How To Build Your Email List From Scratch (Step by Step)

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. There are over 4 billion email users across the globe, so that means it shouldn't be that hard to grow your own email list, right? Hmm. In this video, I'll reveal four highly effective strategies to help you take your email list from 0 to 10,000 or more. The possibilities are endless. But before we dive in, the best way to develop growth strategies is by having organized email data. Personally, I use our email marketing planning template to keep track of my email performance. Now with that out of the way, let's get you some more subscribers. Tip Number 1 Harness the power of email Signup CTA's a CTA or Call to Action can be powerful when used in the right way. CTA's LIVE ON YOUR website as popups, buttons, forms, and more to encourage your visitors to take a desired action. These actions may include sharing your content on social media, starting a free trial, and you guessed it, signing up for your email newsletter. I'm sure you visited multiple websites that have pop ups right on the homepage asking you to join their email list. I know I have. Pop up CTAs like these can be extremely effective when it comes to getting new subscribers. In fact, they have an estimated conversion rate as high as 8% compared to just 1.5% for generic end of page CTAs. A good pop up CTA is simple, uses action verbs, creates a sense of urgency, and showcases your brand's personality. Take this example. Let's say you just started a career coaching business, your website is live and you want to get your email newsletter off the ground. If you added a pop up CTA to your website, it could sound a little something like this. Hate writing cover letters? We get it. Check out our newsletter for the latest and greatest job search hacks. Subscribe Today. Let's unpack why this example works. For starters, we kept it short and simple. It's only 21 words and it gets straight to the point quickly. We've also used action verbs. Check out and subscribe. Give our visitors a clear ask. Also, we're not just asking people to subscribe, we're asking them to subscribe today. This creates a sense of urgency and by introducing the message Hate writing cover letters. We get it. We've given our brand a conversational, relatable and empathetic voice. Looks like we're four for four. The other thing to keep in mind is that your CTA is only as good as the value it conveys. Make sure you're really emphasizing why readers should care about your newsletter. In the earlier example of our career coaching business, we flat out said we have the latest and greatest job search hacks. That's extremely valuable for someone who is looking for a new job or seeking career advice. Your CTA should always align with the needs of your target audience. Now, throughout this video I've been referring to CTAs in plural. However, make sure you're not overwhelming your visitors with too many CTAs. This can confuse readers and lead them to abandon your website altogether. In fact, a study by Omnisend revealed that emails with three or more CTAs have lower click through rates than emails with less than 3. This is a good rule of thumb to consider for your individual web pages as well. Not sure how to add pop up CTAs or another CTA style to your website? Look into what's available through your website hosting platform. The FAQ page or knowledge base is a helpful place to start. With a good CTA strategy. You can sit back and watch your email list blue, but that's just step one. Tip Number two Offer Incentives to Draw Subscribers in Personally, I love getting free stuff. I mean, who doesn't? You know what I'm saying? Offering free incentives is the perfect way to draw email subscribers and potential customers to your business. Let's look at the facts. When it comes to freebies, 8 out of 10 people are more likely to shop with a company in the future after receiving a free item, and those same eight people have a more positive impression of the brand. If you're trying to boost your email list, use incentives to encourage email signups. To decide what to offer. Try asking yourself these three questions. Number one what are my audience's needs? Back to our career coaching business. Example, things like resume templates or interview prep guides are likely very useful. Number two what's trending in my niche right now? In today's job world, imposter syndrome is a hot topic, so a related resource could be an option. Number three Could I provide a small sample of something larger? Maybe you offer one job search checklist instead of a full ebook. Once you've nailed down your offer, be sure to present it in a way that encourages email submission. Ask folks to fill out a form on your website with their name and email address in order to access the freebie. From there, you can either include the option to sign up for your newsletter directly on the form, or you can add a signup CTA to the email that contains the freebie. Remember, it's good practice to have opt in Consent from all your email subscribers motivate them to want information from you instead of making that decision for them. A freebie can serve as motivation to give your brand and your newsletter a chance. However, this strategy only works well if people know what you're offering exists in the first place. Which leads me to my next tip. Tip number three Promote your email newsletter across channels. You have an amazing newsletter and some awesome freebies to give away, but it doesn't mean anything if nobody knows about it. Your website is a solid place to start spreading the word. Leverage those CTAs we talked about to highlight your newsletter and incentives. You can also bring in subscribers by adding a newsletter CTA to your email signature. This method gives you tons of visibility if you're someone who sends out a lot of emails. Plus, do not underestimate the power of social media. You can include a link to your newsletter sign up, landing page or form or directly in your bio on your profile, and you can post about it regularly to encourage your followers to sign up. And here's a little pro tip for you. Create a landing page on your website specific to entries from social media so you can track the success of your email newsletter promotion efforts. One more way to spread the word about your newsletter is through word of mouth. Well, that's how I talk to people. If you're meeting your clients in person or showcasing your products or services and at an event, make it a topic of conversation. And make sure you have the necessary resources with you to collect new email addresses. This could include a QR code linking back to your signup page or an iPad for submitting entries on the spot. Okay, time to move on to our last and final tip. Tip number four. Launch a referral program. You're doing the work to let people know about your newsletter, but you can also let your network do some of the work for you. Mm. Referral programs essentially turn your existing customers into promoters for your brand. Encourage existing email subscribers to share your newsletters and freebies with their families, friends and colleagues, and in return, offer them something in exchange. This can be as simple as a discount off their next purchase or an additional service exclusive to referral participants. So, as a career coach, you could offer $10 off a future coaching session for their first successful referral. This strategy not only drives them to promote your brand, but they'll also be incentivized to buy from you. Again, that's a win win in my book. You hear that? Yeah. That's the sound of thousands of incoming email subscribers. With these tips and a little bit of help from HubSpot's email marketing planning template. You can grow your email list and create an email strategy that really works. Before you go, be sure to like, comment and subscribe so you can stay up to date on all the latest and marketing tips and trends. Now if you'll excuse me, I got your email list to go sign up for. I saw your CTAs. They were catchy, they were timely, they're urgent. I'm ready to sign up. Until then, I'll see you next time. I can find this client info.

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