In addition to guest posting on the UpCity blog, Incite Response is featured as one of the Top Email Marketing Agencies in the United States. Check out their profile!
Most small business owners understand that email marketing is a valuable tool for reaching and engaging with existing and new customers, but it requires a solid list of email addresses to be effective. Collecting contact information for your current customers and existing email subscribers is easy, but convincing website visitors to fill out an opt-in form and become new subscribers requires careful planning. You’ll need well-designed landing pages, clever call-to-actions, consistent A/B testing, intelligent conversion rate optimization, and a wealth of other marketing tools.
Here are some strategies for growing your subscriber list followed up by our top hall of shame email list growth tactics. If you follow our tips for email lead generation, you’ll be ready to launch highly successful email marketing campaigns in no time.
Top Tips for Setting Your Email Campaigns Up for Success
Offer Incentives for Signing Up
One way to encourage people to join your email list is by offering incentives such as coupons, discounts, exclusive freebies, a free ebook, entrance into a giveaway, or early access to sale pricing. Ecommerce retailers in particular can benefit from this type of digital marketing strategy.
Use Social Media Marketing
Promote your email list on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and include an email sign-up form link on your social media profiles. This can help you convert your social media followers into proud members of your contact list.
Include a Sign-up Form on Your Website
Make it easy for visitors to your website to join your email list by including a sign-up form prominently on your homepage and other pages. A simple email newsletter signup is better than nothing and can help you generate emails slowly over time.
Partner With Other Businesses
Consider partnering with other businesses to cross-promote each other’s email lists. For example, if you own a bakery, you could partner with a local coffee shop to offer a discount to customers who sign up for both lists.
Collect Email Addresses in Person
If you have a physical storefront or attend events, ask customers to sign up for your email list in person. You can also collect email addresses at trade shows or conferences.
Use Lead Magnets
A lead magnet is a piece of content that is highly valuable to your target audience and is offered in exchange for an email address. Examples of lead magnets include ebooks, whitepapers, webinars, and free trials.
By using these strategies and consistently adding new email addresses to your list, you can effectively grow your email marketing list and reach a larger audience with your marketing efforts.
Should You Double Opt-In?
Double opt-in email marketing is a process in which individuals must confirm their email address and intention to receive emails from a specific sender before they are added to an email list. This process is designed to ensure that only individuals who are genuinely interested in receiving emails from the sender are added to the list. There are several pros and cons to using double opt-in email marketing, which is outlined below.
Pros:
-
Increased accuracy of email lists: Because individuals must confirm their email address and intention to receive emails, the email lists generated through double opt-in marketing are likely to be more accurate and up-to-date. This can be beneficial for the sender, as it means that they are sending emails to individuals who are likely to be interested in the content, rather than sending emails to inactive or uninterested individuals.
-
Improved email deliverability: Email deliverability refers to the percentage of emails that are successfully delivered to the intended recipient’s inbox. When email lists are accurate and up-to-date, the deliverability of emails is likely to be improved, as the sender is sending emails to individuals who are interested in receiving them. This can be beneficial for the sender, as it means that their emails are more likely to be seen and read by the intended audience.
-
Enhanced reputation: When individuals confirm their email address and intention to receive emails, it shows that they are interested in the content and want to receive it. This can help to enhance the reputation of the sender, as it shows that they are sending emails to individuals who are interested in the content and want to receive it. This can be beneficial for the sender, as it can help to build trust and credibility with the audience.
Cons:
-
Reduced email list size: Because individuals must confirm their email address and intention to receive emails before they are added to the email list, the email list size is likely to be smaller than if the sender was using a single opt-in process. This can be disadvantageous for the sender, as it means that they have a smaller audience to send emails to.
-
Increased time and effort: The double opt-in process requires individuals to confirm their email address and intention to receive emails, which can take time and effort. This can be disadvantageous for the sender, as it means that they have to put in extra time and effort to generate and maintain their email list.
-
Potential for individuals to forget to confirm: Some individuals may forget to confirm their email address and intention to receive emails, which can result in them not being added to the email list. This can be disadvantageous for the sender, as it means that they are potentially missing out on potential customers or subscribers.
Overall, the use of double opt-in email marketing has both pros and cons. It can help to increase the accuracy and deliverability of emails, as well as enhance the reputation of the sender. However, it can also result in a smaller email list size, increased time and effort, and the potential for individuals to forget to confirm their email address and intention to receive emails.
Hear From Industry Experts
Read the latest tips, research, best practices, and insights from our community of expert B2B service providers.
The Worst Email Marketing Mistakes You Can Make
Bad email list-building ideas are practices that may seem appealing at first, but ultimately result in a poor-quality email list that is unlikely to engage with your emails or drive conversions. Some examples of bad email list-building ideas include:
Purchasing Email Lists
This is a big no-no in the world of email marketing. Not only is it unethical, but it is also against most email service providers’ terms of service. Purchased email lists are often compiled of random email addresses that have not opted-in to receive emails from you. As a result, you will likely have a high bounce rate, low open and click-through rates, and potentially even get your account suspended.
Using Pop-ups or Overlays to Collect Emails
While these tactics can be effective in collecting emails, they can also be annoying and intrusive to users. If users feel like they are being bombarded with pop-ups and overlays, they may become frustrated and less likely to engage with your emails.
Failing to Clearly Explain the Value of Subscribing
When collecting emails, it’s important to clearly communicate the value that subscribers will receive in exchange for their email addresses. If you fail to do this, users may be less likely to opt in, or they may unsubscribe after realizing that the emails they are receiving are not valuable to them.
Using Deceptive Tactics to Collect Emails
This includes using misleading subject lines or false promises to entice users to sign up for your email list. This not only damages your reputation but also results in a low-quality email list that is unlikely to engage with your emails.
Maybe you want to risk it.
The CAN-SPAM Act
The CAN-SPAM Act is a law that sets the rules for commercial email and establishes requirements for commercial messages, gives recipients the right to have emails stopped from being sent to them, and spells out tough penalties for violations. In order to comply with CAN-SPAM, there are several requirements that businesses must follow when sending commercial emails.
First, all commercial emails must clearly and conspicuously identify themselves as an advertisement or solicitation. This means that the subject line must not mislead the recipient about the contents of the email. Additionally, the sender’s identity must be clearly identified in the email.
Second, commercial emails must include a valid physical postal address. This address can be the business’s street address, a P.O. box registered with the U.S. Postal Service, or a private mailbox registered with a commercial mail-receiving agency established under Postal Service regulations.
Third, commercial emails must include an opt-out mechanism that allows the recipient to unsubscribe from receiving future emails. The opt-out mechanism must be clearly and prominently displayed, and it must be easy for the recipient to use.
Fourth, commercial emails must honor opt-out requests promptly. If a recipient asks to be removed from the email list, the sender must remove them within 10 business days.
Finally, it is important for businesses to keep records of all opt-out requests, as well as any other information related to compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act.
Violations of the CAN-SPAM Act can result in significant fines and penalties. Businesses that send commercial emails should make sure that they are in compliance with the law to avoid these consequences. By following these requirements, businesses can ensure that they are sending emails that are both legal and respectful of their customers’ wishes.