So you have your website live, you’ve
provided awesome content which has gained you followers and subscribers, now
you need to make sure you keep them reading by way of email….Perhaps you’re
spending a lot of time each week crafting emails to your subscribers, but none
of that will do you any good if you don’t have a decent delivery rate. If those
emails land in your potential customers’ spam folders, you don’t have much of a
chance of making a sale or building a relationship with them.
Many Internet entrepreneurs start out building
their business on the side. They have a regular job, a busy life, lots of
personal and business commitments, and very little time to work on building
their list. If this sounds familiar, you will appreciate what you're about to
read. The following tips for getting more email list subscribers can be rolled
out quickly, most of them in 5 minutes or less. Give them a try!
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| Learn how Not to land in Spam |
Add an Opt-In Form to Your Email Signature
This is super simple, and can be set up with
most email programs in a couple of minutes. Now every email you send out as a
chance of adding someone to your list.
Turn Your Blog Posts
into Opt-In Lead Magnets
Check your Google Analytics to find your most
popular post. Copy that URL. Head over to PrintFriendly.com. Paste your blog
post's URL into the "Print Preview" section at the top of the page.
Click the "PDF" button, and then click "Download”. That's it.
You have just created an opt-in bribe in about 30 seconds.
"Sign up" Button to Your Facebook
Account
On your business's Facebook page, click the
"Create Call to Action" button. Choose the "Sign Up"
button. Link to your opt-in page.
Write in the First
Person
Your call to action button text should be written
in the first person. "Start My Free Trial" always pulls better than
"Start Free Trial" or "Start Your Free Trial".
Pop-Ups Work Wonders,
So Use Them
Adding an exit-intent pop-up to your landing
page can improve conversions and sign-ups considerably. There are plenty of
WordPress pop-up plug-ins that are free to use.
Put Your Testimonials
Front and Centre
Social proof is an outstanding way to build
your email list. Put at least one great testimonial above the fold, and make it
noticeable. This simple move can increase conversions substantially.
Simplify and
Minimalize
Clean up your website. Remove bothersome
distractions. A simple, clean, clutter-free website allows you to direct your
reader's attention wherever you want to, in this case, to your opt-in form.
Don't Ask for Too Much
Information
Evidence has shown that asking for just an
email address on your opt-in form is a high conversion practice. People are
super sensitive these days concerning Internet security. Accordingly, they
don't expect you to ask for a lot of information in return for your opt-in gift
Using a reputable auto responder
service is the single best thing you can do to improve your chances of avoiding
spam folders. Companies like Aweber, Mail Chimp and Get Response work hard at
making sure they are white listed with the big Internet Service Providers and
email providers like Gmail.
GetResponse GetResponse
is a feature-rich email marketing solution, fully scalable and capable of
handling both small and very large lists (1 million+ subscribers). For over 10
years, it has provided easy-to-use, self-service applications and expert
support for creating and managing email and video marketing campaigns,
newsletters, and auto responders that convert contacts into customers
Aweber Aweber develops and runs an opt-in email
marketing service used by over 120,000+ small businesses, bloggers and
entrepreneurs around the globe and includes a 30day free trial. Features
include send Email Newsletters, Website Sign Up Forms, Collect & Manage
Subscribers, Auto responder Follow Ups, Performance Tracking and Expert
Customer Support
Groupmail This
popular group email software is currently helping people in over 160
countries to send stylish
email newsletters, promote awesome
products and strengthen important
relationships. They have a one off payment fee, with no monthly charges and no
Per Message charge. Features include Group Email Software, Easy List Management,
Privacy Guaranteed, Real-Time Email Tracking, Popular CRM Integration and HTML
Design Freedom
Mailchimp Mailchimp has a range of
features to create, manage and deliver emails and auto responders. Customise
the perfect email for your business. They offer advanced reporting
features you can access anywhere. Monitor sales and website activity with
revenue reports.
A couple of other good habits to
develop would be;
Use “foreshadowing” in your
messages. For example, toward the end of your current broadcast email, mention
that they can look for another email from you next Tuesday. Once you’ve set
those expectations do what you can to meet them, do your best to keep your
promise and email when your readers expect it.
Clean up your list regularly. If
subscribers haven’t been opening your emails for the past six months, chances
are good they are no longer interested in what you have to offer. Check your
auto responder services manual or help files to see how you can go about
deleting anyone that hasn’t opened an email from you in the past six months. If
that freaks you out, or you have a seasonal business, start by deleting anyone
that hasn’t looked at your emails in the past year.
Following these tips and keeping
an eye on email deliverability in general will make sure your emails are being
read by your subscribers and that’s the point of email marketing, isn’t it?
Good luck!
Til next time,
Stay Safe, Stay Smiling - x -
