A thriving email list is the foundation of a successful email marketing strategy. While having a powerful email marketing service is the first step, simply having the tool isn’t enough. The real work—and the real growth—comes from implementing smart strategies to affordable email marketing for startups that turn website visitors and social media followers into loyal subscribers.
1. Offer a Compelling Incentive (The Lead Magnet)
People don’t give away their email addresses for free. To encourage sign-ups, you must offer something of value, also known as a lead magnet. The right email marketing service makes it easy to create and deliver these incentives.
- Ideas for Lead Magnets:
- Ebooks, guides, or checklists: Offer a free digital resource that solves a specific problem for your audience.
- Exclusive discounts or promotions: For e-commerce stores, a discount on a first purchase is a powerful incentive.
- Webinars or video tutorials: Gated content like a free webinar can showcase your expertise and attract highly qualified leads.
- How to use your service: Use the service’s landing page builder to create a dedicated page for your lead magnet. This page should have a clear, benefit-driven headline and a simple form. The service can then automatically send the lead magnet to the new subscriber via an automated welcome email.
2. Optimize Your Website for Subscriptions
Your website is your most valuable asset for list building. You need to strategically place sign-up forms in key locations to maximize visibility and conversion.
- Placement is everything: Use your email marketing service’s tools to embed forms in high-traffic areas.
- Website pop-ups: Use a well-timed pop-up (e.g., an “exit-intent” pop-up that appears when a user is about to leave your site) to capture a visitor’s attention.
- Embedded forms: Place a static sign-up form in your blog’s sidebar, at the bottom of every article, and in your website’s footer.
- Keep it simple: Don’t ask for too much information upfront. The more fields a form has, the lower its conversion rate. Start by asking only for an email address, or at most, a first name. You can collect more data later.
3. Leverage Social Media and Other Channels
Your email list-building efforts shouldn’t be confined to your website. Use all your existing channels to drive traffic to your sign-up forms.
- Social media bios: Add a direct link to your newsletter sign-up page in your social media bios on platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter.
- Announcements: Promote your newsletter and its exclusive content on social media. Tease what’s coming in the next issue to build anticipation.
- Email signatures: A simple, yet effective, strategy is to add a link to your sign-up form in your email signature.
4. Nurture Your Subscribers from Day One
Once someone subscribes, the real work of building a relationship begins. This is where the automation features of your email marketing service are crucial.
- The welcome series: Don’t just send a single thank you email. Set up an automated welcome series of 3-5 emails. This series can introduce your brand, share your best content, and set expectations for future emails.
- Consistent, valuable content: To prevent unsubscribes, you must consistently deliver high-quality, relevant content. Use your service’s analytics to understand what your audience enjoys and create more of it.
- Encourage sharing: Make it easy for subscribers to share your emails. Include social media share buttons and a “Forward to a friend” link in every email. This simple feature turns your existing subscribers into a powerful engine for list growth.
By combining the powerful tools of a modern email marketing service with a strategic approach to lead capture and nurturing, any business can build a loyal and engaged email list that consistently drives business growth.
