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How to Build Your Email List
Build your email list with these tips. Get more leads with lead magnets and opt-in forms.
Filling your email list with eager prospects that are excited to hear from you may be easier than you think. If you’re looking for a way to build your email list and create emails that people want to read, you’re in the right place.
There are many creative ways to build your email list without purchasing email lists. List building comes down to two key elements that work cohesively to grow your subscriber numbers: lead magnets and opt-in forms.
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1) Use lead magnets
A lead magnet is something that attracts prospects to your email list, usually in the form of a free offer. The offer can take a number of formats, should be valuable to your prospects, and is given away for free in exchange for an email address.
People have become hyper-protective of their personal information. You can’t expect to receive an email address without exchanging it for something valuable.
Think about a lead magnet that is relevant, useful, and makes your prospects’ lives easier. For instance, Advent Trinity uses a free website scan. Anyone can run their site through our scanner and we can tell you where it needs improvement. We also hold free webinars where you can learn business tactics and various marketing techniques. Both of these lead magnets help us get prospects’ information while providing something of value to them.
Here are a few types of lead magnets you could create:
- Ebook
- Whitepaper
- Infographic
- Report or Study
- Checklist
- Template
- Webinar or Course
- Tool
If you’re short on resources, you can even repurpose your existing content to create lead magnets.
How to Create a Great Lead Magnet
Remember that your lead magnet should be relevant to your prospects. Here are a few guidelines to ensure you’re creating a valuable asset for your potential list.
Make your offer solution-oriented and actionable.
Provide practical information that solves a problem and creates a realistic way to achieve the solution.
Ensure that the asset is easy to consume.
Lead magnets should be delivered in a digital format. Whether it’s a PDF, a webpage, a video, or some other format, make it easy for your new lead to obtain and consume it.
Create value in your offer.
There’s nothing worse than signing up for a great offer only to be disappointed by the content that follows. Make sure your offer is aligned with the value that you will provide throughout your relationship, otherwise, you risk damaging trust.
Treat your lead magnet as a stepping stone to your paid solution.
The point of your email list is to eventually guide subscribers to a paid offer. You offer free content to demonstrate the value that you provide as a company, and those free offers should eventually lead to your product or service.
Create offers that are relevant to each stage of the buyer’s journey.
Every new lead will be at a different stage of the buyer’s journey, and it’s your responsibility to know which. Segment your list from the beginning by providing separate opt-in offers that pertain to each stage of the buyer’s journey. You can tell a lot about a prospect’s mindset by the content they consume.
2) Create an enticing opt-in form
Your opt-in form is how you get a prospect’s information to add them to your list. It’s the gate between your future leads and the incredible asset that you created with them in mind. Here are some tips for creating an enticing opt-in form:
Create an attractive design and attention-grabbing header.
Your form should be branded, stand out from the page, and entice people to sign up. You want to excite readers with the offer.
Make the copy relevant to the offer.
While your goal is to get people to enter their information, it isn’t to deceive them. Any information on your form should be a truthful representation of the offer.
Keep the form simple.
This could be one of your first interactions with your prospect. Don’t scare them away with a long form with several fields. Ask for only the most essential information: first name and email are all you really need to get started.
Set your opt-in form for double confirmation.
It may seem counterproductive to ask your subscribers to opt into your emails twice, but a study on open rates proves that customers prefer a confirmed opt-in (COI) email 2.7X more than a welcome email.
Ensure that the flow works.
Take yourself through the user experience before you go live. Double-check that the form works as intended, the thank you page is live, and your offer is delivered as promised. This is one of your first impressions of your new lead — make it a professional and positive one.
High-Quality Emails
Email subscribers want to receive relevant and valuable content that meets their needs and interests and helps them achieve their goals. Hook your target audience with creative subject lines to get them to open your email and then provide value within the email.
By combining an effective lead magnet with a well-designed opt-in form, you can build a targeted and engaged email list that will be eager to hear from you. And with regular, high-quality email marketing campaigns that provide value to your subscribers, you can build a strong relationship with your audience and keep them coming back for more.
