The Weekly Authority #59
By: Digital Authority Co
Tags: Email Marketing, Marketing, Content Marketing, Conversion Optimization, Email Lists

The Weekly Authority #59

We scour the web to give you the latest, proven Content Marketing and Social Media Strategies to grow your business with the Weekly Authority.

The Sales Funnel Series Pt. 4: How to Grow Your Email List with Content

Email marketing provides an opportunity to connect with your target audience in their inbox, a personal space they may check daily (if not more frequently). This access can be a powerful way to drive prospects through your Sales Funnel and convert your audience into new clients.

If you are able to continuously grow your email list, more conversions will likely follow.

So, how do you grow your email list?

The short answer: with the right content upgrades and content marketing strategies.

In this installment of the Sales Funnel Series, I’ll elaborate on the above answer, sharing some effective content marketing tips for growing email lists.

Using Content to Grow Your Email List: 6 Actionable Tips

Add opt-ins across your site & content — Make it easy for your readers to subscribe to your email list by providing opt-in buttons on all of the pages of your site, as well as on all new content that you regularly post. Add opt-ins in sidebars, headers, footers or wherever you think they will be most effective. Add opt-ins to your social media profile pages — On your Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social pages, add opt-in buttons that allow your audience to submit their emails directly on that page. If they don’t have to leave the social network to opt-in, it’s far more likely that they’ll follow through and submit their email address. Use pop-ups — Create pop-ups for the content on your site, with a simple call-to-action to submit an email address for regular updates, news or exclusive content. Make sure that the opting out option is readily identifiable so you’re not degrading the user experience (and driving your audience away). Add content gates — A content gate will hide all of the content after the first couple of sentences (or paragraphs) with a button requesting an email address in exchange for showing the rest of the content. These may also be set up to ask for emails and still show content even if a reader opts-out. Offer share bonuses — Offer something of value to your audience in exchange for their email addresses and maybe even the email addresses of their friends (and colleagues, etc.) who may be interested in your emails. You can offer free downloadable content, webinars, discounts or something else that is enticing enough to get people to share their email addresses. Get your followers & Influencers to help — Ask your loyal fans or readers to share your newsletter with friends, family, colleagues, etc. If you have relationships with Influencers, ask them to share links to you opt-in pages on their social accounts (in exchange for some reciprocal benefit, of course). You may be able exponentially increase your email list with the right messaging and connections.

Strategies for Growing Your Email List: Some Final Tips

Keep your opt-in buttons and pages simple and direct. Don’t clutter these with too much language or make people just through too many hoops to sign up. The simpler and more direct these buttons/pages are, the better.

Don’t clutter these with too much language or make people just through too many hoops to sign up. The simpler and more direct these buttons/pages are, the better. Only ask for email addresses and maybe one or two other pieces of information. The more fields people have to complete, the less likely they are to follow through with opting-in.

and maybe one or two other pieces of information. The more fields people have to complete, the less likely they are to follow through with opting-in. Keep an eye on conversions and opt-ins. If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to try something new (like fresh images, new phrasing, different button placement, etc.). It may only take a few tweaks to turn an unsuccessful list-building strategy into a success!

Have you tried any of these tips for growing your email list? What’s working (and not working) for you?

Tell me about your experiences, challenges and successes on Facebook and LinkedIn. And don’t hesitate to get a hold of me on social media to ask any digital marketing question or just to say ‘hi.’ I look forward to hearing from you!