Even as social media grows, email marketing remains one of the most effective online marketing strategies.
You may have heard that social media marketing is becoming increasingly pay-to-play, meaning that your audience may not see your posts unless you pay to promote them.
The benefit of building your own email list is that it is yours forever if your subscribers do not opt out. You don’t have to pay extra to get your emails to your subscribers.
One of the best ways to grow your email list is to get website visitors to sign up. Our goal in this post is to help you grow your email list by converting website visitors into subscribers.
Why collecting emails from website visitors is vital
When creating a website, you probably want visitors to take some sort of action. Maybe you want people to buy something, donate to your cause, or schedule an appointment with you. But what if someone visits your website but doesn’t take action?
Email marketing can help at this junction!
- Email marketing allows you to collect contact information and stay in touch with website visitors. Why did these people come to your site? They clearly want what your company offers. That makes them valuable prospects. Collecting their email addresses allows you to keep marketing to them until they take action.
- Email marketing has the best ROI of all online marketing methods.
- When you collect email addresses, you own them. Unlike social media, you don’t have to pay extra to reach them.
- Email marketing automation saves time by attracting and engaging new customers and supporters.
How to increase website email signups
Here are some proven methods to increase email signups from your website.
Explain to your visitor why they should subscribe
When you ask for email addresses, whether online or in person, make sure to explain the benefits to your subscribers. Why should they join? Some of their interests may be:
- Being the first to know about new products or services
- Updates on your nonprofit’s mission-driven work
- Reminders and invitations
- Exclusive sales and deals
- Original articles with valuable business information and tips
Popup forms
Using a popup email signup form is one way to ensure you don’t miss out on potential email subscribers. These forms pop up right in front of website visitors’ eyes. You can make them appear after a certain time or upon “exit intent” — when a user is about to leave your website.
Assemble a mobile-friendly website and signup form
Nowadays, mobile-friendliness is vital. To maximize your chances of growing your email list, you must ensure two things:
- Your form is hosted on a mobile-friendly website.
- Your signup form is mobile friendly.
Because mobile devices now account for over half of web traffic. Your website, signup form, and emails must be mobile-friendly to reach half of your potential customers.
Offer a valuable incentive for subscribing
Instant value is a great way to gain new email subscribers. Giving a 15% discount coupon in exchange for an email address can be effective.
It’s worth it! The first sale may cost you 15%, but once you have a customer’s email address, you can market to them indefinitely — provided they don’t unsubscribe.
Engage your subscribers
Collecting email addresses isn’t enough to grow your list. Your next goal should be to keep your subscribers engaged with valuable content. They may even forward your emails to a friend who may become a new subscriber!
Deliver valuable content
Remember, email marketing isn’t all about you. A good marketer listens to their customers. When creating email content, consider what matters most to your subscribers and deliver that. Send one email per month to your list, but not just any email.
Make your new and old subscribers eager to receive your updates by consistently providing them with valuable content.