Recently, a lot of companies have been asking about growing their email list. It’s one of the best ways to leverage your marketing efforts, as it costs virtually no more to email 100,000 subscribers as it does 1,000.
Astonishingly, most companies miss one opportunity after another to increase their email list. In this two-part series, we’ll offer some suggestions for changing that. We’ll start by focusing on small website modificaitons that can boost your email signups.
Make Sign-Up Prominent. It’s common sense: the more prominent you make your email signup box, the more subscribers you’ll get. A colorful signup box is far easier to spot than a subtle link. Place it above the fold, and include it on every page.
Offer Benefits. It’s amazing how often companies ask website visitors to sign up for emails without giving them any reason to do so. Always offer benefits, perhaps even a discount or a free gift. For some examples, have a look at our posts on Email Signup Best Practices: A Great Example and An Email Opt-in With Finesse.
Set Expectations. Will subscribers receive useful information, discounts and offers, or both? How often will they receive emails? Letting people know what to expect will reduce their hesitation. If possible, allow them to adjust their preferences.
Archive Past Newsletters. If you’re publishing an enewsletter, don’t just tell subscribers what they’ll receive. Show them! Archiving past issues on your site will boost not only subscriptions, but search engine rankings as well.
Keep Signup Simple. If your goal is to maximize the size of your list, a sign-up box that requires only an email address is best. Keep other questions to a minimum, and don’t make answers mandatory.
Of course, websites are only one of many places to solicit email subscriptions. In our next post, we’ll suggest a number of others.
