15 Easy Ways to Build Your Email List

You’re a pretty witty poster on social media. You share just what your audience is interested in. Good work. But unless your audience is ready to buy from you when they see your post, posting to social media is more of a long game than a short one. In between your posts and their purchase, you need to find a way to stay in contact with them. Remind them who you are and be helpful.

So, how do you do that?

Building an email list that you use to provide valuable information is one of the best ways. This article will give you some ideas on how you can do that.

Before You Build an Email List…

While this article will give you 15 easy ways to add numbers to your list, before you begin assembling that list make sure:

1. You know what you’re going to use it for. Are people on that list going to receive special sales notifications, a newsletter, or occasional samples? Make sure you’re clear on why you want the names because people will ask. Provide the reason since it’s often a selling point to get people to hand over their info.
2. You’re ready to go. Once people give you their info don’t wait too long to use it. If you promise them content or discounts send them something within a week. If you wait too long, they may forget they gave you permission to send them something and mark you as spam.
3. You thank them. Send a welcome email right away reiterating what they’ll receive from you. Make sure the opt-out button is clear. While you don’t want people opting out, you also don’t want them hitting the spam button. Make sure your initial welcome email is short but has something valuable to offer. You don’t want recipients opening the first email and feeling like the rest of your emails won’t be worth reading.

 

15 Easy Ways to Build Your Email List

Use these ways to build your email list but make sure you are clear to recipient about how you will use the emails and communicate to them that their privacy is important to you.

1. Include a URL to join your mailing list at the bottom of your email signature.
2. Add a postcard or note referencing a landing page in all packages.
3. Add a call to action to join the list to the bottom of every blog post.
4. Use a pop-up on your website that activates when someone gets to the middle of your blog post.
5. Require only a name and an email to join the list. The easier to join, the more people will do it. If you ask for a lot of personal info, people will get turned off.
6. Give them an opt-in bribe of valuable content or a discount. For instance, offering a one-time use BOGO coupon for joining the email list.
7. Send out an email blast from your chamber with a valuable offer in exchange for a name and email.
8. Ask people to join the list on social media.
9. Offer a free checklist, template, ebook, workbook, or any other piece of valuable content in exchange for their info.
10. Give away a report or personalized analysis for their info.
11. Place a sign-up sheet at your physical location. Again, remember to tell them what they’re receiving.
12. Add your sign-up URL on your business card.
13. Host an event and use a checkbox during the registration process or a physical sign-in sheet at the event.
14. Invite people to join something like an online community, Facebook group, etc. Then after providing value to them ask them to sign-up for even more.
15. Host a contest that requires an email to enter but make sure everyone is clear that they are also signing up for your list.

 
Once you get them on the list and you’ve welcomed them and delivered whatever it was they showed initial interest in, send them a bonus they weren’t expecting. This goes a long way in building subscriber loyalty and conditions them to expect the unexpected. No one will want to cancel if they know there’s the chance for these valuable surprises.
If you’d like to know more about what to do with a list and how it can work within the context of your marketing, check out this helpful article that simplifies the email marketing process.