Think about it: What makes you want to share your email address?
There are the obvious reasons: get banking or investment notifications, stay in touch with friends that are social media dropouts, work stuff.
Or, maybe you’re already a customer and want announcements, educational materials, concert notifications, wait-list updates.
But what about you as a “prospect” — how does a brand convince you to hand over your email address?
We’ve talked about the best practice of proactively grouping or segmenting your list by unique customer profile data. And how it’s up to you to craft personalized, valuable messages so they’re happy to get more email than you thought you’d ever send.
But when your goal is to build your email list and fill it with folks who actually convert to customers, the first place to start making improvements is your website because that’s usually the place an interested prospect often ends up.
Make more offers they can’t refuse… more often
You might be surprised to learn that your website visitors, audience, readers, and prospects actually want to give you their email addresses. In fact, they’ve done the hard part just by showing up to your website, and they’re looking for reasons to stay in touch… or not.
So it’s up to you to make it worth their time and give them a reason to support your brand.
If you can earn their trust in your ability to provide high-quality, valuable content, they will be more than happy to exchange an email address.
Start testing what converts best. You can try a branded case study, an e-book, a white paper, checklist, industry trend report, newsletter… or even better: ALL THE ABOVE.
Giving them excellent content should be a given. Just make sure what they get and how they get it is crystal clear in the offer.
Email boosting website audit
This quick and easy 9-point website review can help you assess where your website is in peak signup condition, and where it can use some sprucing up.
- You have abundant opportunities for email signups sprinkled throughout your site and in your content, and perhaps in the top banner and near the footer,
- You have clear, clickable buttons for email gathering with easy, action-based calls to action, for example, “Get your copy,” “Claim your spot,” “Stay informed,” or “Subscribe”.
- There are multiple landing pages dedicated to gathering emails for different offers and different stages of the customer journey (whitepapers, eBooks, webinars, portfolio reviews, free or low cost services, etc.)
- You have other interactive and engaging web forms that meet prospects in their user journey. For samples, check out online form builder apps like Google Forms, Jotform, Formstack, or Typeform.
- You’ve optimized for mobile to ensure that your signup forms are just as appealing and easy to use on mobile devices as they are on desktops. Considering how many users may access your website via their phones.
- You leverage social proof by incorporating testimonials, subscriber counts, or case studies right next to email signup areas. This can help build trust and convince prospects that signing up is worth their time.
- You use exit-intent popups to present a last-minute offer or message before someone leaves your site. We know… you hate them. But a test might surprise you. Speaking of testing…
- You regularly perform A/B testing of different elements of your signup process, including the copy on buttons, the placement of signup forms, and the types of offers. This helps you understand what works best for your audience and refine your strategy accordingly.
- You have a post-signup experience and send a welcome email, or a welcome sequence, not only confirms their subscription but provides additional valuable content they might have missed to help reinforce their decision to let you into their inbox.
Turns inbounds into WIN-bounds 🤓
Incorporating these strategies into your website can significantly improve email capture and grow your subscriber list. The key to successful list building is not just about making an offer; it’s about making the right offer at the right time and in the right way.
By continually refining your approach and optimizing your website for conversions, you’ll be able to attract and keep subscribers who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer.
