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12 ways to build an email list
The first step to a successful email marketing campaign is to create a mailing list of people who are actually interested in your service or product. Some marketers prefer to buy ready-to-use databases. But you cannot be sure about the quality of these addresses. By quality, we mean:
  • Are those email addresses still active?
  • Are those contacts interested in your service?
  • Have they granted you a permission?
And permission here is the most crucial part here. Email marketing is regulated by CAN-SPAM Act or GDPR that allows marketers to send emails only to those users who agreed to receive newsletters by email.

Today, we will learn about effective methods to build a mailing list and get permission from users to communicate with them via email.
Methods to build a mailing list:
Start the company’s blog

A company’s blog is a source of valuable information about your company and the industry in general. It is the right place to show your expertise to potential leads. Listening to the customers, looking for their weak spots, and then offering an effective solution is the best way to win their loyalty.

The blog is the place users open willingly in order to find the answer to their questions. Moreover, they decide what to read and choose the topic that hurts the most. If you provide them with value, users will want to learn more with YOU and will be more willing to sign up for a newsletter.

Place a sign-up form at the end of the article and invite readers to subscribe and get all the answers directly to their inbox.
Create personalized CTAs

The call-to-action button is an essential element of your email campaign or website. It prompts users on what step to take next and describes the main goal of your brand’s message.

Personalized CTAs are more precise. You can craft the button related to the blog article or the website page the user is on. For example, if you publish an article about email types specialists should send, you can also create a freebie like a checklist or ready-to-use email templates. Then the CTA would sound like “Get a free copy of ready-to-use email templates”.

Clients come to you when they have a problem. They read a specific blog article that might solve their dilemma. So, make sure you offer a valuable solution and create a personalized CTA that will encourage the reader to click on it.
Add a pop-up ad

A pop-up ad is an overlay banner that pops up on the website when a user enters it or takes a specific action. Marketers use it to convert daily website visitors into potential leads.

Pop-up forms play an important role. You might add a pop-up ad that appears when the customer enters your website, or after a certain time, they scroll over your page. You might also consider an exit pop-up window and catch their attention when they leave your company's page.

Pop-up ads deliver strong results when you create a professional and personalized approach. For instance, ASOS has designed a pop-up form and offers its users a 10% discount for their first order.
Pitch email newsletter on social media platforms

With the extensive growth of social media users, you can reach different segments of users by creating quality content on several platforms. There are 3.80 billion social media users and being present there allows you to reach a wider audience and raise brand awareness.

While the website fulfills the role of a business card, social media is about creating a network. If you have a fan page on Facebook or an account on Twitter, reach your followers. They are the desired target audience you are looking for. First, they know you and like you already. Secondly, they might be interested in learning more. Write a post introducing your newsletter and invite followers to sign up.
Leverage landing pages

A landing page is a one-purpose website that pursues one particular goal—nurtures leads. You might have seen similar pages offering free trials or e-books. The same pattern works with newsletters.

The same pattern works for blogs and newsletters. Designing a simple and appealing landing page will result in a higher conversion rate. According to HubSpot research, companies experience a 55% increase in leads when they increase the number of landing pages from 10 to 15.

How does it work? Personalization! Every customer has their own needs and looks for an individual solution. The one that will work for them. The landing page that is narrowed to one problem is more likely to find the audience than a page offering an all-inclusive approach. You cannot sew one pair of black jeans and expect customers with different heights, weights, and body shapes to look perfect.
Add a homepage sign-up box

The website is a business card for your company. Usually, users check your website when they are already interested in your service. Some might book order your product right away, and some will want to learn more. For example, Sendios added a sign-up form on your website and let subscribers come when they want. This way you will reach the users who are already interested in the topic.
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Add a sign-up link/survey to the email signature

Talking about emails, we send and receive hundreds of messages every day. Our inbox is full of promotional materials and business offers. Your employees use email to communicate with customers and business partners. It means that as a brand, you might send thousands of emails per day. Isn’t it a great opportunity to promote your service?

An email signature is a strategic place for placing a link. This will make it visible to all receivers. It might be a sign-up link or a survey. For instance, TED sends a newsletter and invites subscribers to join their research community. They add a specific link that redirects a user to a Google form with questions. As a result, TED subscribers feel included in the process of improving the service.
Create lead magnets

When it comes to lead nurturing, lead magnets magnetize customers. Creating a lead magnet means offering a free item or service that marketers give to customers in order to collect contact details. There are different kinds of lead magnets such as a free trial of a service, a sample of your product, a consultation, etc.

Create the lead magnet that will be related to your brand and solve customers’ needs. If you want to learn how to create an effective freebie, click here to read an article about it.

Having an effective lead magnet is part of your marketing strategy, allowing you to build a relevant mailing list and establish good relationships with potential customers.
Organize a webinar

Webinars have become a thing! Marketers use it to organize online panels and share their knowledge with prospective customers. For instance, Netguru organized a webinar about how insurance companies make use of AI. The key requirement was to sign up by giving some details. Below you can check what information they asked for.
Collecting email addresses made it easier to build an email base and communicate with users. They used it to send confirmations of registration, reminders, and an email with the key takeaways. Now they have compounded their mailing list with users who find their content valuable.

Put a gated entrance to paid content

A gated entrance means letting the reader get acquainted with a part of the article and leaving the rest of it available only for premium users (those who pay). Usually, this marketing trick is used by online magazines or traditional ones that publish their content on a website.

Elle, a fashion magazine, applies this maneuver to build an extensive email list. As you can see below, they open the first two or three paragraphs for all users, but the rest of the post is available only to those who have an account.
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Host an event

Hosting an event is a great way to meet potential leads and business partners. In the era of coronavirus, organizing an old and good event might be challenging. But digital technology provides us with opportunities to host an online occurrence.

If Emmy Awards could happen online and live, you can host a small networking occurrence on Zoom or Google Meets. It will not interchange the real-life conversation, but still, it is a good way to collect quality contacts and have a friendly chat with customers or partners.

Moreover, you will gather emails, and send reminders before the event and a thank-you note after it. Talking about the future, these contacts might be interested in learning more about your brand via email.
Launch a podcast or become a guest

A podcast is a popular form of learning new information and spending free time effectively. For instance, 144 million Americans listen to podcasts. Moreover, people listen to it while doing housework (65,4%), commuting (78,5%), or during their free time (55,2%). Basically, you can reach users at any time of the day and at any place in the world. Worth trying?

The podcast is a great source of subscribers and prospective customers. If you don’t have enough resources to launch your own podcast, become a guest. For instance, Gary Vaynerchuk has the podcast series The Gary Vee Podcast Experience. He interviewed businessmen and marketers. For example, one of his guests was Arthur M. Blank, the co-founder of Home Depot.

Now you know 12 effective ways to build an email list. No matter what method you choose, it will be a great start. Feel free to experiment, combine, and choose what delivers better KPIs for your brand.
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