If your website is new or if you’re not getting much traffic yet, it can take a while before you start growing your email list. Unless you already attract a high volume of targeted traffic, simply posting an opt-in form on your website isn’t going to do much for you.
Here are six strategies you can use to help you grow your email list fast:
1. Include your opt-in offer in email and forum signatures.
Your signature file is a three- to six-line footer that you attach to things like outgoing emails, articles, and forum postings. It should contain a little bit of information about who you are, and a link to your website. This is a great place to advertise your opt-in offer. People are generally more receptive to sig files than blatant ads, so you should take advantage of this prime opportunity to mention your offer.
2. Use your blog to increase your opt-ins.
If you have a blog, you should include your opt-in form on the first page. Since readers visit your blog to get quality information, it should be easy to persuade them to sign up for your offer so they can get even more valuable information. Another good idea is to search for blogs related to your website and comment on their posts. As long as you make sure your comments are relevant and valuable, you can include your signature file (with your opt-in offer) without annoying the blog owner.
3. Advertise in classified ads and e-zines.
If you have a little bit of money to spend to build your list quickly, then you might want to think about advertising in e-zines and on classified ad sites. This lets you get your offer in front of a highly-targeted group of people, since you can choose e-zines that target your specific market.
4. Give away free subscriptions to clubs and organizations.
You can offer free subscriptions to members of clubs and organizations that are related to your industry. The chairperson of the club can announce it at their monthly meeting or in their own report or newsletter. This is a good way to get lots of people to join your mailing list without having to do much work.
5. Collect opt-ins from eBay auction listings.
Very few eBay sellers know how to use email marketing effectively, so you will have a huge advantage over them once you’ve grown your opt-in list. For example, you can include a link to your opt-in form in your auction listing. eBay lets you include a link in your auction listing to take visitors to a site outside of eBay (but only if that link includes more information on the auction, such as pictures, item details, and terms and conditions).
You can also use auction software with eBay that will let your buyers opt into your newsletter when they buy from you by checking a box on the online form. Since these people have already agreed to buy from you, they will probably be more open to your opt-in offer.
6. Promote your offer on your website.
Even though you might not get much traffic to your website yet, you should still make sure that the people who do visit are given the opportunity to opt into your list. Remember, it isn’t enough to just add a “Subscribe” button to your website. You need to have a compelling reason for people to opt into your list and give them something valuable in return for their contact information.
