In last month’s update, we looked at how to get the best out of email marketing.  But what if you’re starting an email list from scratch?  How can you take the plunge and build a loyal, engaged list of subscribers?  These practical strategies will help.

Use an email marketing platform
If you want your emails to look professional – and be easy to manage – work with an email marketing provider, such as Mailchimp or ConvertKit.  These platforms are often free up to a certain number of subscribers, meaning you can get started without a big financial commitment.

Create a quick opt-in form
You want people who visit your website to sign up for emails.  Make this easy for them with a quick opt-in form located prominently on your website.  For example, you could have a box that pops up when someone goes to leave your site.  (Mailchimp users reportedly see their list growth rate increase by more than 50% when they add a pop-up form to their website.[i])  If a pop-up doesn’t appeal, place a sign-up box on your Home page, About page and blog posts.

Your email provider should have a form that you can add to your website, and tweak with your own wording.  Where appropriate, make it fun and engaging.  So instead of the age-old ‘Sign up for our newsletter’, you could say something like ‘Yes please, send me the latest news direct’ or ‘Heck yeah, I want the inside scoop!’

Boost sign-ups with a freebie
A great way to attract more subscribers is to offer them a juicy gift in return for signing up –think a free mini-ebook, checklist, discount code, or something similar.  Ask yourself, ‘What’s the biggest problem my customers struggle with?’ and then design your freebie content or discount with that in mind.  Your customers will love getting something valuable for free, and you get to show off your thoughtful service.

To really maximise this strategy, create a dedicated landing page on your website that tells people about the freebie and allows them to sign up.  Then drive people to the landing page by promoting it all over the place.  Which brings us to…

Promote, promote, promote
Use all your channels to drive sign-ups.  Tell people how they can subscribe in your social media posts, have a sign-up link in your social media bios and email signature, place a call-to-action and sign-up link in your blog posts…  It all adds up.

OCTOPUS can help you deploy these powerful email marketing strategies, and more.  Let’s grow your email list together.

[i] Source: https://mailchimp.com/resources/how-to-build-your-email-list/

(Photo by Tim van der Kuip on Unsplash)