Let’s face it. Most visitors won’t buy your products or use your services on their first visit. The majority of them are just looking around. They’re not even sure your offer is what they really need.
Just because they aren’t buying anything, doesn’t mean you have to ignore them. Remember, these are potential customers or clients. And it is a good idea to capture their email address and start building a relationship with them. How? Through their inbox.
Having an email list gives you the opportunity to talk to communicate directly with your audience. You can even use it to pitch your products or services.
But the question is… How do you build an email list?
Here are some tips to help you get your first 100 email subscribers.
Who are you looking to attract?
This is one of the most important things you need to determine when building an email list. You need to have a clear understanding of exactly the type of people you want on your list. Otherwise, you won’t be able to craft a message that resonates strongly enough to spark interest and gain trust.
Create a valuable resource and give it away for free
Let’s face it. Your visitors won’t just give you their email address for no reason at all, even if they like your brand. After all, it’s a personal thing. So you need to find a way to convince them to give it to you.
One of the most effective ways to do this is by offering a lead magnet. It’s an incentive you offer to visitors in exchange for their email address. It is usually a piece of digital, downloadable content like an ebook, PDF checklist, swipe file, whitepaper etc.
When creating a lead magnet, ask yourself: What’s the one thing that would be useful to my audience? The goal is to come up with something that would make people excited. Once that’s done, people will be more than happy to provide their email address.
Create an opt-in landing page
Now that you have created a powerful lead magnet, it’s time to start creating an opt-in page.
An opt-in landing page is a standalone web page that is created for the sole purpose of getting visitors to sign up to your email list.
Avoid super long opt-in landing pages. The longer the opt-in page is, the higher the chance visitors won’t read it to the end. Every word and element of the page should support that single objective — getting them to sign up to your list. If it doesn’t, lose it.
To increase sign up rate, make sure that your CTA button stands out from the rest of your page. Use a larger font, contrasting colors, and prominent positioning.
Choose an email marketing platform
An email marketing platform is a necessity, especially if you’re serious about building your email list.
Not all platforms are bundled with the same features. Choose a platform that will help you incorporate email personalization and segmentation, plus automate email delivery.
If you’re completely new to email list building, MailChimp would be a great platform to get started. For startups and small businesses, ActiveCampaign is a great option. It allows you to segment contacts based on their stage in the sales funnel.
Make signing up as easy as possible
Capturing information is good. But if you’re asking for too much information, people may end up feeling skeptical about how their information will be utilized.
Limit the form to a few fields. Or better yet, just ask for their name and email address. Every additional field gives them a reason to change their mind.
The goal is to get people to sign up, right? So make it as easy and simple as possible for them to do so. The easier the process is, the more likely are they to subscribe. Plus, the less information you ask, the more people will sign up.
Drive traffic to your landing page
Now that everything is set, all you need to do is to drive traffic to your landing page. One of the best ways to do that is by running a paid traffic campaign.
The good news is that you don’t have to spend a huge sum of money on ads. In fact, Facebook allows you to started with as little as $5 a day. However, paid ads alone isn’t enough to grow your subscriber list. Make sure that you promote and share it across your social media platforms.
Conclusion
Building an email list not an easy task. And when you’re starting from 0, getting that first 100 email subscribers could be a daunting milestone. Don’t worry. It’s not as challenging as it seems. Just follow the tips above and you’ll be able to get your first 100 subscribers in no time.
With the right strategy and solid approach to A/B testing, you can see a significant growth in your email list.
