All About Marketing Strategies for Email Subscribers
More than 85% of adults send or read emails.
It’s the number one most popular online action for adults. And hey, it’s not just adults, 78% of teenagers use email and consider email a “fact of everyday life”. Using email marketing is one of, if not the best way to connect with your clients online where they actually are. But, you can’t send your emails into the void! To grow your email list, you need marketing strategies for email subscribers.
What is Email Marketing?
Email marketing is simply the strategy of sending emails to current customers and/or prospects. Email marketing not only helps you to connect with your audience but also to promote your brand and increase sales. You have the opportunity to sell products, share news, or tell a story in an email while also developing relationships with potential clients. The overall goal is to convert prospects into customers and then turn your one-time buyers into loyal, repeat customers.
How NOT to Make an Email List
Let’s start with how not to make an email list. Though some may recommend simply buying an email list, we don’t. It’s a shortcut but you won’t be reaching the right target audience and it can result in high unsubscribe rates and complaint rates.
Another tactic to avoid is adding emails in without permission such as adding in emails from business cards you’ve collected over time. To effectively use email marketing you need to send the email to people who actually want to hear from you! It’s a big no-no to send emails without permission. Getting permission from everyone on your email list means you need to have them opt-in to receive emails from you, and each email needs an unsubscribe link. This is because the federal anti-spam law requires you to have a way for people to unsubscribe in every email you send.
How to Make an Email List
Though starting from scratch and building a clean list may take more work from the get-go, your email open rate, click rate, and ROI will be higher, we promise.
Start off by characterizing your potential email subscriber. You need to know your target audience to provide them with relevant content. Create a customer persona to help your focus on reaching the perfect client. This will help your business create effective emails and reduce wasted time.
There are multiple ways to go about creating (and growing) your business’ email list:
- On Your Website/Landing Pages: You can create a signup form on your website’s homepage and main landing pages so that when prospects visit your website and like the content they see, they can sign up to receive emails from you. On the signup form include copy that encourages people to stay up-to-date and in the know with your business.
- Through Social Media: If you already have a growing and engaged social media following, utilize that resource. Simply share your email signup form on your social media channels or include a direct link to sign up for email sign-ups in your bios.
- On Your Blog: If you’re producing quality blog content that is attracting visitors to your site, then you should include a call to action (CTA) at the end of blog posts encouraging readers to sign up for your email list. The CTA can be in the form of a button or simply an additional sentence in your post. It should encourage readers to stay in the know about your business and stay up-to-date with other relevant blog posts like the one they are reading now.
- In-Person: You can always bring a printed out email sign-up form with you at events you’re hosting, events you’re attending, or just at your storefront. It may seem old-fashioned but it works!
How to Gain Email Subscribers
Once you’ve created an email list, you want to continue growing your subscribers to increase your reach.
- Offer new subscribers a freebie, discount, or deal. This is one of our favorite ways to gain new email subscribers for our clients. Offering a taste of your product or service for free is a great way to get email subscribers and show off your business!
- Host a contest where new subscribers can win a prize from your business.
- Make it easy as possible for people to subscribe to your emails. Stick to the essentials such as name, email address, and any other relevant information you may need. The simpler, the better.
- Share your email campaign and email sign-up form on social media. Post it and also include the link(s) in your social media bios.
- Build trust by adding testimonials, logos of brands you’ve worked with, or reviews from customers.
What Next?
When you’ve started to grow your list, you need to pick an email marketing service provider. We LOVE Mailchimp, and their account is free if you have less than 2,000 names on your list. Then you can start sending out those emails!
Not to toot our own horn, but as an FYI, we are recognized as a top Digital Marketing Company on DesignRush!
Email marketing can be tricky business! Want to learn more about marketing your business? Sign up for a free strategy session and we can chat all about it.