According to research from Campaign Monitor, you’re six times more likely to get a click-through from an email campaign than from a tweet. If you approach it right, your email marketing efforts can go a long way to increase engagement with your customers more effectively than your social media channels. But along with strategizing about your email marketing messaging, it’s important to also focus on building your subscriber list.
The larger that list is, the more people you can reach and the more conversions to sales you’ll see from your efforts. Plus, you'll own that list of names, unlike your social media following which could go away tomorrow.
So how exactly do you go about growing your email list? Here are five strategies.
1. Add a subscribe button to your emails
This may seem counterintuitive, but not everyone that receives your emails will have already been on your email list. Including a simple and consistent “subscribe” call-to-action at the bottom of all your emails will make it easier for someone who’s been forwarded your email to sign up for more.
2. Include a sign-up form on your website
If your site doesn’t have a form for visitors to sign up for your email newsletter, make this a top priority. Including a simple form on your About or Contact page — or at the top or bottom of all your pages — will make it easy for your visitors to sign up. The form doesn’t need to be lengthy or take up much space — a simple one-sentence call-to-action like “Sign up for exclusive offers and trend insights,” or whatever best describes your email communications, along with a box for the email address is sufficient.
3. Host a giveaway or contest
Putting on a contest is a great way to get new emails and increase your overall engagement with your customers. Try hosting a contest encouraging participants to snap a photo of your product in their space for social media and add the requirement that they must submit their email and other contact info to be eligible to win. Not only will you collect more emails, but engaging with your followers will demonstrate that your brand is trustworthy, authentic and cares about its customers.
4. Host an in-store event
Hosting events in your showroom offers the opportunity to get to know your customers better and show them you care about more than just closing sales. Creating a unique experience will increase brand loyalty, and it's also the perfect chance to get some emails from customers who have opted in to your event. Whether you’re hosting a workshop, a talk, a charity event or a night of entertainment, make it a priority to get contact info from attendees. You can have a small check-in table set up when people walk in to sign their name and email, or your staff can get that information as people are mingling. Regardless, don’t miss out on the chance to capitalize on the fact that you have a room full of people interested in your business — if they’re interested in your event, they’ll likely be interested in hearing more from you via email.
5. Collect emails at check-out
Both online and in-store, make sure you ask for emails at check-out. It doesn’t need to be mandatory, but gently asking won’t do any harm. If you want to increase the likelihood the customer agrees to offering their email, you can offer an incentive like a discount at next purchase or an exclusive email offer.
How do you keep your email list fresh? Let us know in the comments!
