5 Tips to Build an Email List

You built your website, started your blog and made sure everything worked. Then you sat back and waited for the page views and blog subscriptions to start rolling in. It probably didn’t take long to realize that potential customers weren’t flocking to your website, did it?

Email marketing is one of the best ways to grow an audience for your website and build relationships with potential and current customers. Building a list isn’t as difficult as you might think, if you keep a few tips and tricks in mind.

  1. Make it easy to sign up. Whether you use a pop-up on your website or a quick form on one side of your web page, subscribing should be as easy as entering in an email address and clicking "Submit." If you require too many steps, you’ll lose people. No one feels they have time to waste on lengthy sign-up forms. Don’t make your sign-up page too complicated.
  2. Give something away. Offering a free e-book or white paper for new subscriptions is a great way to capture new readers and customers. Make sure your giveaway offers valuable information or insight.
  3. Create a landing page for email subscriptions. A page with a bit of text, your free offer (see number two above) and a simple form is a great tool for new subscribers. This page can be shared on social media and in other places without forcing a new reader to navigate your entire website to subscribe.
  4. Don’t send out too many emails. Once you’ve convinced people to subscribe, don’t flood their inboxes with too many emails or they’ll soon unsubscribe from your list. One or two emails a week is usually plenty for most businesses.
  5. Share your best information and best offers. Since you won’t be sending out too many emails, you’ll want to make sure you only share valuable information. Consider a newsletter format with a few blog posts from the previous weeks, some tips and tricks to help your customers, and any special offers.

A solid email list is one of the best ways to grow your business in the online world. Share valuable information and offers that help your customers, make it easy to subscribe and don’t spam people. With these tips in mind, you’ll be on your way to a growing, thriving email list in no time.