15 SIMPLE HACKS TO BUILD YOUR EMAIL LIST Use these [mostly free] methods to grow your email list full of paying customers.

Title of the book

Maybe you already have a solid email list that continues to engage with your content. But did

you know that the average email list decay is over 22% per year? This means 22% of your

contacts will unsubscribe, change companies (and email addresses), or get a new email

address. This is why it’s super important to continuously work on building your list.

YOU LOSE 22% OF YOUR CONTACTS EACH YEAR.

WHY BUILD AN EMAIL LIST? It’s yours.

What would happen to your business if Instagram

and Facebook decided to shut their doors tomorrow

(taking your followers with them!)? Chances are,

you’d feel lost without an audience. Your email list,

on the other hand, is yours to keep. You can contact

your subscribers anytime.

It’s personal.

Customizing your emails based on the information

you know about your subscribers is an awesome

feature. Most email software tools will allow you to

personalize based on the recipient’s name, company,

and other data you’re actively collecting through

forms.

It’s affordable

On average, businesses in the US earn $44 for every

$1 spent on email marketing. When compared to

the huge costs associated with outbound marketing,

email is extremely affordable. All you need is a tool

to send emails and some time each week to craft

your message.

It’s everywhere

Not everyone will have an Instagram account or a LinkedIn profile, but it’s safe to say

that your persona or target audience has an email address. Further, thanks to tech

advancements, people can check their email on their smartphone, activity tracker,

tablet, and even their smart TV!

SO LET’S GET TO IT! HERE ARE 15 WAYS TO GROW YOUR EMAIL LIST.

1. GIVE IT A COOL NAME Naming your email list an “email list” or “newsletter list” likely won’t convince your audience to join it. On average, people receive 121 emails per day. Signing up for another newsletter might overwhelm your visitors. Instead, give it a cool name like a: •  Insider’s club •  Tribe •  Exclusive member’s group

2. HOST A GIVEAWAY People love free stuff. Host a contest on your website where you’ll giveaway a free product or service in exchange for an email address. Try tools like Wishpond or Gleam to take care of the sign up and logistics.

3. EXIT INTENT POP-UP Whether you love them or hate them, pop-ups work. Entrepreneur.com increased email sign ups by 86% and sales by 162% by implementing a pop-up. Depending on the plugin or tool you use, you can select whether the pop-up appears upon rapid mouse movements, after a specific amount of time, or after your user scrolls to a certain part of your page.

4. ADD ADDITIONAL SIGN UP OPPORTUNITIES Make it easy for visitors to join your email list, especially if they exit your pop-up but later decide they’re interested in your content. Add a static banner on your website or button in your navigation.

5. USE CALLS-TO-ACTION (CTAs) AT THE END OF BLOGS Including an image-based CTA at the end of every blog post is an excellent opportunity to convince your readers that they need to join your email list. You’ve just shared a valuable and interesting blog post and if they want to continue reading your content, signing up for your newsletter will allow them to do so. Ensure your CTA stands out and describes the value in signing up.

6. EMBED YOUR FORM IN THE SIDEBAR Adding a sign up form to your blog sidebar ensures that it will be seen by your readers, if they don’t happen to get to the end of the blog.

7. LEVERAGE YOUR FACEBOOK COVER IMAGE Use your Facebook cover image as a CTA! Create a custom graphic that entices your audience to sign up for your newsletter. Ensure that your CTA link directs users to a page on your website that’s easy to sign up.

8. ADD A MAILCHIMP FORM ON YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE If you don’t have a free MailChimp account, sign up for one here. Facebook allows you to add custom tabs to your menu on the left hand side of your Page, one of which is an embedded MailChimp form. Here’s how to go about adding it. Navigate to your Page > Settings > Edit Page

9. RUN ADS ON SOCIAL MEDIA Thanks to recent algorithm updates, reaching your audience on social media may be harder than ever. Putting some spend behind an advertising campaign can help you increase brand awareness and drive more sign ups. You can choose whether you want to target brand new individuals who aren’t aware of your business (based on demographic and behavioural criteria) or target individuals already familiar with your business, but didn’t join your email list.

9. CREATE A CONTENT OFFER OR FREEBIE. As email marketing becomes more and more popular, people can tend to get protective over giving out their address. They need to see the value in your content. Create a freebie to giveaway in exchange for your audience’s email address to help build up your list. Here are some freebie ideas that might make sense for your business: •  Checklist •  Template •  Worksheet •  How-to guide •  Comparison guide •  Report •  Images/graphics •  eBook •  Preview of your book/eBook •  Webinar recording •  Email series •  Online course •  Desktop wallpaper

10. PROMOTE THE OPT IN PAGE ON SOCIAL MEDIA Once you’ve got a dedicated landing page on your website to collect email subscribers, share it! Add this link in your Instagram profile, pin it to the top of your Facebook page, and the other social media accounts you’re using.

11. FORWARD TO A FRIEND You’re likely not starting from scratch and currently engaging your list with emails from time to time. If they see value in your emails and content, they’ll be much more likely to share it with a friend, family member, or colleague so make it easy to do so! Add buttons or a call-to-action in your emails encouraging people to share your email. Make it really simple!

12. OFFER DIFFERENT SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS Sometimes if visitors can see how often they will receive emails, they’re more likely to opt-in. Try offering 3 different subscription options: •  As soon as you publish insightful tips •  Weekly •  Monthly

13. HOST A WEBINAR Is there a certain topic that you get asked about often? Host a free webinar and use a landing page to collect sign ups.

14. ADD A LINK IN YOUR OWN EMAIL SIGNATURE Link to the opt in landing page in your own (and employees) email signatures. You never know who is forwarding and seeing your emails!

15. OFFER AN INCENTIVE This is an excellent option for online stores/eCommerce businesses. Offering 10% off their first order is a sure-fire way to build your email list. This approach can also work for service-based businesses, too. However, be sure that you’re giving your visitors enough time to learn about your product/services before offering a discount.

DO YOU FIND THE LIST BUILDING PROCESS

OVERWHELMING?

Working with an expert is the best way to ensure that you are effectively leveraging these

strategies

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