Email marketing, without a doubt, has the highest ROI\u00a0of any marketing channel. At an estimated $40 return on each $1 spent, you can\u2019t afford to invest in email marketing.<\/p>\n
Another beautiful reason to build a proper email list is that. If your customers give you your email address, they\u2019re already warm leads. They\u2019ve shown you that they\u2019re interested in what you have to say, and they want more.<\/p>\n
While building an amazing email list is already a top priority for most brands. Actually being successful at it is a totally different ball game. With so many things to think of when running your online store, it\u2019s normal to get overwhelmed by the idea of building your own email list from scratch.<\/p>\n
Lucky for you, there are tons of ways to build an email list with persuasive opt-in forms that integrate easily with your WordPress site.
\nAnd our 9 methods are easy to set up and get immediate results.<\/p>\n
So what have you got to lose?<\/p>\n
An email list is a database of users and customers who have subscribed to receive more of your\u00a0content. This can be people who have signed up to receive your special offers or just people\u00a0who want to get your blog posts or newsletters.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s amazing about building your email list is that you\u2019re the proprietor of that list, unlike other\u00a0methods of marketing.<\/p>\n
A third party like Facebook or Google can\u2019t take it from you. Your email list essentially\u00a0belongs to you as long as those people keep consenting to let you contact them.<\/p>\n
Remember when I said that email subscribers were warm leads?<\/p>\n
When you spend time nurturing those leads, you can transform them from subscribers to\u00a0loyal, die-hard customers.<\/p>\n
Maybe you\u2019re not convinced. Maybe you think there\u2019s a corner or two you can cut.<\/p>\n
You think it\u2019s better to buy an email list.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t do it. Full stop.<\/p>\n
Seriously.<\/p>\n
A lot of business owners and entrepreneurs build their shiny new sites and think they can just\u00a0purchase an email list and call it a day.<\/p>\n
The biggest problem, aside from being probably illegal and definitely sketchy, is that this method\u00a0values quantity over quality.<\/p>\n
Because these dodgy people on the internet trying to sell you these lists are going to tell you\u00a0they\u2019re \u201cquality\u201d because they want your money. I don\u2019t care if you sell only shoes and this list\u00a0claims to have the biggest shoe shopaholics in the world.<\/p>\n
Those people won\u2019t care about your shoes.<\/p>\n
\u25cf You don\u2019t own that list: If you\u2019ve bought it on the first page of a Google search, how\u00a0many other people have bought that list?
\n\u25cf Spam Traps: Chances are, if these people are getting emails from the thousands of\u00a0others who have bought this list, they\u2019re sending anything they don\u2019t know right to spam.\u00a0Know what kills your domain reputation for the customers who do want your emails?\u00a0Getting all your messages sent to spam.
\n\u25cf Your email service provider will terminate your account. If your reputation goes\u00a0down the tubes, and a lot of people are complaining about spam from you, your service\u00a0provider will likely terminate your account. Never mind the rating your domain will have\u00a0on apps like WOT\u00a0(Web of Trust).
\n\u25cf You could get fined: If the contacts on your email list are located in the EU, you\u2019re\u00a0violating the GDPR. If a contact did not expressly consent to you contacting them, you\u00a0could get fined by the EU and those fines are not cheap.\u00a0So if you\u2019re trying to turn the channel with the best ROI\u00a0into the reason your business\u00a0shuts down, feel free to buy a list.<\/p>\n
But if you put in the legwork, and you build your list organically, you\u2019ll have a list of people who\u00a0actually, want to hear from you.<\/p>\n
A great email marketing provider will help you send bulk emails to your subscribers. A service\u00a0like MailChimp will usually get the job done, but it\u2019s also important to shop around for an email\u00a0provider that makes you feel comfortable and isn\u2019t unnecessarily complicated.\u00a0The email marketing provider you want will:<\/p>\n
\u25cf Integrate easily with your WordPress site
\n\u25cf Provide signup forms and popup boxes
\n\u25cf Allow you to segment your lists so you can better target your subscribers
\n\u25cf Enable you to create automated messages based on those segments<\/p>\n
Once you set up your account, you\u2019ll be ready to start building your email list.<\/p>\n
There are a ton of WordPress plugins that allow you to create an opt-in form on your site, but\u00a0chances are, if you\u2019ve chosen an especially awesome email marketing provider, they already\u00a0integrate with WordPress.<\/p>\n
A standard opt-in form is just a simple text-input box either in the header or the footer of your\u00a0site.<\/p>\n
But maybe you want to get fancy- and I encourage it.<\/p>\n
You can have a hidden box that either pops up or has a tab on the bottom or the side of your\u00a0content.<\/p>\n
Like so.<\/p>\n
Using a standard opt-in form means that customers who want to sign up will know exactly where\u00a0they have to go.<\/p>\n
Standard opt-in forms are great, but they\u2019re not active. Sometimes, you need something a bit\u00a0less passive to get the results you want.<\/p>\n
While you shouldn\u2019t go crazy with them, a good popup form can be ultra effective at snagging\u00a0that email address, especially when paired with an incentive.<\/p>\n
A great email marketing<\/a> provider will allow you to customize not only the way the forms\u00a0look and their design but also when they should and shouldn\u2019t appear.<\/p>\n For example, you can typically set a popup to appear after a certain amount of time, or after a\u00a0certain amount of pages, after a certain percentage of the page scrolled, or if the user moves\u00a0their mouse towards the back button (famously known as exit-intent<\/a>).<\/p>\n You should test options like these regularly to see what works best for your WordPress site and\u00a0your visitors. Regardless, this kind of popup will definitely help you see more subscribers.<\/p>\n Popups work great on their own.<\/p>\n But a discount or another offer will sweeten that deal and incentivize your visitors to hand over\u00a0their email addresses.<\/p>\n Chances are, if they\u2019re already interested, all they need is a little push.<\/p>\n Popups are effective- they\u2019re tried and true. However, because they\u2019re so effective, that means\u00a0one thing.<\/p>\n Everybody is using them.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a bit of a double-edged sword, your customers expect it, so it\u2019s not so annoying. But they\u2019re\u00a0expecting it so it\u2019s not interesting either.<\/p>\n But there are ways to turn the mundane into fun by adding dynamic gamification into the mix.\u00a0For example, Omniscient offers a Wheel of Fortune feature that allows you to create a range of\u00a0discounts. A customer can get and use that as your incentive for signing up.<\/p>\n This makes it more interesting to sign up for your content and paints your brand as more\u00a0dynamic.<\/p>\n #6: Use a great landing page to build your email list\u00a0While you can employ all of the above tactics directly on your site, it\u2019s possible to build your Using a landing page is especially useful for seasonal promotions or situations where you want\u00a0to build a list of people interested in one specific thing.<\/p>\n Why do this? Fewer distractions and more precise targeting.<\/p>\n By testing your landing pages you can use them effectively to build concentrated email\u00a0subscriber lists.<\/p>\n A lead magnet is usually some kind of gift you give your customers in exchange for their email\u00a0addresses. Typically a dematerialized, downloadable resource, it\u2019s a great incentive to get\u00a0customers to sign up and express their interest.<\/p>\n You can also combine some of these tactics. And put your lead magnet on a landing page to\u00a0pack an even bigger punch.<\/p>\n We follow our own advice.<\/p>\n Like any content, a good lead magnet should be related to your business. Don\u2019t send out your\u00a0best gardening tips if you\u2019re selling auto parts. It won\u2019t make sense.<\/p>\n Everyone loves getting something for free. A great giveaway can be a powerful method of collecting email addresses.<\/p>\n Because if a customer is interested in getting your products for free, they\u2019re also interested in\u00a0buying your products.<\/p>\n Your prize can also be something you don\u2019t sell, but as I mentioned, make sure there\u2019s an\u00a0obvious link to your products<\/a>. For example, if you sell electronics, a great giveaway could be a\u00a0fancy case for a laptop.<\/p>\n You can also make it a tiered giveaway, and offer additional entries for other means of\u00a0engagement with your brand:<\/p>\n Again, a giveaway is a great reason to try out your snazzy new landing pages too.<\/p>\n Sharing is caring, and when you incentivize your customers to share the amazing offers. They get\u00a0from your site, they will boost your email list and bring in new customers.<\/p>\n There are a few ways you can get referrals from your customers:<\/p>\n \u25cf Adding the option to forward your newsletters and emails with friends and family#4: Sweeten the deal with an incentive<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
#5: Make signing up interactive and fun<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
\nemail list off of your page.<\/p>\n#7: Laws of attraction: create a lead magnet<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
#8: Give it away, give it away now<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
#9: Reward your customers from your referral programs<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
\n\u25cf Adding sharing options at the end of your dynamic content (like your amazing lead
\nmagnets, landing pages, etc)
\n\u25cf Including a discount for you and\/or the referee
\n\u25cf Adding sharing options as bonus entries to your giveaways<\/p>\n