Every subscriber in your email list is like a seed planted in fertile soil.
They have the potential to grow into loyal customers who bring repeated value to your business.
But, as any gardener will tell you, a tree's health is a combination of the seed's quality and the care provided.
Likewise, email list growth and audience nurturing is key for long-term email marketing success.
That’s why a large percentage of marketers track their email list growth rate:
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Growing your email list isn't just about collecting email addresses.
It's about setting strategies to attract potential customers who want to hear from your business.
Just like a tree bearing fruit, a carefully grown recipient list drives consistent revenue and customer loyalty.
So, how can you build a list that thrives?
We'll dive into seven proven strategies to populate your list with high-quality subscribers who are genuinely interested in your offerings.
But first, let's discuss why you need to be proactive and learn all about how to grow an email list.
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Email lists go through constant change. Some subscribers will unsubscribe, whereas others will stop opening your email marketing campaigns.
Don't let that discourage you, though. All you need to do is give your email list the right fertilizer to keep growing.
In other words, you must have a steady stream of new and qualified prospects, so your list works effectively. Here are the benefits of this process:
Every successful digital marketer should know how to grow a subscriber list.
Although fast ways like purchasing lists might sound compelling, they can't bring long-term results.
So, let's discover how you can increase email subscribers who stick with your brand.
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Capturing email addresses starts with the right email signup form, designed to grab attention and boost conversion rates.
At the same time, a carefully crafted opt-in form is key to adhering to data privacy laws.
That's because it ensures you only deliver emails to new leads who have given you consent to do so.
So, how can you create converting signup forms? These are the basic points to consider:
Include minimal fields, asking for basic information, such as the user's name and email address. Lengthy forms with too many fields make website visitors worry about data privacy.
When inviting people to join your list, ask yourself: What's in it for them? Whether it's premium content, exclusive discounts and special offers, or early access to new products and services, highlight the benefits in your form copy to increase email signups.
Signup forms should be aesthetically pleasing to catch the user's eye. Add compelling colors, engaging visuals, and strong CTAs. And make sure they match your branding.
Place your opt-in form strategically on your website. It could be any important web page, such as your homepage, product pages, blog, or checkout page. Also, you could try different form types, like standard, full-page, or inline.
For effective lead generation, you'll need a reliable email marketing platform. Such a tool doesn't just allow you to create and send emails, but also craft beautiful signup forms and use list segmentation to manage new contacts.
Robust email marketing tools like Constant Contact and Moosend offer lead generation options and easy-to-grasp segmentation.
Constant Contact offers several types of lead generation forms, such as pop-ups, inline, banner, and flyout.
This is great for marketers who want to start simple. However, if you want to customize your forms, the options are limited.
You can change the colors or create custom fields but that's pretty much it.
This could hurt the overall experience as users prefer consistency in brand design. Plus, there are no templates.
If you need to create unique forms every time, accessing form templates that you can tweak to your branding, you should try reliable Constant Contact alternatives.
For instance, Moosend offers form design options to boost your creativity, while you can choose from different types like pop-ups, inline, floating bars, floating boxes, or full-page.
Here's an example of a customizable floating box form template:
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Videos are an effective tool to convey messages and catch attention.
Due to their engaging nature, they are more likely to boost conversions.
The same goes for email signups if you use the right tactics.
Offer exclusive video content that users can access once they enter their email address. Be careful with this marketing strategy, though.
Consumers won't give up their contact information for low-quality content.
So, use it only with high-value content like insights from industry experts or original research.
You could give them a taste of the unique insights presented by sharing short teasers on your website or social media.
An effective strategy to grow an email list is counting on existing subscribers.
They can be a great source of new and qualified contacts since they're already engaged with your business.
As a result, they're more likely to share compelling content with their connections.
Even more so if this comes in the form of video content, which is easier to share and consume.
Plus, they tend to go viral—and people love it when their content goes viral.
Use video email marketing to spread your message to more people. Urge recipients to forward your video contact to their contacts through an “email a friend” link.
If you want recipients to share your videos with their social media followers, make sure you add social sharing options to your emails.
You could offer a small incentive, too, like discount codes, freebies, or tutorials.
When it comes to your video content, explainer videos are an excellent way to show how your products or services work.
Or consider video testimonials where satisfied customers talk about how your offerings helped them overcome daily challenges.
If you have the resources and time, there's the option of creating detailed case studies.
There, users can present specific results and statistics to prove that your value proposition empowered them to drive success.
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Patagonia announced its YouTube video series using a targeted email campaign.
The copy focuses on the unique topics they'll present, ranging from fun sport activities to critical environmental issues.
The brand makes sure to highlight the benefits of watching the video content, such as giving users a good laugh.
Social media is extremely popular but changing social media algorithms often make them unreliable.
A key benefit of email marketing is that you have complete control over your email list.
So, how about converting some of your followers into subscribers?
Social media platforms come with various options to direct users to your email subscription landing page.
By providing links to your resources on social media, you allow more people to get familiar with your brand.
If you have enough insights, break up your content into smaller bits to build up excitement.
You could post engaging short-form videos, helpful infographics, or fun memes to increase engagement and visibility.
If your budget allows you to, you can run targeted paid ads based on your ideal customer profile.
That way, you tap into new audiences and turn them into subscribers.
Make sure the ad copy is simple, concise, and the visuals eye-catching. Both should align with your unique brand identity.
But one of the safest bets on social media are giveaways and contests.
Nothing gets consumers more excited than free gifts or experiences.
Ask users to join your list to enter a contest or giveaway destined only for subscribers. That way, they'll get a chance of winning your unique prizes.
Just make sure your prize is relevant to your objectives and customer personas. For instance, if you want to target foodies, you can give them a free dinner at a nice restaurant.
You can set user-generated content as a participation rule, too. UGC hits most people's soft spot for showcasing their creativity.
Not only will you get more recipients, but you'll have valuable content at your disposal to use as social proof on your website, emails, or ads.
Don't forget to cross-promote your contest on multiple platforms.
And there's YouTube. Much more than a social medium, YouTube is where most users turn to for video content.
As the second-largest search engine, YouTube helps you reach and impress new audiences.
The most common way is to have a lead magnet like an infographic, free ebook, or an online course and promote it through your YouTube videos.
Add a prominent and actionable CTA to direct users to download the lead magnet by providing their email address.
You can position CTAs during the video at strategic points when viewers are most engaged or conclude your videos with them.
Alternatively, include a strong CTA and a link to your form in the video description, highlighting the free resource or exclusive content.
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Wildist sent an email campaign to promote their Instagram giveaway, urging recipients to share their favorite summer photo with the appropriate hashtag to enter.
When growing their email lists, businesses forget about a powerful asset: customer support.
Yes, you can actually benefit from your support channels to incentivize email signups.
For example, you can use your website's live chat to offer visitors something they'd appreciate in exchange for their email address.
Think of a special discount or free shipping.
Another idea is to ask for their email address so you can send them helpful resources on common pain points or expert industry tips.
Just like Litmus did on their website, promising visitors the best email marketing resources if they choose to subscribe:
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You shouldn't limit your efforts to chat, though.
If you offer phone customer support, you could leverage this direct line of communication to invite users to your mailing list.
After all, are there more ideal brand advocates than your customer support representatives?
They're the ones who know all about your products or services and their benefits.
So, let them do the advertising by promising users insightful email content like industry tips and helpful guides.
Also, tell them they'll be the first to know about upcoming sales, new releases, company updates, and future events.
But this isn't a tactic that applies to all customers. It can be helpful for customers who require more information while exploring your product or service since it enhances their experience.
However, it won't work with unsatisfied customers who contacted support to complain. So, ensure that your customer service team can tell different cases apart to avoid negative results.
When you combine real-time interactions with valuable information, you get one step closer to prospects’ hearts—and their inboxes.
Webinars are considered the go-to learning solutions. They are usually free, requiring only an investment in time on their side.
But first, they need to know they'll gain true value from watching.
This is the ultimate motivation to fill their email address on your webinar registration form.
If you or your team members have niche expertise to share, invest in hosting webinars.
Here's how to successfully organize a webinar to grow your email list and keep new subscribers engaged:
Vimeo and Asana joined forces to co-host a webinar on how to use videos for improved employee relationships.
Vimeo used an email campaign to promote it to their existing subscriber list, focusing on the webinar’s key takeaways and introducing the expert speakers.
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Growing your email list is a necessary process to drive website traffic, boost conversions and sales, and increase brand awareness.
These strategies will enhance your list growth efforts, helping you reach high-quality email subscribers who care about your brand's value proposition.
However, keep in mind that the desired results won't come overnight.
Growing an email list requires persistence, patience, and consistency.
There will be a lot of trial and error, so be ready to experiment with different tactics to figure out how to effectively grow your list.
After all, there are no shortcuts in email list building. You need to understand what your target audience wants and refine your marketing efforts to get people to sign up.
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