15 Proven Strategies to Grow Your List by Donna Gunter
Copyright 2006 Donna Gunter
I've been publishing an email newsletter since 2000, and have to admit I wasn't
very attentive to the whole process at the beginning. Hindsight is 20/20, and I
could kick myself for not taking this strategy very seriously, as my email
newsletter list is my gold mine because it's filled with subscribers who
already know something about me.
Each week after I send out my ezine, I receive several emails that begin, "Hi
Donna! My name is ..., and I know you don't know me, but I know you, as I've
been reading your newsletter for a couple of years now." I love those emails,
as I know that my reader has begun to like, trust and respect me -- all the
characteristics that need to be in place for them to decide to buy something
from me.
Many of you may be asking, "Well, Donna, isn't the email newsletter dead?
Everyone is blogging now." True, blogging is quite an effective way to
publicize your business. However, I believe in the power of doing both. There
are people who don't have the time/energy/desire to read a blog and would
rather have the info delivered directly to them in their inbox, with no
additional clicking required.
How can you grow your own list? Or, if you're just starting an email
newsletter, how can you get subscribers to the list? Here are 15 strategies
I've used over the past 5 years to get subscribers to my email newsletter list:
1. Tell your clients, colleagues, friends and family. Just like a birth
announcement, tell everyone you know about your new "baby" -- your email
newsletter. Because you want a list in which subscribers have opted in, don't
add people directly to the list. In fact, many ezine distribution services
don't permit you to do that. Instead, provide them with an email sign-up link,
or send them to the form on your web site where they can subscribe to your
newsletter.
2. Have a sign-up box on every page of your web site. You never know on what
page someone will land in your web site. As I look at my web site statistics, I
am amazed at some of the search terms that visitors use that make them land on
an internal page of my web site. Don't take a chance that you might lose them
-- offer them the option to sign up for your newsletter on every single page of
your web site.
3. Make your sign-up box compelling. Don't have a simple sign up box that says,
"Join our mailing list." Yuck--who wants to voluntarily receive more email? Not
me! Give your visitor a reason to sign up for your newsletter, i.e. "Join over
2000 other solo business owners who receive weekly advice on how to get more
clients online."
4. Create one clear call to action. If you have too many options for action on
your web site, your visitor will become overwhelmed and leave. Conversely, if
you don't ask your visitor to take an action, you potentially lose that person
forever. Make your primary call to action on your web site a request to
subscribe to your email newsletter. It's short, simple, to the point, and will
help you build your contact database gold mine.
5. Ask for only 2 pieces of info: a first name and primary email address. Many
web surfers are want to disclose as little personal info as they can, as they
fear receiving spam or phishing emails. Make it easy for people to sign up for
your list -- require them to disclose only a minimal amount of info to be added
to your newsletter list.
6. Create a free give-away for new subscribers. If you know your target market
well, you know what problems they struggle with daily. Write a short
report/article/ecourse that provides the answer to a very overwhelming problem
that they have. They can receive the answer to this problem (your freebie) by
giving your their name and email address.
7. Create a squeeze page for lead generation. A squeeze page is just what it
sounds like -- a web site page that "squeezes" contact info out of a visitor. I
have a content-rich ebook that I give away to new visitors. One of my
promotional strategies is to list the domain for that squeeze page and write
very compelling copy about why they would want this information. I get 10-15
new subscribers per day with this technique.
8. Make an offer in your signature file. Don't overlook the power of an
effective email signature. Whether you use it on a discussion list, online
forum, online networking site, or just in an email that gets forwarded to
someone else, ensure your signature file works for you. In it, make an offer
for your free give-away and let the reader know how they can receive that info.
I've been hooked more than once by a compelling email signature -- they really
work!
9. Create a visual icon for your newsletter. Visitors respond better to
pictures than words. If they can see a visual representation of your newsletter
or of your give-away, they are more likely to see the value in what you're
offering and part with their contact info.
10. Use a pop-up or pop-over box on your web site. Yes, pop-up boxes are
annoying, but they're quite effective. There are many new varieties now
available that look like sticky notes or a paper list, or ones that seem to
bounce on your screen. Most of these newer varieties are not blocked by pop-up
blocker software. You'll want to use one that's eye-catching, contains a very
compelling offer to subscribe, and won't be blocked by your visitor's browser.
11. Make subscribing to your newsletter your #1 goal at events. Anytime I
attend an in-person networking event or speak at a meeting, my primary goal is
to get people to subscribe to my email newsletter. I simply ask people to
indicate they want to receive my newsletter by placing an "X" on the back of
their business card, and then I add them to my list and they are sent my opt-in
message. At one event, I had to tell the women at my table what I needed in the
next 30 days, and I said I wanted subscribers to my newsletter. Every woman at
the table gave me her card and said, "Sign me up!"
12. Offer a free sample or your archives for viewing. Some visitors have to be
shown before they bite, so show them where you archive your prior issues and
let them experience first-hand all the value you offer in your newsletter. Once
convinced, they'll sign up!
13. Ask for referrals from your readers. In your newsletter or on your web
site, ask your readers to "tell a friend" about your newsletter. There are both
free and paid services that offer this option, Bravenet.com being one of the
more popular ones.
14. Get your articles published in other ezines. Writing articles and having
them published online or in other people's newsletters or blogs has been a
tremendous asset in helping me grow my list. Make sure that your article
resource box (the info that appears about you at the end of your article)
includes your compelling offer to get readers to sign up for your newsletter
and receive your free gift.
15. Advertise on the back of your business card. The back of my business card
contains compelling copy about the free give-away I offer for subscribing to my
newsletter. Don't let the back of your business card go to waste and stay blank
-- make that space work for you by helping you add subscribers to your
newsletter list.
Growing your list takes time. Better to have well-qualified prospects on your
list who are truly interested in what you offer than a large list of people who
never read what you write. Implement 1-2 of these strategies each week to grow
your well-qualified email newsletter list.
About the Author
Online Business Resource Queen (TM) and Business Coach Donna Gunter helps
self-employed service professionals learn how to get more clients online at
http://www.OnlineBizCoachingCompany.com . To sign up for more FREE tips
like these and claim your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit,
visit her site at http://www.GetMoreClientsOnline.com
. Read about running an online biz at our blog,
http://www.getmoreclientsonlineblog.com
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