Secrets of Building an Email List
The art of the sale for any business focuses on two things -- getting customers and converting customers. Online businesses operate off of a whole new set of rules when compared to traditional businesses. Like a traditional store, they want recurring business; however, the techniques to reach recurring exposure are a bit different. One of the central marketing tactics is email list building.
Other People Are Reading
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Make It Visible
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Some companies don't even have an email list, much less an email opt-in. Others have it, but don't know where to place it. To get an email list started, you have to start from scratch with an email opt-in box, a small piece of coding featuring a box where visitors can type their email, submit it and give consent for you to email them. The key to this box is to make it eye-catching, meaning it needs to be immediately seen by visitors. It should always, at the minimum, be on the home page -- preferably in a very visible location. Alternatively, many opt-in boxes pop up; although these may get more opt-ins, it also leads to lower quality lists as many people will fill in false information just to bypass it.
Offer a Freebie
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If people see your opt-in box and don't have complete trust, you're going to need something more to build your list -- you're going to need an incentive. The incentive doesn't have to be wrapped in gold, but it does need to be something that will bring value to the potential customer. It's tough to pass up on something free. These free giveaways are generally delivered via email, meaning most are digital in nature, from free e-books to free podcasts.
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Offer a Sample
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Alternatively, assuming your products warrant it, you can offer a free sample or trial period for some products and services. This works well for subscription-based services. Alternatively, for long and high-value e-books, providing a few chapters for free can be extremely beneficial in not only building an email list, but in marketing the e-book itself. For companies that sell products, a discount coupon can be enough to convince a user to hand over their valuable email information.
Word It Carefully
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People don't want anything unprofessional, scammy or untrustworthy. When you design an opt-in box, it can be simplistic, as long as it's worded professionally. One key to marketing is understanding the psychology of wording. Don't have long, drawn out content, instead keep opt-in language short and concise, using eye-catching colors, backgrounds and bullet points. Focus on benefits as opposed to features, and emphasize the value the customer will receive from the opt-in.
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References
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