Though email has been widely used for well over 25 years, it continues to remain one of the most powerful marketing tools in existence. It may not be as “sexy” as some of the newer marketing techniques, such as push notifications and social media, but it continues to be incredibly effective at converting people into paying customers.
We may ignore notifications on social media and screen our phone calls, but we still pay attention to our inboxes. If you can gain access to someone’s inbox, then you have access to their attention, and there are few things more valuable than a person’s attention.
Simply put, if you have a business of any sort, you should be building your email list. Every address on that list represents potential customers and potential dollars in the bank.
The larger your list grows, the more you’ll be able to directly interact with those who are truly interested in your business. Because really, that’s what an email list is. It’s a list of people who have expressed interest in your business.
But building an email list is no simple task. After all, people aren’t just going to give you their email address for no reason. In this eBook, you’ll discover 13 techniques that will help you build your email list rapidly.
This free guide outlines 13 proven effective tactics for how to build an email list fast including:
Tactic #1: Create Valuable Content
This is the big picture: It’s essential to give people a compelling reason to give you their email address. In other words, first create value. They want to know that the emails they’ll receive from you will add value to their lives.
Tactic #2: Create Pop-ups
Email pop up forms are one of the most basic ways to capture email addresses. When you’re on a website, a box pops up, asking you if you want to sign up for the email list. You can either sign up or close out the box. They can be a bit intrusive, but they tend to have relatively high conversion rates.
Tactic #3: Create Landing Pages
Landing pages are different from pop up boxes in that they are entire pages that exist solely to capture email addresses. In other words, they’re not a box that pops up when a person reads one of your blog posts or visits your home page. They’re a single page designed for the specific purpose of capturing email addresses.
Tactic #4: Give Away Lead Magnets
A lead magnet is something you give away to people in exchange for their email address. The people are “leads” and the giveaway is a “magnet” that attracts the leads. Almost anything can function as a lead magnet. It simply needs to be valuable enough to convince someone to give you their email address.
Tactic #5: Host a Giveaway
If you’re looking to supercharge your email list building, it’s hard to beat a giveaway. The way it works is really simple: in order to sign up for the giveaway, people must first give you their email address.
Tactic #6: Run Facebook Lead Ads
Facebook Lead Ads allow you to give away lead magnets and collect email addresses directly within the Facebook platform. In other words, people can fill out a form and download a lead magnet without ever having to leave Facebook. This can be a tremendously powerful way to build your email list.
Tactic #7: Utilize Content Upgrades
Content upgrades work like this: First, you create a highly valuable piece of content, such an in-depth blog post. Then, you create an “upgrade” that accompanies that blog post. In order to access the upgrade, people have to give you their email address — exactly like I have done right here in this post!
Tactic #8: Create a Free Tool
Creating a free tool can be an incredibly powerful way to get thousands of new people on your subscriber list. It’s a simple, yet effective, technique. In order to use the tool, people simply have to give you their email address.
Tactic #9: Create Quizzes
People absolutely love quizzes. It’s why sites like Buzzfeed constantly create quizzes like “Which Harry Potter Character Are You?” Quizzes are also a fantastic way to build your email list. You create a quiz and people simply need to give you their email address in order to get the results.
Tactic #10: Promote Your List on Social Media
Regularly promote your email list across your social media channels. However, when promoting your list, don’t simply say, “Hey, come join my email list!” You probably won’t get many signups if you promote it this way. Instead, give your social media connections a compelling reason to join your list.
Tactic #11: Add Social Sharing Buttons to Your Emails
Almost every Email Service Provider (ESP) makes it possible for you to add social media sharing buttons to your emails. You add these to your emails so that people can share your emails with their social media contacts.
By giving people the option to share your emails, you expand your reach beyond just your email list. If people love your content, they’ll share it with friends, coworkers, and more.
Tactic #12: Add a Link in Your Email Signature
Every email you send is an opportunity to build your email list. The trick is simply to add a link to one of your email list building tactics in your signature.
Tactic #13: A/B Test Everything
When seeking to build your email list, A/B test everything. A/B testing is simply testing two things against each other to see which performs better. Once you’ve identified which one works better, use that one.
