How to Build your Email List
The ROI for email marketing remains the leader amongst all other marketing channels, £40 for each £1 spent.
Choosing to create an email list is great. However, actually seeing success can be difficult for retailers.
The two basic requirements, for creating a successful email list are:
- Enough traffic to your website.
- Appropriate sign-up forms on your website.
This feature should be a section of a bigger strategy, which focuses on customer acquisition. Combined, these tips will show you how to create an email list from the start.
What is an email list?
An email list is a collection of email addresses from anyone who has subscribed to your website, blogs, newsletters, or email address that you collected from people in person. Email subscribers are purely people who want (and have agreed) to hear from you.
The primary reason for creating an email list is to grow the number of potential leads, in order to convert them into loyal customers at a later date.
Getting visitors to your site
To build an email list you need visitors to your website.
This article will mainly focus on converting current site traffic, but we will touch on some methods for gaining that traffic initially.
1. Use ads – such as Facebook ads
Ads enable you to target your ideal audience at the time and a platform most convenient for them. However, beware paid ads can be expensive. As a result, many eCommerce companies choose to use Facebook ads, which are more economical and easily scaled to suit your business needs as it grows.
2. Create engaging content for social media
If you produce good content that has potential to go viral, then you can use it to guide visitors to your website. This content can be distributed on TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube (if it’s a video) and pretty much any other media channel. It is imperative to ensure you have a clear call to action and a link that goes straight to your store. This can be through your home page, landing page, or a specific product you would like your visitors to view.
3. Create engaging content via SEO
Another alternative is to create amazing content on your website and wait as Google and other search engines crawl and rank it. While SEO is slower, it does have better results long-term.
It may take weeks, months, or years to see a significant growth in your organic traffic. Nonetheless, the benefit is that it is an entirely free and independent platform. This means that, no matter what occurs with Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, etc, (like reach restrictions, policy changes or an outage) you will still gain traffic to your site.
Email list building tactics
Option 1: The underestimated typical opt-in form
On the majority of eCommerce platforms, you can create an email opt-in. Nearly almost all Shopify sites will possess this opt-in form enabled, generally in the middle or the bottom of the screen. All store owners can immobilize this but should only do so if you have an alternative sign-up form enabled.
Other eCommerce platforms (e.g. WooCommerce) need to be included in your website design. As an alternative to opt-in forms, you can put a sticky sign-up form on the side or bottom of the screen.
Whether you own an eCommerce website or not, it is essential not to underestimate the significance of op-in forms.
Option 2: A surprise pop-up form
Whilst the opt-in form is important, it is still decidedly passive. You are expecting your visitors to sign up for your newsletter on their own accord. Additionally, you can not determine whether they are already interested in your brand. As an alternative, you may like to use a disruptive pop-up form.
Pop-up forms are active features, you can arrange for them to pop-up at set times or at set events. They are also a good way to analyse user behaviour and measure conversions for email list sign-ups. For instance, there are choices to display pop-ups after a set number of seconds, after the user sets number pages, after a proportion is scrolled or when the user is preparing to exit.
You can play around with these choices and when you find the sweet spot you will see a notable rise in the number of subscribers that join your email list.
Try to ensure you have a firm call to action or incentive in all of your pop-up forms.
Option 3: The power of incentive
To encourage visitors to subscribe to your email list, you need to provide something in exchange. A normal incentive is to offer a sale, free shipping or a discount for a brief time to encourage users to join the list. However, do not offer “free updates”. Nobody is interested in updates, and they can even represent spam.
Option 4: Gamification
In order to create an email list, you essentially need to appeal and engage your visitors. Occasionally, sales and discounts are not enough. In these situations, it is a good idea to think outside the box. Nowadays, there are several interactive sign-up forms that are fun for visitors and effective for eCommerce store owners.
The wheel of fortune is one of these. Visitors “spin” to win a prize. To spin the wheel the visitor has to sign-up for email marketing messages. The prize can be determined, by either a percentage, discount or a specific amount. It is a win-win scenario either way, the visitor obtains saving when they subscribe. Additionally, you get to build up your email list.
Option 5: A targeted landing page
It is possible for you to create email lists outside of your homepage. When you are managing your marketing and advertising campaigns, it is paramount you focus on specific funnels to obtain your sales or subscribers.
For instance, you could offer free shipping or a sale for a limited time.
However, you should send your visitors to a specific landing page opposed to the home page where they can get lost. The landing page has less elements than your store pages, this is because it is designed for detailed consideration, by giving attention to one product only.
To enable your visitors to obtain that product or offer they will need to subscribe to your email list. Reasonable testing will allow you to improve your landing page conversion rates, create your email list and increase your sales.
Option 6: Powerful lead magnets
Typically, people are sceptical about new companies and generally quite hesitant to buy anything for the first time. That’s the reason why the average conversion rate for several online stores is about 3%, which means that an entire 97% of visitors will vacate your store and the majority will never return.
To avoid this, you can convert your visitors (at no cost to them) into subscribers through lead magnets. Lead magnets are priceless resources just like, eBooks, gift guides, stock images, free consultations and PDF guides that your visitors will require. Additionally, it is one of the best ways to enhance an email list. In preparation to receive this resource, your visitors will have to sign up for your email campaigns and newsletter.
Option 7: Giveaways that work
An alternative tactic that all eCommerce stores should be considering, is to use a persuasive giveaway, particularly on your audiences’ favourite social media channels. This will likely be Instagram or Facebook, as they are the most popular. Additionally, the advertising prices are much more affordable.
Furthermore, with an interesting (ever growing) offer you can acquire your pay-per-click for as low as a penny. Hosting your giveaway can be done on your landing page on your site, or you may prefer to use a third-party software like Woobox.
Option 8. Referral programs
An incredible way to improve email sign-ups is through the use of referral programs. It is a tactic that assisted Starbucks, Dropbox, and Uber and helped them to become leaders in their fields.
A referral program is a tactic where you are asking your current customer to share your offers with their family, friends and colleagues. As a result of this you increase your email list and build brand loyalty.
Option 9: Go offline
While there are a number of ways to build your email list online, there are also ways you can continue to list build off of the World Wide Web.
For example:
- When you meet people and talk about your business, exchange printed business cards. Add any accepting contacts to your list.
- Engage with people at in-person events and fairs. Always provide a registration list with an email column.
- Request client’s email addresses if you sell your products offline.
- Contemplate organising your own exhibitions, fairs and showcases and assemble like-minded people for conversations.
All means of list creating are appropriate if they are legal. So, in the event you use offline forms, ensure they contain the same legal statements as the online ones (GDPR compliance).
Obviously, certain parts of offline list creating can be done automatically, you may at times have to add these email subscribers to your marketing automation software manually.
Ultimately, the essential thing is to possess a specific strategy for growth and be consistent in your communications for both client acquisition and client retention.
A lengthy email list of great quality will enable you to move more leads through the sales funnel. Furthermore, convert them from new subscribers into loyal and returning customers.
If you would like some help creating your email marketing strategy, please get in touch with us today.
You can also book a discovery call here.
We look forward to hearing from you.