Few assets are more valuable to your business than email lists. The problem with them is that they can be tricky to grow. There are a number of less-than-pure tactics you can use, but if your intent is to develop a sense of trust with your list, leading with deception really isn’t the way to go about it. Besides, if people don’t want to be on your list, they’ll just unsubscribe anyway and you still won’t win them over.
1. Lead with a High-Quality Lead-Gen Asset
Now, some marketers will tell you that this is a terrible way to build a list, mostly because you’re basically bribing people to give you their email addresses. Well, that’s true to an extent: You are, in fact, giving something to get something.
The way to make this work to your advantage is to make the freebie something that is branded, not just a generic e-book on a topic related to your niche. If you provide people with an opportunity to get to know you and your brand from the get-go, you’ll have a much better chance of building that all-important trust relationship.
The most effective lead-gen assets are actually simple info-products that give readers the opportunity to get to know you. Once you earn their trust, you can lead them to your landing pages. Now you have their email and can craft auto-responders around the messages in your sales pages. No matter what kind of digital asset you decide on, write it yourself or hire a copywriting company or freelancer to do it for you so your brand message comes through loud and clear.
2. Use Surveys and Quizzes
These can be strategically positioned on landing pages or on your own website. You can also direct people to them via your social media channels. To get their results, they need to provide their email addresses.
Quizzes, in particular, are great tools, and when you use them to grow your email list, it’s a veritable one-two punch that entertains the reader and positions you as an authority in your niche. I have more to say about quizzes here, and there are numerous other reasons to use them as part of your content strategy.
3. Leverage Print Marketing Materials
Well-written, well-presented print materials with a call to action to visit your site can also reel in email addresses. Fliers, brochures, and business cards can be very powerful tools in your list-building arsenal. Want to shortcut the process and increase your number of opt-ins with print materials? Add a QR code to all your promo literature so people can sub up right then and there with their smartphones.
Don’t let anyone tell you that print is obsolete; it is actually quite easy to leverage. People still appreciate having a tangible representation of your brand, so why not hand them something that has reciprocal value?
4. Leverage Webinars and Live Hangouts
If webinars are already part of your marketing strategy and you aren’t requiring an email address for pre-registration, you are missing a goldmine. You have two opportunities to capture an email address with a webinar. First, require it for pre-registration for the live event. Second, take to social media and offer a replay. Ask for the email address to receive login credentials. In this instance, do be certain that your opt-ins know they will receive further communications from you. This is one of those “gray hat” areas that can cost you subs in the long run if it’s not clear.
5. Offer Subscriber-Only Discounts
This is a great way to get people on your list and keep them there, especially if you establish from the start that what you’re offering them is great quality. How you describe your products and services is every bit as important as providing goods ones. If your subs know that you provide good stuff and offer them a great deal on it, that will keep your list vibrant and increase your open rates dramatically.
6. Write World-Class Emails
If your email copy is stellar, this works for you in a number of ways. For starters, it makes you look smart. It also makes people want to read and share your messages. Here are a few things you can do to leverage the emails themselves to grow your list:
• Write exceptional subject lines – here are some great ideas
• Research pain points that will get the attention of your readers
• Keep your messages on-point and engaging
• Tell a good ongoing story
• Include a call to action to forward and share your messages
Now, there are loads of other ways that you can grow your list, so trust your gut and don’t be afraid to try some of your own ideas. I’ll leave you with this parting thought, however: Virtually anything you try is going to be rooted in great copy. The quality of the content you put in front of your prospects will directly determine how many new subs you get in the first place.