How to Build an Email List the Easy Way

If you have a business or website, then you should know how to build an email list. Every business needs a consistent flow of potential leads. And email marketing has proven to be one of the most effective ways to generate leads consistently. The key is using the right framework.

Why Email?

Hands down, email is one of the best ways to reach consumers in a digital-driven economy.

There are 3.9 billion global email users, and that number is expected to cross 4 billion by 2024. And according to DMA research, email marketing has the highest ROI (return on investment) – expect £42 back for every one pound spent (4200%).

Email marketing should serve as a means of spotting prospects likely to become customers and then contact each person.

While email is powerful, it’s much stronger when combined with the telephone. That’s because not everyone converts via email alone.

Ask the audience for permission to reach each person by phone to leverage that channel for communication. The sales team can contact the potential customers that agree. For those that refuse telephone communication, you should still attempt to close the deal over email.

Now, here’s how to build an email list in four steps.

1. Acquire Email Marketing Software

You’ll need an email marketing platform to manage subscriptions and communications. Make sure the email marketing software you choose has the following features.

• Automation
• Responsive templates
• List or contact management
• Integrations for capability expansion
• Email deliverability assistance
• CAN-SPAM, CASL, and GDPR Compliance

Mailer Lite and Constant Contact are two of the best email marketing platforms on the market – both come with the aforementioned features, among others. You can try either one for free.

If you plan on strictly cold emailing prospects, then consider Snov. The platform is designed for cold emailing and meets all requirements.

2. Create Lead Magnets

A lead magnet is an offer that can entice people to join your mailing list, such as this SEO checklist.

The kind of lead magnets that work varies by industry, but certain content types do well for most businesses. For example, guides (or how-to content) typically work well for real estate, beauty, marketing, and retail.

You can have as many lead magnets as you want – the more, the merrier. Just make sure you’re producing high-quality and valuable resources.

3. Set Landing Pages

Now that you have your lead magnets ready to go, it’s time to set up landing pages for each. Landing pages are web pages developed to accomplish specific goals.

Most landing pages are designed to encourage the visitor to take one important action. That could be buying a product or subscribing to a newsletter.

Your landing pages should do a good job convincing people to download or access your lead magnets in exchange for an email address. That means your web copy and aesthetics need to be on point. It should concisely explain why someone should bother with the resource.

4. Promote Your Email List

One of the unbreakable rules of business is that nothing happens without promotion. So you have to promote your email list or newsletter, which can be done in several ways.

Leverage the following for promotion.

• Your website
• Content marketing
• Social media
• Partnerships or collaborations

Let’s take a look at each and share some tips.

Your Website

Your website is the most important avenue for generating leads. That’s because most of your site visitors are either in the research or purchase phase of the customer journey. These people are more likely to subscribe.

Here are some tips concerning how to build an email list with your website.

• Add a site-wide signup form to your website. Make sure the offer is compelling and noticeable to attract subscribers.
• Link to your lead magnet landing pages. Drop links within blog content and showcase offer on key pages, such as the homepage, contact, and about pages. The core idea is to make it easy for visitors to find your free offers.
• Keep your lead capture form short. It’s better to limit the information you ask users for because too many fields can scare people away. Two to three fields on your web form is a reasonable limit – you can always collect more info later.
• Establish a blog if not done already. Starting a blog and sharing content can help you gain more subscribers. That’s because it increases your rankings on search engines, attracting more qualified users to the site.

Content Marketing

By now, you already understand the significance of content, so no need to blab on about it. Here are some tips regarding how to build an email list with content marketing.

• Continuously create new lead magnets, such as eBooks. There are zero limits to how many you can have, but make sure people can find each one.
• Offer a free online tool. Content marketing goes beyond texts and can include resources that delight prospects. Offer something for free that helps your target audience, such as this free SEO tool.
• Add a bonus supporting content to your lead magnets. That can encourage more people to subscribe to your mailing list.

Social Media

Social media channels can be great for reaching potential subscribers. Here are some tips concerning how to build an email list using social media.

• Share your lead magnet landing pages. People that are already connected with you on social media are more likely to subscribe. Plus, you can reach new prospects.
• Run free giveaways on social media channels. Have entrants visit a web page to register for the contest using an email address.
• Add a link with CTA (call-to-action) on your Facebook business page. The link should lead prospects to one of your landing pages.

• Create a Pinterest board that promotes your lead magnets. Sharing your lead magnets using a well-designed Pinterest photo can help you attract potential leads.
• Add lead magnet links to your YouTube channel. That includes hyperlinked video cards, links in video descriptions, and pinned comments.

Partnership or Collaboration

Use partnerships or collaborations with other businesspeople to grow your contact list. For example, you can appear as a guest on someone else’s show and promote one of your lead magnets. You may have to pay for the exposure, but the potential payoff is worth it.

Always give away your best stuff for free in every partnership or collaboration opportunity. That way, you can attract as many subscribers as possible.

Here are some ways you can collaborate to grow your email list.

• Guest posting – This refers to articles written by guest authors. Try to share at least one lead magnet landing page in your posts. It’s not always possible since many websites prefer a passive approach when promoting oneself.
• Podcast – Find podcasts that serve your target audience and reach out to the hosts for a chance to contribute. Don’t forget to let the podcast host know you also want to pitch a free offer that the audience will love.
• Online events – These digital gatherings typically provide contributors with the opportunity to pitch offers. For example, you can become part of an online summit that happens regularly on a specified date.

BONUS Promotion Tip

You can grow your email list further by engaging current subscribers. That includes getting some of your current subscribers to join a new list.

Here are some useful tips.

• Encourage current subscribers to share your email content. Add social sharing icons and an email share button in every message to facilitate. Sometimes, people will subscribe if referred by someone trusted.
• Create relevant and high-quality content. Content is the main reason people will remain on your contact list.
• Tap into an old email list if you have one (maybe from another site). Reach out and ask people to re-subscribe. Let everyone know it’s for your new venture, and those who don’t subscribe will be removed from the list.
• Add a link to one of your lead magnets on email signatures. That way, anybody you communicate with via email has the option of opting in whenever. For example, you can place something like ‘Download the X eBook for Free to X’ below your signature.

There are many tactics available to you for growing your email list. The important thing isn’t knowing what each one is, but rather understanding the framework. Do that, and your email list will continue to grow for years. You can always come up with or find tactics that’ll work for your business.