Have your subscriptions stalled lately?
If you use email for your business, your contacts list is your greatest asset. Growing it is a worthy goal, but isn’t so easy to achieve.
Imagine running your business without email. It’s nearly impossible, right? You use email for transactional messages like invoices and confirming account registrations. Aside from that, its marketing potential is impressive. The return on investment (ROI) for email marketing can be as high as $44 for every $1 you invest. While the size of your email list doesn’t define your success, getting more subscribers can have an impact on your sales.
How to get more email subscribers
Sometimes, you feel like you just can’t get more people to subscribe to your emails. If you’re out of ideas, no worries. We’ll get into some of the best – and easiest – ways to boost your subscriptions and ROI.
1. Place your sign-up form in more strategic places
Having a sign-up form on your website is mandatory if you want to grow your email list. But think of how many people may miss your call-to-action (CTA). Your website visitors aren’t there to sign up; they came looking for something specific.
To remind them of your great emails, put your sign-up CTA in as many places as you can. Some businesses that rely heavily on email marketing even place their sign-up button above the fold, meaning at the top of their website.
Here’s an example from copywriter Eddie Shleyner, founder of VeryGoodCopy:
This may not work for your business, but make sure your form is easy to find whatever people’s journey on your site and blog looks like.
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2. Improve the wording on your sign-up form
Giving people a way to subscribe is not enough to entice them. Did you know that about 70% of our decisions are based on emotional factors? We’re guided by feeling more than we’d like to think. The words we read can increase – or diminish – our willingness to respond positively to a CTA.
So, take a quick look at the words in your sign-up form. How could you improve those few lines? Here are some jumping off points:
- “Sell the benefit, not the feature” is a common adage in copywriting. What’s the greatest benefit you offer through your emails? Make that the core of your copy.
- Consider mentioning how often you send emails. People can hesitate to subscribe thinking they’ll get a deluge of messages from you. If you have a set sending schedule, mention it in your copy.
- Keep it short. Email sign-up forms are everywhere, so people will know what it is at a glance. A couple of well-written lines should be enough to sum up what you have to offer.
See how StartupNation sells the benefit and not the feature? The CTA prompts you to sign up so you can learn how to “grow your business.”
3. Make the most of your other marketing channels
Your website and blog may be getting good traffic, but start thinking of other channels you could promote your email list. Some people may follow you on social media but rarely visit your website or blog. It’s smart to capture that audience and invite these prospects to sign up.
For instance, see how email marketing pro Emily Ryan, founder of Westfield Creative, promotes her signup link on Instagram:
To get more email subscribers via social media, consider:
- Link to your subscription page from your “Bio” section on every channel.
- Tease every email a couple of days before you send it and invite people to subscribe.
- Offer new subscribers something special – a discount, a free digital download, or other assets your audience would find valuable.
Also, if you’re part of any social media groups and communities, consider sharing your sign-up link whenever relevant.
4. Add a CTA to your email signature
It’s one of those opportunities you may not have contemplated, but think of how many emails you send every day. What if every one of them gave people a way to subscribe? It’s easy to do – just add a short CTA to your signature and link to your subscription page.
Here’s an example:
This graphic designer seized the occasion to show his skills, but you can use plain text as an anchor for your link. In the example above, you also notice that new subscribers receive a gift upon signing up. Think about including a similar offer, but if you don’t have one, don’t let that deter you from promoting your emails in your signature.
5. Add a link to all your email templates
An often-overlooked tactic to get more email subscribers is to promote your list in every email you send. Your emails may be so good that people may forward them to friends and peers. Give them a way to subscribe, like MarketingProfs founder Ann Handley does:
Handley placed her “Subscribe here” CTA strategically, right at the top, so it’s hard to miss. Her emails are some of the best in the marketing industry, and she knows they may end up in new inboxes. Those people can easily sign up.
So, if you use several templates for your emails, take a minute to edit each one and include your own signup CTA. Once it’s there, you’re all set to get more email subscribers without much effort.
The SuN Takeaway
Many companies start sending emails and stick to a schedule only for their enthusiasm to dwindle after a few weeks. Some feel that their email list isn’t growing enough and lose steam. However, to get more subscribers, you must hit Send on great content regularly. In other words, don’t wait for your database to reach a certain size before you commit to a sending schedule.
Consistency pays off, so be there for your subscribers and strive to make each email better than the previous one.
