News flash! Email has been around for close to 50 years now (say whaa?) That’s right. No joke.
The thing is, email is still a major player in how we communicate and get our daily dose of news, gossip, etc. Next to social media, people check their inboxes up to 15 times or more per day, and even every few hours.
So whether you’re a constant inbox checker or not, email is sticking around for awhile. And if email ain’t going anywhere anytime soon, think of its potential as a marketing platform for a second.
Think of the number of people you could reach with a single email.
If your weekly or monthly email newsletter were read by hundreds, if not thousands, of people on a regular basis, chances are they’re paying attention to what you have to say or offer.
And that’s the catch. For successful and cost-effective email campaigns, with a high ROI, you need more than 100 or 200 subscribers (FYI family and friends don’t count in this equation!)
We know there are plenty of juicy new marketing strategies out there, so why even bother with old fashioned email?
There’s power and greatness in numbers as they say.
If people give you access to their inbox, that’s pretty special too. Our inboxes are personal online spaces. We don’t share our inboxes with the world like we often do with our social media accounts.
We get it though. With never ending to-do lists, building an email list and growing a giant subscriber following can be a fleeting thought. But when done right, the benefits will work in your favor.
First things first, you need a strategy to capture the attention of your supporters and biggest fans. You need to amaze them with your awesomeness enough to gain access to their precious inboxes. Then you need to hang on to them—and that’s actually the hard part.
It’s easy to cross the line and bombard people with annoying notifications and website pop-ups. It’s even easier for them to hit the unsubscribe button. The last thing we want to lose are potential clients or customers due to a meh website or email, right?
On the bright side, you can gain more email subscribers the right way through your website with a few simple tactics. Let’s jump in!
- Subscribe Box at the End of a Page
Our attention spans are getting shorter every day. If your website visitors are deeply immersed in a blog post, the last thing they need is a distraction. A glaring “subscribe now!” pop-up could very well backfire and have them saying see ya faster than Speedy Gonzales.
Placing a box to subscribe at the bottom of the page allows your visitors to engage with the content, learn about what you have to offer, and leave them wanting more.
When they’ve reached the end of the page, this is your chance to invite them to subscribe to your email list.
- Incentives or Freebies to Subscribe
Everyone loves perks and free stuff, especially if it’s gonna benefit their lives in someway.
Whether it’s offering a 40% discount on your next purchase, or a free handbook on how to solve a problem right now, a little help goes a long way right?
Sometimes, all it really takes is a free sample to get someone interested in what you have to offer.
Lucky for you, our Zonion tribe knows exactly what’s involved to entice people with websites and copy that convert. Talk to us and we’ll get you growing your email list in no time!
- Floating Opt-in Boxes
Say goodbye to pop-ups forever and go for a floating opt-in box instead. Think of the floating box as a little something that catches your eye. You can choose to ignore it, or you can check it out depending on your mood.
An opt-in box that floats around the page is subtle yet clear, so it won’t interfere with your visitors while they’re reading the content (unless their curiosity chooses to check it out). Sounds like a win-win in our books!
Keep in mind that a floating box needs to look pretty on all devices and browsers. You don’t want the box to block important pieces of content on mobile by accident.
One of our specialties at Zonion is creating the leads you’re looking for through brilliant websites, designed and developed with finesse. Rest assured, we’re here for you whether you know what you need or not (‘cause we’ll help you get there, with bubbly in hand).
- Separate Landing Pages
Another trick to gain more email subscribers the right way, by not overwhelming already overwhelmed people, is to create a dedicated landing page to get those opt-ins.
Visitors to your website won’t see this page unless they actually stumble upon it. A separate page also lets you promote your page on other social media and marketing platforms.
As a bonus, be crystal clear about what people are signing up for and how many emails they’ll be getting whether weekly or monthly. Transparency is super important and adding a touch of honesty can be a gamechanger when building trust with YOUR ideal peeps.
Make your opt-in landing page something too good to pass up, and you’ll be on your way to snagging those emails in no time.
- Pop-Up When Exiting a Page
Now even though we said to say goodbye to pop-ups, there’s one exception.
Timing is everything and you can take advantage of those exiting your website through one final pop-up. It acts as a last chance for you to grab their attention, and their email, before they potentially leave your site forever.
Check out OptinMonster and the tech they use for their exit strategy.
- Sign Up Check Box
Remember the red iconic “Easy Button” as part of the marketing campaign for the office supply giant, Staples? The button that happily chirped, “That was easy” whenever you pressed it (if you have no clue right now, it’s time for a quick Google search).
The button reflected the frustrations and challenges for businesses. It was also a clever way for Staples to say, “hey we got you and we’re gonna make it easier.”
The same idea still applies today.
The less steps it takes to make people do something—whether it’s to buy a product or service, grab their attention, or make them sign up for an email list—the easier it will be to get them to do what you want later on.
So the bottom line is to make it easy for your website visitors to sign up for your email list (without looking desperate). If you have a contact form on your website, add a simple checkbox asking if they’d like to subscribe to receive future emails.
The same goes if you have a digital storefront. A simple “checkbox to subscribe” on the checkout page can lead to more subscribers than you think.
Whether your website visitors check the subscribe box or not, you’re giving them a painless option to become a subscriber and that alone can get you one step closer to building a successful email list.
