If you are wondering how to grow your email list, then you need this beginner’s guide with 20 proven and creative strategies and tactics to build and grow your email list exponentially.
Growing an engaged email list is one of the most important parts of creating a successful email marketing strategy.
[bctt tweet=”Growing an engaged email list is one of the most important parts of creating a successful email marketing strategy.” username=”dmsinstitute”]
And for a lot of businesses and organizations, it’s also one of the most challenging.
The big question is: How can you capitalize on email’s best features to grow your audience and generate more leads and sales?
The answer lies in the ability of newbie digital marketers to learn how to implement industry best email marketing strategies like list building that will make your growing business better positioned for sales and conversions.
You can be among these lucky marketers if you take the email marketing class in our digital marketing course.
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If your email list is short, unqualified, full of unverified emails, or just not on-track with your targeting, that poor-quality data can be worse than having no data at all!
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So, to solve this, in this post, we have compiled 20 of the most proven and creative ways to build and grow a quality and clean email list for your email marketing effectiveness.
But first,
What is an Email List?
Defined simply, an email list is a collection of email addresses that a business can create by engaging with potential customers through lead-generating campaigns.
[bctt tweet=”Defined simply, an email list is a collection of email addresses that a business can create by engaging with potential customers through lead-generating campaigns.” username=”dmsinstitute”]
Email lists can shrink as members opt out of email subscriptions, and grow as the business solicits contact information from website visitors.
If you’re not working on building your email list already, or you’ve run out of ideas to do so, here are 25 simple and strategic ways to build and grow your email list.
How to Build Your Email List Easily
How to Build Email List #1: Create Irresistible Email Content
Your content needs to be amazing if you want people to stay subscribed and forward your emails to their own network.
If it’s entertaining enough, they’ll always look forward to your emails.
Include social sharing buttons and an “Email to a Friend” button in your marketing emails.
That way, you’ll gain access to their friends, colleagues, and networks and expand your contact list.
[bctt tweet=”At the bottom of your emails, include a Subscribe CTA as a simple text-based link so that the people receiving the forwarded emails can easily opt-in, too.” username=”dmsinstitute”]
How to Build Email List #3: Add a Link to Your Employees’ Signatures
Hyperlinked email signatures can lead people to a landing page where they can sign up for your mailing list.
Plus, if you’re already in a natural email conversation with them, subscribing to more emails can be a natural next step.
How to Grow Email List #4: Create a New lead-generation offer
Develop a free ebook or whitepaper and host it on a landing page that asks visitors to provide their email address in order to download it.
This is called a “gated offer.”
(Need ideas? This blog post lists ways to create lead-generation content quickly and easily.)
How to Grow Email List #5: Create a FREE Online Tool or Resource
Free online tools make your users’ lives easier, and all they have to do is sign up with their email address.
[bctt tweet=”For example, offering templates, checklists, tutorial videos, etc., to your visitors for free can be a good way to collect their email addresses in exchange for the resource.” username=”dmsinstitute”]
You can find such resource ideas here.
How to Grow Email List #6: Invite People to ‘Join the Club’
You can offer access to your membership platform on the website, or on social media channels. This should allow people to “enroll” by providing their email addresses and any other relevant data.
Thinking about creating your own membership site?
You might want to consider offering free registration (or at a subsidized rate) to collect data for a larger package.
Our Digital Marketing Authority Membership site is a great example of using a membership site as a lead magnet.
In the membership group, once you gain access, you have access to some of our premium digital marketing resources like:
- Webinars
- Resource library
- Templates
- Mentorship and coaching
- And many more…
How to Grow Email List #7: Organize a Giveaway
Using snail mail and/or your existing email list, send people a postcard asking for email information and offer them a reward for providing it.
How to Grow Email List #8: Try some Telemarketing
Throughout the day, you and your employees probably interact with many customers and prospects on the phone.
Before you hang up, always ask if they would like to join your email list.
Give them a brief statement of the benefits of enrolling — for example, exclusive offers and discounts only available to email subscribers.
How to Grow Email List #9: Optimize your Website for opt-ins
If a customer or prospect visits your website, they’re already at least somewhat interested.
Don’t miss the opportunity to add them to your email list.
Include email registration forms on every main page of your site, as well as on the pages for popular products and services. This way, your website is optimized for lead generation.
How to Grow Email List #10: Collect Emails from Your Blog
Your blog provides a great way to build a personal relationship with customers and prospects — and to gather their email addresses.
[bctt tweet=”Consistently end blog posts with a call to action that encourages readers to sign up for your email messages or to download a repurposed version of that particular blog post in PDF, infographic or other formats.” username=”dmsinstitute”]
Require blog visitors to provide an email list in order to leave comments, and set it up so that they have to actively opt out if they don’t want their email address included on your mailing list.
How to Grow Email List #11: Host an Online Webinar
Webinars are the perfect opportunity to talk about your industry and access the audience of thought leaders whom you might want to present with.
[bctt tweet=”The best part? Webinars are normally registered for via email, making your listeners more willing to be contacted afterward.” username=”dmsinstitute”]
You can collect email addresses at registration.
How to Grow Email List #12: Promote an Online Contest
Use your social media accounts to host a free giveaway in exchange for contact information.
Encourage entrants to click through to your website and sign up using their email address.
How to Grow Email List #13: Promote one of Your Gated Offers on Social Media
Create a Twitter campaign to promote an ebook or a free resource to your followers that requires an email address to redeem.
Promote content on your Facebook Timeline that your followers can sign up to access.
Be sure to add social sharing buttons to the landing pages and thank-you pages you send them to so that you encourage your leads to share those offers with their own networks.
[bctt tweet=”Be sure to add social sharing buttons to the landing pages and thank-you pages you send them to so that you encourage your leads to share those offers with their own networks.” username=”dmsinstitute”]
How to Grow Email List #14: Don’t Waste Website Visits
If a visitor gets through your entire website without opting in, grab them one last time before they go.
Set a lightbox to appear asking for an email address whenever someone is about to navigate away from your website or blog.
How to Grow Email List #15: Get Employees Involved
Reward employees for collecting valid, testable email addresses.
Remember to have them obtain the person’s consent before giving you the email address for your list.
How to Grow Email List #16: Word of Mouth Still Rocks
Ask current and new customers to refer new subscribers to your list.
Sweeten the deal by offering them a discount as a reward for valid, confirmed and consent-backed email addresses.
How to Grow Email List #17: Encourage forwarding
When you send an email, include a forward-to-a-friend link in case recipients want to forward your content to someone they think will find it interesting.
Make sure the link directs newcomers to a page with your opt-in form.
How to Grow Email List #18: Encourage competition
Sponsor a video contest in which customers create a one-minute video about why they like your business, products or services.
Ask them to send the videos to you and post them to your Facebook page.
Invite visitors to vote on which video should win a cash or merchandise prize. Include an email opt-in on your Facebook page that allows them to execute that aciton.
How to Grow Email List #19: Subscriber-only access
[bctt tweet=”Everyone likes the feeling of being in on something exclusive. Offer your email subscribers something only they can get.” username=”dmsinstitute”]
It might be a special discount. It could be access to a video, e-book or another piece of useful content. Promote the availability of this exclusive access in order to encourage more email enrollments.
How to Grow Email List #20: Collect Email Addresses at Industry Events
Industry events, tradeshows, and conferences are perfect places to grow your email list.
Offline events like trade shows are highly anticipated growth opportunities for professionals in your industry. Demonstrate your latest product at an appropriate conference and collect signups in-person.
Once you’re back at the office, import these signups into your contact database.
How to Grow Email List #21: Guest blog for other websites with a call-to-action
There are tons of websites and publishers out there that cater to your audience, and larger portions of it. Guest blogging for these websites helps you expand your contact list to this audience.
[bctt tweet=”There are tons of websites and publishers out there that cater to your audience, and larger portions of it. Guest blogging for these websites helps you expand your contact list to this audience.” username=”dmsinstitute”]
When creating content as a guest blogger for another website, include a call-to-action, as well as a link in your author byline, for readers to subscribe to your site’s blog or email newsletter.
How to Grow Email List #22: Collect Emails through Guest Wi-Fi
Do you have guest wifi available to patrons at your store?
An app like Gazella Wifi lets you grow your email list without having to lift a finger. Once the app is set up, guests will enter their email address to access your free wifi.
Once those guests connect, Gazella’s integration adds contacts directly into your email marketing software like GetResponse.
How to Grow Email List #23: Ask Website Visitors for Feedback
People enjoy offering feedback on information that pertains to them.
[bctt tweet=”On certain pages of your website, include a form that asks visitors what questions they might have about your business.” username=”dmsinstitute”]
You might also create a live chat tool that invites questions and email addresses from people who have stayed on your website for a certain amount of time.
How to Grow Email List #24: Guest Blog for other Websites with a Call-to-Action
There are tons of websites and publishers out there that cater to your audience.
Guest blogging for these websites helps you expand your contact list to this audience.
[bctt tweet=”When creating content as a guest blogger for another website, include a call-to-action, as well as a link in your author byline, for readers to subscribe to your site’s blog or email newsletter.” username=”dmsinstitute”]
How to Grow Email List #25: Host a Co-marketing Offer with a Partner
Creating an ebook or webinar with a partner can split up the work of content creation and allow you to share the audience of a similar business.
After you release your content, split the leads you generate with your partner.
Conclusion
These are all examples of things you can start doing today to increase your business’ email database. Many of them are not complicated or difficult to implement.
The key is to attack email list-building from as many angles as possible and do it in the most generally acceptable way as possible.
As you implement these ideas on how to grow your email list, you should also learn to nurture them with middle-of-the-funnel offers that allow you to convert early-stage leads into sales-ready leads.
What next?
You should now go a step further to learn how to become a pro email marketer from our digital marketing course.
It’s comprehensive, practical, actionable and awesomely valuable for your email and digital marketing career.