Who do you get emails from? Maybe you signed up to hear about the latest deals at a local movie theater; maybe you started receiving promotional material from a department store after making a purchase there. Whatever the case may be, you’ve seen firsthand that email marketing is alive and well.
There’s a good reason for that. Roughly 4 billion people in the world have email accounts. That’s way more than the total number of Facebook or Twitter users. In fact, you’re 5x more likely to have your content read through email rather than Facebook.
With all that being said, you’re probably wondering how to get started. Before you send your first email, you’ll have to build up a subscriber base to send it to. Here are some tips for growing your email marketing audience.
Use established contacts
The best place to start when building your email list is wherever you are. You probably already have email lists of loyal clients and business friends. Use this as your jumping-off point. Many email marketing services will allow you to import existing contact lists. From that point, it’s just a matter of organizing your list to best suit your needs. If your firm has a physical office, you can also include a physical email sign-up sheet in your office and encourage clients to sign up. A physical list can be taken to in-person events as well (though those may still be on hold for now).
Offer incentives
At the end of the day, people want to know what they’re getting when they sign up to receive your emails. Are you producing valuable content in the form of blogs or downloadable white papers? Will subscribers gain access to exclusive content or deals? Offering incentives is a fantastic way to grow your subscriber base. After all, who doesn’t have a crowded inbox? You’ve got to find a way to make your content stand out from the crowd. A good rule is this: whenever you produce content, use that as an opportunity to gain a new subscriber.
Place sign-up opportunities strategically
If you browse the web a lot, you might have noticed that some sites include opportunities for visitors to sign up for emails. These might come in the form of pop-ups, banners, sliders, and landing pages. Remember: you want to be strategic about this. No one likes to be spammed constantly as they’re trying to read content online. Find ways to integrate sign-up opportunities that feel natural and non-intrusive.
Use social media
One last method you should consider for growing your email list is promotions via social media. This especially works well in conjunction with incentives. If you are beginning a new promotion that is only accessible to email subscribers, make social media posts advertising the opportunity. Tell your Twitter and Facebook audiences that, if they are interested in your posts and your online content, the best way to stay up to date is by signing up for your email list.
Email is a vital part of marketing strategy in the digital age — and through utilizing it correctly, there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself with more business leads. Most importantly, email marketing is a great way to build a subscriber base that is engaged with your content and loyal to your firm.
