You by now already know that email marketing is a very powerful tool that can help you gain clients and increase sales. If you know that, you will also know that not everybody opens your emails, in fact the average open-rate for the advertisements is 18.89%.
That’s less than 1 in 5 subscribers.
Email marketing is a numbers game, the more numbers (or rather emails) you have the better. This article will give you 6 simple yet highly effective ways you can increase your email list without putting in too much effort.
1. Have a highly visual opt-in form
Too many businesses focus heavily on social media buttons making their opt-in form hard to see or less than enticing to signup.
While Facebook and Twitter have their uses, they will never been as valuable as your list. Facebook picks and chooses who see your updates, while tweets can easily be overlooked in the labyrinth of the Twitterverse. However, you’re in complete control of your email list, you decide when emails are sent and who sees what.
Place your opt-in form somewhere that can be clearly seen by everyone, be that at the end of a great blog post or in the header of every page.
Another option it to have a timed pop-up that loads after a visitor has been on your site for a specific amount of time. If you go with this method, head over to Google Analytics to find the average amount of time a visitor spends on your site. Then set your pop-up to load 10 seconds before they leave.
Don’t have the popup load instantly as this can put people off your website before they even read your content.
2. Give something away
This seems to be a common theme across all industries but that’s just further proof that it works. Businesses generally tend to give away an information product such as an eBook in exchange for a lead’s email address.
Consider writing a white paper or a case study on the benefits medical marijuana has on a certain age group or for people, who suffer from arthritis, back problems, PTSD or whatever problem your audience faces.
The key to giving something away is that it gives them value. Aim to solve a need or problem your typical reader has.
3. Only ask for their name and email address
Let’s face it; the Internet has made us all lazy. We don’t need to leave our computer to order our food, or shop, or even pay the bills. Asking a reader to hand over their first full name, mailing address, email address and telephone number never got anyone a high opt-in response.
Keep it simple and just ask for their first name and email address, or just their email address as that is really all you need. Oh and drop the CAPTCHA form.
4. Tell your readers the benefits of signing up
Medical marijuana is a new and exciting industry, something most Americans know very little about. State to readers that if they signup they will receive the latest industry news, blog articles and medical tips straight to their inbox.
Here’s a signup form from JonLoomer.com, it clearly states what the reader will get if they signup.
5. Use a Twitter Lead Generation Card
I know I slightly bashed Twitter earlier but it’s still a very useful resource, especially their Lead Generation card. Twitter users can opt-in to your newsletter with a single click using the Lead Generation card.
It has advanced targeting features that allow you to target a specific audience and can generate hundreds and even thousands of targeted opt-ins. These emails can be exported from Twitter and imported to your current mailing list.
This method isn’t free but if you do it right it will certainly be worth the investment.
6. Have more than one opt-in form
There is no online rule that states you can only have one opt-in form on your website. Place them in as many spots as possible without making them look pushy or intrusive. The key to achieving this is to have different opt-in forms.
Check out how QuickSpourt on a single blog post have three different opt-informs. One offers a free course, another a free report and one traditional opt-in form. If you’re really looking to take your list building to the next level, use CrazyEgg to see where readers are placing their mouse cursor and place opt-ins forms there to drive signups.
Summary
Email marketing is the one oldest forms of online marketing to date, while other fads have come and gone, email marketing is still alive and kicking because it works. The problem we face today is that people are receiving more emails than ever before and some just don’t have the time to read them all.
Which brings us back to our main point: email marketing is a numbers game and you always need to be adding to your list. People will always be unsubscribing and you will need to replace them constantly to grow your list and gain business.
Start implementing our 6 tips today and watch your email list grow and your business boom.
