Social networks come and go, but one form of communication has remained consistent over the past 20 years: email.
Having a robust email marketing program is the most powerful marketing tool you can have for a business, especially if that business sells products online. But your email campaigns are only as good and as big as your emails lists. That’s why you need to focus on growing your lists in a way that benefits your success as a business. This means garnering email addresses of potential customers that are relevant and excited about what you and your company are creating.
In this post, we'll look at nine winning tactics you can use to grow your email list.
Create an Opt-In Campaign to Re-Engage Users
It’s entirely possible (in fact, it’s incredibly likely!) that your list has gone stale. To find out which of your users are still "all-in" on your product or service, a re-engagement campaign may be beneficial. It lets you see which parts of your audience are still listening to your message. It also helps you tweak your results to strengthen your marketing campaign and in turn get new users.
Use an Exit Pop-Up
As users leave your site after consuming your great content, they're ideally going to want to stay in touch. Hitting them with an exit pop-up will help remind them how they can keep up with you. If your site is a Shopify or Bigcommerce store, there are apps that can detect exit intent, which then trigger the popup message.
Offer a Discount for Signing Up
Providing your customers with a product code and a discount will encourage users to get on your list. If you can convince them to be a repeat customer by offering them deals in future emails, the discount will more than pay for itself.
Offer a Free Product for Signup
Offering a free product in exchange for their email address has two benefits: 1. you get the customer's email, and 2. you create the perception in the customer's mind that you offer value. This is a powerful feeling that leads to repeat customers. A/B test this free product versus the discount offer to see which one generates more signups during a specific timeframe, allowing you to determine which offer is more appealing to your audience.
Create a Giveaway
Along the lines of giving away a free product, have a contest to give away a prize. Hold a raffle between all the users who have signed up for your list in a given time frame. Promote the giveaway on your social media channels to encourage net new signups.
Create a Quiz or Resource Tool
Offering a research study or compatibility quiz entices potential customers to enter their email in order to receive the information you're providing. Again, you're conditioning your customer to expect to receive value from you. It's a win-win.
Offer Discounts or Products for Email Referrals
People love to tell their friends about a great product or service, especially when they get something in the bargain! A referral program can net you highly qualified leads for future email campaigns.
Partner with Another Business
Tap into the audience of another business or influencer that’s relevant to you. When two companies put their heads together to create a sign up campaign, both benefit! The options for partnering are numerous--create a co-branded contest or giveaway, co-develop valuable content, create a new product package or collection, co-host an event--your imagination for partnering is your only limit so get creative!
Make it Fun to Sign Up
Rather than simply asking for an email, find a way to make your registration process fun and different. People are more likely to sign up if they don't feel like they're simply signing up for another subscription.
Unlike some other marketing platforms and channels that have come and gone over the years, email marketing is here to stay. Use these tips to help you make this channel more successful and profitable for your ecommerce business.