Email marketing campaigns can give you a direct line of communication with your potential customers. Everything from a brand new lead to engaging with an existing customer who already loves your brand is meaningful. That’s why it’s important to create engaging content and continually add and update your email list. It’s also important to nurture the list you already have in place.
Businesses that take the time to focus on their email lists typically see tremendous results in everything from new customer acquisitions to customer retention. Keeping just a few tips in mind can help you make the most of your email marketing campaigns. By allowing you to grow your list continually, you’ll reach the high-quality leads most likely to convert into paying customers.
1. Create Quality, Shareable Content
The better your content, the more likely customers are going continue to stay subscribed. This increases the probability of them sharing your email with friends and colleagues. More shares means better visibility, as well as the potential for increasing your list size.
Be sure that every email you send out is meaningful. One of the most important factors in email marketing is ensuring that people are opening your emails and reading the content. Use tools like Subjectline Gold to design a subject line that promises clicks. Then, truly deliver to your subscribers with the content of your email. Finally, be sure you’re backing that content up with interesting, compelling visuals that display great product placement and tell your story.
2. Include CTAs and Sign-Up Links in Emails
Make signing up for your mailing list simple. Remember – the easier it is for them to subscribe, the more likely they are to take the time and give you their information. And after all, today’s customers demand simplicity. Remember also to include dynamic CTAs (Calls to Action) that encourage potential subscribers to register and make people aware of the value of signing up. Examples of a CTA include, “Sign up Now and Get 25% off!” or “Register NOW for this Exclusive Webinar!”.
3. Craft Multiple Types of Content
Creating and sending out a variety of content such as promotions, new inventory, newsletters, or educational emails allows you to reach a much broader audience. Keep in mind the two most important concepts in email marketing:
- Know who you’re targeting and where they are in the sales/marketing funnel. New prospects require a different approach than those who’ve browsed your site before.
- Make email list segmentation a key component of your email marketing strategy. Different customers have different needs. List segmentation ensures that you’re targeting these different customers with the right type of content. Plus, it keeps you out of the spam folder.
Many email providers give an option to craft multiple subscriptions and campaigns targeted to different audiences. Be sure you’re taking advantage of this powerful resource.
4. Lead Generation Offers
Creating dynamic, relevant content (such as a white paper or a tutorial) is one of your greatest resources for lead generation. By giving out this quality content in exchange for nothing but users’ email addresses, you gain access to a wealth of interested, high-quality leads.
Giving quality content away for free also gives you the option of assigning a lead score. This lead score allows you to know the value of each subscriber and which, in turn, will make it even simpler to integrate list segmentation practices into your overall email marketing strategy. All of this works together and allows you to fine-tune your audience targeting. After all, if they download a white paper on a specific topic, you already have valuable insight into what matters most to that client. It’s a leading edge that you wouldn’t have had access to otherwise.
5. Promote Offers on Social Media
Getting people to subscribe to a Facebook or a LinkedIn page is much easier than getting people to sign up for a mailing list. All it takes is a click! If you’ve spent time cultivating a strong social media following but find your mailing list to be weak in comparison, use social media to help promote your mailing list. Additionally, use lead generating offers on social media to capture an email address.
This option has numerous benefits for your business as well as for your leads. One of the biggest benefits of social media promotions is that it automatically takes into account where those leads are in the sales/marketing funnel. It gives your subscribers the option to take smaller steps as opposed to one giant step toward conversion.
6. Guest Blogging
If you haven’t already taken advantage of guest blogging opportunities, now is the time. Guest blogging puts your business right in front of an audience of subscribers interested in what it is you have to say. Linking to your website and including CTAs to generate leads in those guest blogs is a simple way to give your mailing list a major boost. Begin researching industry blogs that are looking for qualified professionals in your field to submit content. Make those connections, and make them count.
Some resources that can help you find opportunities for guest blogging include platforms such as My Blog Guest, Guestr, and Blogger LinkUp. Pay attention to factors such as the average amount of web traffic and the number of subscribers for these blogs to find blogs that work for your email marketing strategy. Also pay attention to the type of content that lands the best results, so you’re not shooting blind when crafting guest posts for other sites. Cater to that blog’s audience and always ensure you’re reminding potential leads of the value of signing up for your email list.
7. Run Promotions With Partner Sites
Partnering with another business in your industry (or in a partner industry) is a great way to gain access to a brand new consumer base. For instance, those offering commercial cleaning services can connect with landscapers, office organizers, etc., for cross-promotional purposes. Keep in mind you’re likely to share prospective leads with those in a similar industry to yours.
By connecting with other industry professionals and promoting your content on their websites or email subscriptions lists, and vice versa, you can gain access to new, high-quality leads.
8. Collect Email Addresses Offline as Well as Online
Whether you have a brick and mortar store or your business participates in industry events, make sure you’re taking advantage of in-person opportunities to collect email addresses. Most people are more than willing to take the time to jot down their email if asked. They’re much more likely to do so when the request is made in person. Please be sure that when you collect this information, you’re asking permission to stay in touch. Be open and visible about what you plan to do with their email.
9. Highlight the Benefits of Signing Up
Remember that the best way to get people to sign up for your list is to let them know what they’re getting out of the deal. This is especially beneficial when you offer a benefit that they can act on right away, such as an immediate discount for signing up. You can even ask for input from your current list of contacts to find out why they subscribe and how they’ve benefited from being on your mailing list. Then, you can communicate this information on a dedicated page on your site, social media, or elsewhere.
Wrap Up
Taking these nine steps can have a tremendous benefit on your email marketing campaign. Not only will they help so that you consistently continue to grow your email list, but they will ensure that you are gaining access to high-quality leads. Doing all of the above is sure to give your business a major step up in the marketing game.