Email marketing can be incredibly successful, and it is one of the best ways to generate new leads.
So while other forms of marketing – including social media marketing – shouldn’t be discounted, email marketing holds an important place within the marketing mix.
The question is then, how does a small business build its mailing list?
Make Your Emails ‘Shareable’
Listing social sharing options on your emails can boost engagement.
You should bear this in mind when constructing your emails; this means sending things like blog posts or lookbooks.
It would also be a good idea to have inbuilt social sharing options within the emails.
This means that the recipients can share your emails on their social media channels which acts as free marketing for you, and in turn, it can lead to more people signing up to your mailing list.
Implement a Referral System
The idea of an email referral system is essentially a modern revamp of the ‘word of mouth’ concept.
It enlists the help of your subscribers or consumers to do the work for you in converting others and generating more leads.
You could even consider offering an incentive to encourage your consumers to refer your business to their friends or family.
For example, you could offer credits, freebies, or discounts as a reward for referring a certain number of people.
These incentives then help to keep the chain going as each new person who signs up is then made aware of the incentive and the referral scheme, and the cycle starts again.
Host a Giveaway
The more you can engage with potential consumers; the bigger your mailing list will become.
You need to think about why people would want to subscribe to your mailing list; what is in it for them?
You can give your audience a reason to subscribe to your mailing list by hosting a giveaway.
You need to consider what you will offer, as unless you are giving away something noteworthy, the giveaway might not work as well.
When coming up with the prize for your giveaway, you might want to use one of your most sought-after products or services; you could also offer a combination of your goods and services or even something like the chance to be a spokesmodel for your brand.
What will your audience find the most compelling? For example, tech companies often offer smartphones or other pieces of highly desirable tech as prizes in their giveaways.
That being said, it is important to note that giveaways do not always guarantee an increase in productive leads.
Apart from also increasing your mailing list, giveaways also increase goodwill, and they can help to boost your brand’s reputation.
Use CTA’s
CTA stands for call to action, and they are designed to prompt a response or encourage a sale.
Are you utilising CTA’s within your emails or within your website?
Think about the type of CTA’s that you are using.
Are they engaging, witty or interesting?
Using the same old CTA’s as everyone else is not as effective because they quickly become bland and boring to consumers.
Think about your brand’s voice and try to inject some of that personality into your CTA’s. The whole point is to compel your audience into clicking on your CTA.
For example, you could change the negative option so that even that redirects users to another part of your website.
Take stock of the CTA’s you are using, if any and consider how they could be improved.
Add a Homepage Smart Bar
You could also consider adding a smart bar to the homepage of your website.
Both businesses and consumers prefer this option as it is far less invasive than popups, and unlike other options, the website does not have to change too much to accommodate one.
A smart bar sits at the top of your website, and it stays consistent no matter where your users find themselves.
It doesn’t look forced; it drives more organic engagement, and often, it can really help to build your mailing list.
Once you have built up a solid mailing list, you can begin to take advantage of the marketing opportunities that you are then provided with.
For example, there are some Shopify mailing list apps and resources that can be incredibly helpful to small business owners.
Email marketing is also incredibly cheap and effective, which makes it a great option for small businesses and start-ups.
In Conclusion
Above are some of the best and easiest ways for you to build a mailing list.
Try to implement the above techniques as naturally as possible to ensure organic engagement; any tactics that are too in your face for the audience will have the opposite effect and put them off, so bear that in mind.