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| 21 Ways to Build Your Contact List, Episode 1 |
Email marketing can be profitable for any business, no matter what kind of product or service you offer. But the foundation of email marketing success is the quality and size of your permission-based email list. If you build a list of subscribers that trust you and consider you an expert in your field, your response rates will constantly climb. Developing and maintaining a responsive opt-in email list is challenging, even for the most experienced marketers. Whether you’re at the beginning of your list-building journey or already have thousands of contacts, list management is hard work. Addresses change, subscribers become inactive, and some unsubscribe, chipping away about 20-30% of your list every year!
However, consider the alternative. Studies show that low-quality lists waste tens of millions of dollars annually, and no business can afford that. Quite simply, small investments in list management can reap huge returns in marketing efficiency and campaign ROI.
The following list provides techniques and tips to help you grow your marketing list, including, but not limited to:
Boosting sign-up form activity;
Finding new places to add
forms;
Using more content distribution channels;
Partnering
with other publishers and vendors;
Contributing to social media
sites and blogs;
Placing your sign-up form on Facebook.
List building tips, to get the most out of your email marketing
1. Add a sign-up form everywhere prospects go.
Sign-up opportunities should be easily accessible on every page of your website. Make sure they “pop” visually and indicate clearly what subscribers receive. Don’t forget your website and any blogs you control. Blogging is a great communication tool, so include a sign-up form in every post and continue the conversation!
Sign-up form built with GetResponse
2. Boost sign-up activity.
Make it quick and easy for your visitors to sign up. A first name and email address are all you need initially. If you ask about frequency or other preferences, keep it brief – you can always ask more questions later, through a survey email.
• Be clear, persuasive, and honest about what subscribers receive and how they benefit from subscribing. Include one or two short customer testimonials.
• Let them know how often to expect your newsletters and other emails. Don’t inundate subscribers, even if they indicate no preference.
• Link sample newsletter issues to your sign-up forms, so prospects can make an informed decision. You’ll get more responsive subscribers!
Opt-in form addressing potential subscribers’ privacy concerns
3. Address visitors’ privacy concerns.
Don’t overlook this important issue coming out of the gate, as most people fear they will receive an avalanche of spam – or scams – when they give out their email address. Tell potential subscribers that you respect their privacy and their personal information, then link to your privacy policy page. Include a link to Customer Service for those who have questions.
4. Add incentives to sign up.
Decide early whether to use incentives, then be as consistent as possible. The most popular incentives are free articles or reports and, of course, special offers, VIP programs, and discounts. The latter can eat into your profits if your sign-up forms are working, so we recommend “thought leadership” papers or ebooks and reports that you know your prospects can use. These attract quality subscribers and increase your reputation as a subject matter expert! For more ideas about incentives that will help you build you faster, check out this article: 19 Ideas for Killer Lead Magnets.
Free food recipes can work well as a lead magnet, too.
5. Create a great landing page.
First things first! A landing page, a.k.a. squeeze page, is typically designed only to help you achieve one goal. That goal can be anything, e.g. webinar registrations or ebook downloads. Most often, however, it will be to help you build an email list. So make sure it’s compelling and convincing.
It should feature a powerful headline and a few of the “juiciest” benefits to get visitors salivating to sign up to your list! Entertain your visitors with an audio or video message explaining why they should subscribe. Or consider letting a customer provide the message! It creates that “human connection” and is an opportunity to direct them to the sign-up form on your webpage while you’re winning them over!
You can start building high-converting landing pages today with our Landing Page Creator or if you prefer to learn more about them, sign up for the Essential Landing Page Course.
Landing page idea for a fitness business
6. Include testimonials on your landing page.
This is crucial. Customer opinions can be the most powerful conversion tool of all! Put one or two strong testimonials from satisfied subscribers on your squeeze page. Use any format, but you may find that multimedia (audio or video) is more “believable”. People like to see and hear the people behind the opinions, so they can make more informed judgments.
7. Use social media to turn your fans into subscribers.
Social media sites have become effective places to collect email addresses. Place a sign-up form or a landing form on your Facebook page, so fans can subscribe to your list. Then create a bond with your fans by sending personalized messages.
Promote your newsletter to existing fans on social media. Every now and then post updates on your Facebook page to bring your fans’ attention to your landing page or directly to the sign-up form. You can use paid ads and boost your posts to reach a wider audience and grow your list even faster.
It will continue...
Source: 21 Ways to Build Your Contact List/GetResponse:
https://www.getresponse.com
Photo: https://pixabay.com
