By now we all know that a newsletter can be one of the most effective tools for marketing your business - especially if you’ve got an interesting story to tell or an exceptional deal on. However, you’ve got to have people reading it in order to make an impact!
Have you ever wondered how to grow that email list so you can talk to as many qualified leads as possible? We’ve got some tips for you!
Add a signup form to your website It’s a pretty passive way to collect email addresses, but using your newsletter signup as your website’s call to action is a great way to drive subscriptions. People should be able to easily sign up with as few steps as possible and avoid using a pop-up to collect addresses as they’re frustrating and no one wants to take extra steps when they’re frustrated.
Ask for signups! If you have regular contact with your customers at a point of sale, ask people if they’d like to sign up to receive your newsletter. You can even tell them about the benefits of signing up, like first dibs on deals or other valuable information.
Post About It Post about your newsletters on your social media - either with a link to your signup form on Facebook or LinkedIn, or in your Linktree in your Instagram bio. You can also post some of the valuable information you’re sharing in your newsletter on your social media, not only making your content do double duty, but also showing off what your newsletter has to offer.
Networking Works Collect email addresses at networking events and tradeshows. It’s a pretty common tactic to collect business cards for a prize draw - just make sure you take the extra step to point out that entering also means they’ll be signed up for your newsletter and you avoid pesky authentication issues.
Give it Away Whether it’s a prize for new subscribers, a discount for referrals who sign up, or even an in-house incentive for employees, giving away a small, but desirable gift can help drive growth in your list. Promote these giveaways in other platforms and remember, you must add value beyond the gift to keep those subscriptions.
Advertise it Using a small advertising budget to drive subscriptions is a great way to increase the number of people signing up for your newsletter. Make sure the ad tells people why they should sign up and the value they’ll get from your newsletter when they do.
Forward to a Friend Add a forward option on your newsletter - which often appears in the footer - to allow people to easily share your email with others who they know would be interested in what you have to say.
Sign-Off If you send a lot of regular email to clients or customers day-to-day, it’s easy to add a link to your newsletter signup to your email signature and those of your staff.
Checking Out If you’re a retailer who uses an e-commerce website to sell products, add an email newsletter signup form to your checkout page. This way customers are prompted more than once to sign up. Adding an incentive - like a discount, free shipping, or tax free upon next purchase - is also a great way to encourage signups.
Make it Free Adding the word “Free” can be effective in all your signup forms and calls to action - even if email signups are traditionally free. Just because it’s implied, doesn’t make it implicit.
More for the Laundry List
When people subscribe to your newsletter, you’ll want to be transparent about how often you’ll be contacting them. In addition, you’ll want to be upfront about what they can expect when they read your newsletter. Keep both of these needs in mind when you’re writing your calls to action to sign up!
Once your list is created, you should spend a little more time segmenting it so people interested in specific topics or who have purchased certain products are reached on a more personal level in future mailouts.
Break the News
All of this is about how to get people to join your mailing list, but how do you get people to open those emails? That’s our next topic in our newsletter series. Get in touch to learn more, get some support in getting your newsletter started, or to even hand over the responsibility of getting your message out there.
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