Email marketing can be a very effective form of communication between you and your customers. Since your subscribers took the initiative to opt-in, they’ll be more likely to click, open, browse, and buy than through less direct advertising channels. In other words, once you’ve reeled them in, it’s much easier to keep them listening! 

Getting the ball rolling on your email subscriber list can be a challenge sometimes, but with a little bit of work (and these 10 easy tactics), you should be talking to a larger audience in no time.

1. Add an Introductory Email Offer to Your Website

One of the easiest ways to increase your subscriber base is to create a compelling introductory offer for email subscribers. If you’ve shopped online in the past couple of years (and let’s be honest, you probably have), then you’ve likely encountered or participated in these types of email offers already. Whether you want to give away a free gift or a small discount on the first purchase, determine the value of every new subscriber and think of it as a trade-off that will pay off in the long run.

2. Offer a Referral Bonus to Your Existing Subscriber Base

Sharing is caring, and the Internet is full of proof to back that statement! Encourage your existing subscribers to refer new subscribers by developing a points system, giving away a small freebie, or offering discounts for every (x) amount of people they’re able to bring in. As an example, companies such as Uber and Lyft have done an amazing job of this tactic.

Pro Tip: To keep track, try using an app to create a unique referral code for each customer. If your store is running on a Shopify back-end, for example, an app like Simple Discount Code Generator works really well.

3. Announce Promotions, Events, and Sales to Your Email Base First

Want to keep your subscribers engaged and looped in? Make them feel special by providing them with exclusive information about upcoming sales, events, or promotions before the rest of your audience gets to find out. If you like, you can even up the game another notch, by making hush-hush email-specific promotions that your subscribers can get excited to share with their friends and family.

4. Clean Up Email Headlines and Descriptions

There are tons of ways to clean up your email marketing campaigns, but it can be easy to overlook the simplest solutions. By creating catchier headlines, you’ll be encouraging higher open rates and giving your email list a reason to continue their subscription. Applications such as MailChimp also have an option to add custom descriptions. Make the most of these blurbs and you’ll see what a difference it can make in terms of customer retention.

5. Reduce the Number of Clicks Needed to Subscribe

Let’s base this on an example: A few weeks ago, a member of our team wanted to subscribe to a company’s newsletter, but simply wasn’t able to find where to sign up! After 15 minutes of digging, she was finally able to spot the subscription box and subscribe. As much as you’d like them to, most customers simply won’t go to this level of effort to sign up for your email list. 

You’d be surprised how often companies make this mistake, and how easy it is to fix. Instead of burying your subscription form, make it obvious, by minimizing the number of clicks it takes to get there.

Pro Tips: 

1) Place a subscription link on the footer of every page on your site.  

2) When visitors are filling out an inquiry form on your site, have an opt-in button for newsletter subscription on your form so that people can choose to subscribe when filling out a contact form.

6. Simplify Contact Forms and CTAs

To further the previous point, once visitors find the subscription form, you should be making the process as straightforward as possible for them. While it might be nice to have more information on your new contacts, an email address is already valuable enough! Trust us. Once you’ve got their attention, opportunities to gather more information will definitely present themselves. 

7. Segment Emails by Audience

Rather than lumping all your email communications together, try segmenting them by audience type. You likely already have several subgroups to your target audience in mind, so try going that extra step by determining what types of messaging will resonate with them best. Once you’ve done this, feel free to A/B test and see what sticks.

8. Partner Up for a Better Email Offer

As with referrals, one of the best ways to increase your subscriber base is to work with your existing networks. It’s certainly not news that the warmer the lead, the easier it is to convert! With that in mind, why not cross-pollinate by combining your offer with that of a partner company (alternatively, you could work together on a valuable piece of content). You’ll both benefit, and your respective email lists will feel more comfortable knowing that you’re in it together.

9. Leverage Social Media Marketing

If you already have lots of activity going on within your social media networks (or even if you don’t), make the most of it by leveraging social users to subscribe to your emails. Try running a social media contest (even though it’s been done before, it’s still a great tactic!). This works well for a number of businesses, including those in the eCommerce space, and it can encourage additional traffic. To up your email subscriber list through social media contests, make subscription a mandatory part of eligibility. 

10. Collect Emails In-Store

We’re big proponents of combining forces between traditional and digital marketing. If your business has a retail location or brick-and-mortar, you should be asking for an email address at the time of checkout. With your friendly cashiers or customer service reps in place, your visitors will be more likely to share their info! If you want to sweeten the deal, try offering an on-the-spot discount in exchange for their email address.

Need professional help growing your subscriber base? Eden Advertising offers email marketing services that take the hard work off your hands! Get in touch with us to get started today.