10 ways to build your subscriber list successfully
The value of a strong email subscriber base can never be undersold. Although social media and the Internet have changed the way the public interacts with brands online, a dedicated email subscriber base offers a degree of protection against the risks posed by website downtime or Google’s ranking algorithms.
It is also a reliable money-maker if you correctly follow these ten tips.
1. Build an opt-in form
If you have a great-looking opt-in form on your website, people are going to check it out. Whether you decide on a sidebar form or a pop-up, you should experiment with styles and make sure you match it with the style and theme of your website and overall brand.
2. Work out what you want from your subscribers
It’s all well and good planning to bolster your mailing list, but you need to decide exactly why you want to do so. Is it for engagement, to generate sales or to drive customers to your website? Setting clear goals will determine how your mailing list is built and maintained.
3. Make a plan of action
Once you know who you want to target, you will need to decide how to do so. Develop a plan – for example, sending an email every Sunday at 6pm with useful industry information and an advertisement for your product – and stick with it to see the results. Subscribers will appreciate your consistency.
4. Track your visitors
Use analytics tools to track what visitors are doing on your website – why are they avoiding your email sign-up form? What could you do to make them complete and submit it?
5. Test different options
Such measures as A/B testing can help you to work out exactly how to target your audience.
6. Offer a freebie
Offering an eBook or freebie can encourage people to sign up – it’s a tried and tested tactic.
7. Use a mailing service
Don’t invest your time and money into building a mailing list without using a reputable service such as MailChimp or Aweber. These services allow you to schedule emails, conduct testing and design great-looking emails that work.
8. Write great content
A great way to attract a mailing list audience is to build a great blog. Write interesting, useful content, focus on your SEO and add an opt-in form to your blog’s call to action.
9. Don’t forget about mobiles
More and more people navigate the web via their smartphones, so you should target them in your mailing list campaign. Use pop-ups and slide-ins effectively and of course, make sure that your emails display well on all sorts of devices. Otherwise, your visitors will unsubscribe.
10. Stick with it
Developing a large mailing list is one of the most useful things that an online brand can do, but it takes times to see results. Be confident in your execution, continuously develop your offering and be prepared for failure – nothing good comes without hard work and persistence!
