3 Tips to Increase your Email List
Mar 24, 2015
The most important asset to any business is not how many likes they have on their Facebook page, how many followers they have on Twitter or how many people have pinned their Pinterest images – the most important asset is your mailing list.
This is the one thing that you 100% own and control.
3 Tips to Increase your Email List
1. Useful opt-ins
Everyone loves a useful opt-in something that teaches them something new, or they can use in their business or personal life. People tend to be more happy to hand over their email addresses if they are receiving something in return vs just signing up for your newsletter.
Ensure you test your opt-in is working correctly. Aspects of your opt-in to check:-
- Is the process from start to finish simple for the person signing up
- Do you have the correct information boxes on your website as required on your newsletter sign up form (eg: if your signup form in your newsletter provider states you want First Name, Last Name and email but your website only asks for email the person signing up will always be sent to another form to fill in the missing information or the form will not be processed – make the process easy for them to use)
- Consistant branding across all emails in the opt-in process including the email confirmation emails (we have seen some really bad email confirmation emails when signing up for opt-ins – some that make you not want to click that confirm email button)
- Ensuring once the email is confirmed is the promised opt-in delivered, is it easy for them to access (Do they have access) – always test the opt-in system when you are logged out of your website, this will allow you to see and experience what someone else does when opt-in on your website, it will also allow you to check they can get what ever is on offer (you haven’t accidentally made the page private, or not published)
*** We recommend not delivering the Opt-in until the subscriber has confirmed their email (double opt in) this ensures that people don’t sign up for your content, take it then not confirm their email and you don’t have any record of who it was and they are not on your mailing list – so you really have not achieved the desired goal of more list subscribers ***
Examples of effective opt-ins:-
- Free Ebook
- Templates
- Workbook Templates
- Social Media Templates
- Tips and Tricks
- Information commonly googled
- For example
- How a VA can assist you in your business
- How to use Canva to design Facebook graphics
- For example
2. Host free webinars
Hosting free webinars allows participants to get an insight into your business and they can learn about you. They can see if your teaching style works with their learning style, if they click with you if wanting to work 1:1.
Webinars are great for getting your information out there, showing prospective clients what you have to offer, and building your email list.
Offering a recording also increases your chance of more signups if the time and date you are hosting the webinar is not ideal for someone however they are interested in knowing more about what you are offering.
At The Business Classroom, we host fortnightly free WordPress Basics webinars as a part of our list building campaign – check out our webinar registration.
3. Email challenges
Everyone loves to achieve goals and see results. Email challenges can be a daily challenge, weekly challenges or monthly challenges, ideally with the end result the participant achieving a goal or having something to show for completing the challenge.
Examples of email challenges:-
- 21 Days to an Organised Office
- 31 Days to a Flat Stomach
Important Tip
Ensure you regularly download your mailing list report from your newsletter mail service provider. This ensures that you at all times have 100% control over your list. Would hate for your account to get blocked or closed down and you lose your whole list that you have been working hard to grow. Most newsletter service will allow you download your list in excel or .csv file format.
Ensure you understand and comply with International and Local SPAM laws, at all times.
Sam’s Tips for growing your email list
Personally I find webinars my best list building tool. Quick list growth for a small amount of time invested.
But remember once you have them on your list you need to set up a regular and constant newsletter/interaction with them and actively work to keep them on your list. It is great to build your list quickly but you need to then use that list and keep them interested in you and your services/products.
Always remember to test your opt-ins regularly to make sure they are still working correctly.
I agree with Lauren about rotating your opt-in’s and offering a couple of different options – not everyone will be interested in your ebook on landscaping you front yard but they maybe interested in a simple fact sheet on when to plant different plants and flowers. It also increases your changes of people optin in.
