The Power of Email Marketing: How to Build an Email List

Introduction

I’m excited to be talking about today’s topic: how to build an email list. If you’re an online entrepreneur or hoping to be, I’m sure you dream of increasing profits without putting in endless hours of back-breaking work. According to Live Plan Blog, the second reason why entrepreneurs start their own businesses is to create general wealth.

As an entrepreneur, the passion and freedom of being your own boss is a great pull, but you also want to make sure you and your family are financially taken care of. If this is you, it’s time to invest your energy into building and growing your email list!

Many entrepreneurs are hesitant to take this path, believing that their business is not yet big enough. It’s a big mistake I made earlier in my entrepreneurial journey of not building an email subscriber list. So take my advice: start to grow your list today!

Maximize the potential of your business growth and become an authoritative influencer in your niche with list building. You can never go wrong in your online business marketing strategy by building a mailing list.

Below, we’re sharing with you how to go about building your email list and introducing more people to your lead magnet landing page with different and multiple tactics. Some of the tactics are easier than others, but all of them have the ability to springboard your profits upwards. Start now, and watch those earnings mount!

The benefits of building an email list

As if my short story in the preceding paragraphs didn’t inspire you, here are 8 reasons why you need to start building your email list:

Reach Your Target Audience

An email list allows you to target the right people, such as customers who have purchased from you previously or those who have expressed an interest in your product or service. You can also target those based on demographic information, location, and other criteria.

Increase Brand Awareness:

Building an email list is a great way to keep your brand top-of-mind for potential customers. You can use it to promote new products, announce specials and discounts, or share company news that might be of interest to your customer base.

Track Metrics

With an email list, you can track metrics such as open rate, click-through rate, delivery rate, and more to get an idea of how effective your campaigns are and make necessary adjustments over time.

Build Customer Loyalty

Having a direct connection with your customers through email is a great way to build relationships and encourage loyalty over time. Through email campaigns such as newsletters or automated messages with exclusive offers, you can show customers that you value their patronage and are invested in their success.

Automate Your Marketing

An email list allows you to set up automated messages that will be sent out at predetermined times without any manual effort required on your part. This can help ensure that all of your customers receive the same message at the same time and streamline the marketing process for you.

Cost-Effectiveness

Email lists are typically low cost compared with other forms of marketing channels like print ads or paid search engine advertising – making them ideal for small businesses that may not have large marketing budgets available to them yet still want to reach their audience effectively.

Improved ROI

Email lists provide higher ROI than most traditional marketing channels – meaning they are a more cost-efficient way of getting in contact with potential customers who have already shown some interest in what you have to offer them through opting into the list themselves or being targeted by other means such as searches online or location targeting services like GPS tracking, etc.

Easily Targeted

With an email list, it’s easy to target specific audiences with tailored messages designed specifically for them – enabling you to create highly effective campaigns quickly and easily while keeping costs down at the same time due to its lower cost per recipient compared with other types of communication like postal mailers, etc.

Steps to list building from scratch

1. Offer the right incentive

One of the best ways to build an email list from scratch is to offer a gift in exchange to join your email list. Grab your prospects’ attention by giving them an irresistible incentive! Without something worth their while, the majority of people who land your capture page are unlikely to enter their email addresses.

After all, they’ve been burned too many times by spammers who bombard them with emails and pass on their details to other perpetrators of the same crime.

For you to have any success in getting people to subscribe to your email list, it’s crucial that you create a lead magnet based on the issues or aspirations of your target demographic. Surveying what people are searching for through keyword tools or online databases, like Answer the Public, will get your creative juices flowing.

You can also observe consumer patterns on social media or public forums. Whatever you do, make sure to provide your personal interpretation rather than generic information available on any other platform.

The media format is just as important as the content – offer a variety of text and video forms so you can determine which resonates most with your subscribers. Finally, present snippets of what they can expect from the lead magnet to give them a taster. Give it professional flair and polish it off to perfection!

2. Master the copy and look of your opt-in forms

When it comes to creating a compelling lead magnet offer, mastering your copywriting on your email signup form is essential.

To start, craft an engaging headline on your landing page that communicates the value of your gift. Then, use brief sentences to list out the benefits and explain why readers need to join your email newsletter and what you’re offering.

Urge them with a sense of urgency, and include a powerful testimonial for additional social proof if you have it.

On the form itself, limit the required fields to just first name and email address. For the submit button, don’t hold back: choose a language that’s more exciting than just simply saying “Sign up” or “Submit.”

Finally, pick an email autoresponder template that resonates with the overall design of your site. With these tips in mind, you’ll be able to write captivating copy that drives conversions.

3. Use Your Prime Virtual Real Estate Effectively

The placement of your opt-in forms is just as important as the appearance and content. Without the proper visibility, it’s impossible to acquire new subscribers and build a list. You need a dedicated conversion page that displays an opt-in form and a slightly persuasive copy to draw in visitors.

For those who prefer videos, you can create a succinct yet striking video as an alternative method of convincing them to join your list. Ensure your page is also mobile-friendly; if it’s hard to use with mobile devices, people are less likely to sign up.

Not just that, but consider including an opt-in form on the homepage of your website (or domain.com/blog if you use one). It can come in many shapes and sizes such as a thin line, footer, or sidebar for maximum visibility.

Also, make sure you include the same form at the bottom of every blog post. To capture those who have not seen the above locations, use pop-ups from time to time. On top of that, consider adding forms to other pages such as your About and Contact sections.

When you follow these steps, you give visitors adequate opportunities to subscribe to your list.

4. Go Where Your Prospects Are

People from all ages and backgrounds flock to social media platforms, sometimes for hours each day. Research spanning 2012-2022 shows that the average person spends two and a half hours on social media platforms. Unless you’re using other strategies to build an email list, you cannot ignore being on social media.

Discussions on these sites span success, survival, cooking, and even crocheting. As a marketer, you want to be active in the spaces where your target audience is, so you can leverage their power to help you build your email list quickly. Facebook groups and pages, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest are just a few of the social media networks you can use to generate leads.

To make the most of Facebook and Instagram, ensure your profile reflects your niche and regularly post valuable content.

On TikTok and YouTube, add hyperlinks to your bio and videos respectively which will direct your followers to your landing page.

With Pinterest, link up individual posts or even a lead magnet page. Proving that you have value to offer will encourage people to sign up to your list for exclusive content.

5. Get More Subscribers With Free Events

If you’re looking for a way to build your email list from scratch, a great way to do it is to provide value for free. Why not host a webinar or partake in a giveaway event? By providing valuable content upfront, such as a free course or exclusive gift, people will be more likely to provide their contact information.

For webinars, ensure attendees sign up in advance and include an opt-in form so they can choose to join an email list afterward. Giveaways can be more effective if you pick partners wisely with similar audiences in mind and provide something fresh rather than previously launched.

Utilizing the efforts of other participants in the event, you’ll be able to grow your list quickly and easily. Create something exclusive for each event and watch new email subscribers rush to get their hands on it!

6. The Power of Guest Blogging

Guest blogging is one of the fantastic email list building strategies to generate a list of highly-targeted subscribers. To start, it’s important to do some preliminary research to identify the blogs that have a relevant target audience for your list.

Investigate the content, publishing frequency, and rankings so you can decide if it makes sense to reach out to the webmaster with an offer to guest blog. You want to ensure that any posts you provide are exclusive to the particular domain – there’s really no point in sending them duplicate content.

When crafting a post, focus on crafting a substantial and valuable pillar blog post that stands a good chance of ranking highly on Google’s SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages), as well as appearing in the People Also Ask section and Snippet Features.

A short, low-value post won’t be accepted by most bloggers. However, if you make something high quality, a blog owner will recognize its value and allow you to include a link leading readers to a lead magnet page – with the added incentive of a call to action – where you have a chance to capture email addresses and build your list fast!

7. Using Product Launches

Are you a marketer looking to add new subscribers to your email list? One of the best methods to collect email addresses is to launch a product of your own. However, it’s essential that you execute the plan properly so as to build an effective campaign, or else your time and efforts will be wasted!

Start by researching what would have high demand among your target audience. If there’s something new or innovative that people are eager to find out more about, this could be a great option. You can then create either a video or written course and put it on various platforms such as ClickBank, JVZoo, and Warrior Plus.

Crafting a funnel can also help attract affiliates who will promote your product. Make sure the front-end fee is either free or affordable; this helps customers lower their hesitation. But don’t forget to ensure that the affiliate will still earn money by adding upsells with premium dollar values.

Also, give their subscribers the option of a free trial or a $1 trial for a week, 14 or 30 days to test out your higher-end product.

If you want more affiliate email signups, consider setting up a contest where they compete over cash prizes, provided they make enough sales. To guarantee success, pay attention to devising a JV page to recruit affiliates and writing a convincing sales copy. Otherwise, you risk facing a failed lead generating campaign.

Rewarding your affiliates is one of the best ways to ensure success with your upcoming launch. After they sign up for your email to promote your product, you can do these: increase their commission, give them access to a special early bird session or product access, and feature their banner ad on your download page.

Make sure they receive advanced copies of your product so they can get their promotions ready; don’t wait until the eleventh hour! If you really want to go all out, create an exclusive bonus that only some of your top affiliates can offer to their audiences. Even without the extra, make sure you provide enough time for them to generate an attractive bonus.

When setting up shop on a new platform, link your email service provider (or autoresponder software) for automatic confirmation emails for buyers. When someone purchases from you, immediately gift them something valuable and let them know what else to expect from you.

Include a link in your product back to the landing page too, so anyone who fails to confirm can still join your list down the line after seeing how much value you provide.

8. Partner With Your Big Rivals to Build Your List

If you’d rather avoid a public launch, where you have to handle many affiliates at once, why not set up an exclusive arrangement? Connect with one of your most successful competitors who has a great email list so you get an opportunity for their people to join your email list.

Create a special product that caters to their followers. Research their previous launches, leaderboards, and offerings to get a better sense of what resonates.

Put together a compelling front-end and upsell deal that will make it worth their time to promote the product. Reach out to the marketer with this exclusive opportunity, and let them know about incentives like 100% commission on the front end or readymade bonuses that can be integrated into their promotions. When selecting a partner, look for one who has a big and responsive list; investing effort in a partnership with a marketer of only 500 subscribers likely won’t pay off.

Tailor the experience further by composing the swipe files so they can easily include their link and email in their email marketing tool. Provide them with a review copy and all of the relevant details—you want to ensure they can succeed in their promotion.

9. Tap Into the Power of Podcasting

Podcasting is an effective list growth strategy with an ever-growing audience. With a platform like Anchor, you can get started creating your own show at absolutely no cost and help you build an email subscriber list. All you’ll need is a smartphone!

Create an engaging topic, providing listeners with quality content for each episode. Whether it be 10, 20, or even 60 minutes long, make sure to include professional intros and outros to set the mood.

Call-to-actions also add an interactive spin on things that help drive leads to your business. Include show notes in each episode that feed back to your website and landing page.

Furthermore, consider collaborating with other podcasters to cross-promote and extend your reach! Don’t forget to leverage SEO techniques to optimize visibility and take advantage of social media campaigns.

Lastly, allow your audience to join in on the fun by including a call-in line for messages and questions from listeners – you could even feature them on future episodes! Make sure to keep your schedule consistent – this will draw in a loyal following and help the growth of your list. Tune into success with podcasts today!

10. The Power of Word-of-Mouth

Don’t downplay the significance of word-of-mouth recommendations! When individuals are in search of answers, they’re likely to rely on a specialist for useful advice and information. By interacting courteously with your subscribers and providing them with helpful content, they will gladly spread the word about you.

You may even choose to reward any referrals, although simply making sure that those who receive your content are aware that they can share it is often sufficient. While word-of-mouth referrals may not be the quickest strategy to use to build to increase your email list membership, it certainly does have a significant impact—and this effect increases as your community grows.

11. Using the Power of Paid Ads

So far, all the tactics on how to build your list discussed above are free methods. However, another effective email subscriber list strategy is using paid ads, such as Google and Facebook Ads. Ads can be targeted to specific audiences based on criteria such as location, age, interests, or language.

The ads should link to your landing page designed to capture customer’s email addresses. This page should include a signup form where visitors can input their information and join your mailing list as we discussed earlier.

You can also create retargeting campaigns through Google and Facebook that will display ads to people who have visited your website previously to remind them of your brand and encourage them to stay in touch by joining your mailing list.

Additionally, you can also use other social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube for paid ad campaigns that drive people back to the signup page.

For further optimization of your email lead generation efforts, you can track user behavior using tools such as Google Analytics or HotJar, which allows you to see which parts of the sign-up page are performing well and which areas require improvement.

This will help ensure better conversion rates from clicks on the ad all the way through to successful sign-ups on your mailing list.

12. Using the Power of Influencer Marketing

Leveraging influencers or industry leaders with large followings is a great way to build an email list. Influencers can be used to promote your services, brand, and content which often leads to new sign-ups for your mailing or newsletter list.

When looking for influencers it’s important to make sure they are relevant to your target market in order to demonstrate the relevancy of what they’re talking about. Once you’ve identified potential influencers contact them directly via email or social media, explain the value they’ll receive from working with you, and offer incentives such as discounted products or services in exchange for their promotional efforts.

You should also include a unique link that leads back to your website, ideally one that tracks clicks so you can measure the success of each campaign. You can track these clicks using tools such as Google Analytics or Bitly, both of which allow you to see how many people have clicked on the link and where they have come from.

It’s important to have clear goals when working with influencers in order to ensure you get the desired results from each campaign. An example of this might be “to increase our email list by 10% over the next month” – setting out expectations like this ahead of time will help ensure your campaigns are successful.

Conclusion – How to Build Your Email List

It’s time to take action! An effective email marketing strategy must be an integral part for your business to thrive. Before you can send an email, you have to have a list. Utilize the tips in this article to increase your email list-building efforts.

From starting from zero to utilizing influencer marketing, and using the correct email marketing software, you’re never short of ways to grow your list. Never forget to test and revise your approach regularly and observe your results. Now, take the first step to success and begin building a new email list today!

Email List Building Strategies – FAQs

How do I create a free email list?

Creating a free email list is relatively straightforward.

1.     Create an account with a service such as Mailchimp, Sendinblue or Aweber, or any email marketing provider you prefer.

2.     Craft a unique and engaging sign-up form.

3.     Promote the sign-up form through your website, social media, or influencer marketing campaigns.

4.     Establish an automated welcome message for new subscribers.

5.     Monitor metrics to track success and progress.

What are the four types of mailing lists?

Are you looking to build a mailing list? There are several options available, but some of the most popular include these four:

• confirmed opt-in,
• double opt-in,
• single opt-in, and
• renting services.

Each comes with its own set of pros and cons, so it’s essential to consider your target audience and desired outcomes before making a choice.

• The confirmed opt-in requires users to confirm their email address by responding to a confirmation email, ensuring that only interested parties are added to your list.

• Double opt-in takes it a step further, requiring subscribers to fill out a form for additional information.

• Single opt-in, on the other hand, does not necessitate any form of confirmation – meaning it’s less restrictive yet also less targeted.

• Lastly, you have the option of renting a mailing list from a third-party provider which can be useful if you need quick access to a specific target audience.

No matter what type of mailing list you decide is best for your needs, always keep your goals and target in mind!

Is building an email list worth it?

How do I create an email list before launching?

Generating excitement and intrigue before unveiling a new product can be achieved by constructing an email list. Consider these tips to ensure success:

1. Collect email addresses right away – through web forms, social media profiles, or in-person meetings.
2. Offer an enticing lead magnet – like a free book, webinar, or checklist – as an incentive for people to sign up.
3. Publicize your magnet – utilizing multiple channels; spread the word far and wide.
4. Provide interesting and informative content – market news, expertise, and sneak peeks of the upcoming product.
5. Tease the launch – with campaigns, postings, and video presentations.
6. Offer exclusive deals or discounts to those on the mailing list – sweetening the deal.
7. Create a landing page for your product – with user-friendly details for signing up.
8. Segment your audiences – tailor emails and offers to appropriate individuals.