improve your online presence. If you can think of some other helpful tactics, let us know in the comments below.
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