14 ways to grow your email subscriber lists

Building and maintaining a strong email database is time well spent, argues Dr Dave Chaffey of digital marketing advice site Smart Insights, as email subscribers often convert to sale at a much higher rate than other sources of web traffic. Here, he looks at techniques to boost email subscriptions.

Email subscribers often have a strong level of trust in your content and brand. It's also easier to target them with relevant offers based on their preferences and past behaviour, so it makes sense to focus on getting sign-ups to an email list. “Traffic” is more useful when you're both confident of the source and of its propensity to convert. Email traffic is a strong source of warm prospects.

Let's examine the two stages to boosting subscriber numbers: reviewing all customer touchpoints where opt-in can occur, and practical strategies to encourage opt-in.

According to MarketingSherpa.com's Email Marketing Benchmark Survey 2010, 'registration during purchase' is the most effective method of growing an email list (58 per cent very effective), followed closely by 'registration for downloads etc' (56 per cent). 'Social sharing buttons in email' (10 per cent very effective) and 'email forward-to-a-friend' (8 per cent) are the least effective methods.

Reviewing prospect and customer touchpoints

One approach I've found to be effective is to brainstorm every method of potentially capturing e-mail addresses on- and offline, and via new and existing customers. The matrix below shows just four different types of opportunity.

Next, consider online and offline opportunities for e-mail capture separately. Many of these apply equally to potential and existing customers.

Online opportunities for capture:

1.	Direct from website – permanent incentives to capture leads should be one of the main aims of a web presence, particularly for a B2B organisation. Design, structure and content should be devised to maximise conversion to sign-up.
2.	Web response from offline communications – where an offer is publicised offline and respondents are referred to a website to sign-up.
3.	Renting an e-mail list from a third party – recipients who click-through to a landing page are encouraged to opt-in to your house-list.
4.	Placing an ad in a third party e-newsletter – as above, but with the potential to be more cost effective as the source is often tightly targeted. (Editor's note: as in the case of select, for example).
5.	Using a third-party website – sometimes referred to as an 'acquisition' centre, that provides offers with a view to sign-up.
6.	Campaigns with viral elements – where a friend or a colleague is referred. Data protection law requires you to invite the referred person to opt-in before further communications are sent.
7.	ANY Other – for example, graphical online ads and Pay Per Click text search engine ads.

Offline opportunities for capture:

8.	Any form of paper registration or order form – but be sure to check the form of wording such that an opt-in to all forms of future communications is achieved.
9.	Visits from sales representatives – can be used for opt-in either on paper, or through subscribing online.
10.	A phone contact at a call centre – for example a customer service operator could ask clients for an e-mail address when booking a CPD seminar.
11.	Telemarketing – either specifically to capture email addresses or, more cost-effectively, as part of a wider telemarketing campaign.
12.	Trade shows or conferences – via business card prize draws, for example (taking care to comply with opt-in rules).
13.	Paper response to a direct mail offer – traditional direct response.
14.	Phone response to direct mail or an ad – again, traditional direct response.

When email addresses are captured offline a common problem is transcription error levels, which as a percentage can often reach double figures. Ensure that staff are made aware of the importance of getting e-mail addresses correct and are trained to check for invalid address formats.

Increasing email signup rates

Having reviewed the different touchpoints, what about best practice for increasing sign-up?

1. Provide a compelling reason – and make it easy – to sign up – is the sign-up form at the top of your screen, above the fold, and on all high-traffic pages? Remember that not everyone will arrive on your site via the Home page. Direct calls to action usually convert better than oblique invitations. They shouldn't be in-your-face, but they do need to instil confidence and simply ask the question.
2. Ensure sociable email – if clients believe in you and your product or service, they will often be willing to spread the word. All you have to do is ask, and ideally ask that they forward to their friends' emails and or social networks. Tie this idea to point 1 above to create the incentive and inspiration to do so.
3. Offer social proof – we all want to belong to groups or 'tribes'. Your visitors need to see that other subscribers have validated their decision to join you. If you don't have big subscriber numbers already then consider:
4. Using testimonials in your sign-up area. Why not show them what other people are saying about becoming a subscriber?
5. Playing the exclusivity card – refer to “people like us”, “our community“ etc.
6. Using social media to encourage existing sign-ups to Tweet your content, or like it on Facebook.
7. Face potential objections head-on – what kinds of experiences could turn off a current or perspective subscriber?
8. too many updates
9. poor relevance
10. email subscriptions that are complicated to unsubscribe from
11. concern that email addresses might be sold to spammers.
12. Provide something of value – if you're focussing on a newsletter then ensure the content in it is remarkable and not just laden with offers. If you provide a service, offer something for free with your email sign-up.
13. Offer competition prizes to regular subscribers – as long as the prize is something that's relevant to your specific demographic then it'll have appeal, more so if it's something that's out of the ordinary. The aim is to generate additional buzz above and beyond that surrounding the content itself.
14. Think guerrilla tactics – attracting email sign-ups shouldn't be an activity confined to your web pages. Consider all touchpoints where current or prospective customers may venture on- and offline: mobile, printed newsletters, direct mail, email footers, brochures… there are plenty of opportunities.

 

Dr Dave Chaffey is CEO of Smart Insights, a portal providing guidance on best practice in digital marketing, and the author of several books on digital marketing.

 

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