Introduction
Most marketers and business owners understand that having a list of customers or followers is important for online businesses. Having an active email list is also key to getting more leads, promoting your brand, and increasing sales.
But not everyone knows how to go about building up their list or what the best strategies are to do so. Let’s face it, sending out mass emails with no proper strategy can lead to bad results.
The only way you can make sure your prospects will opt into your lists is by creating helpful content that satisfies their needs and interests. That way, it will be easier for them to opt in because they get value from what you send them instead of just plain spamming them!
What is a Purchase Funnel?
The purchase funnel is a classic marketing concept that describes the process of how someone goes from being a prospect to becoming a customer. You can think of it as an inverted pyramid, where at the top are people who don’t know you or your brand yet and at the bottom are those who have already bought from you and continue buying.
Create An Active Email List Using Purchase Funnel Hacks
Creating an email list is one of the best things you can do for your business. It can help you build a community of loyal customers, increase sales, and reach more people. Here are some tips on how to create an active email list using purchase funnel hacks.
1. Choosing the Right Opt-in Sources
Opt-ins come from two sources, opt-ins for a free product and opt-ins for an online information product. An online newsletter is a great source of opt-ins if you are going to sell something in your newsletter. Otherwise, it’s not really going to give you any marketing value because people can choose not to subscribe to your newsletter.
If you are creating an informational product and someone signs up for that information product without buying anything, then they automatically become email subscribers because they signed up for information on your website or blog. That’s why this is such a powerful tactic – it’s the best way to get email subscribers fast.
2) Create A Gated Email Campaign Landing Page
The second thing you can do is create a gated email campaign landing page. This means that instead of doing an opt-in form, where it’s just a simple opt-in and people can sign up for whatever they want, you create a specific offer.
This is a much more powerful strategy because it allows you to create a specific offer that people can sign up for. This could be anything from an ebook to a free video series or even something like getting access to your mastermind group.
3) Grow Your Email List Using Social Media
One way to grow your email list is through social media. Your followers are already interested in your brand and online courses, so give them another way to keep in touch with you!
As with all forms of online marketing, less is more. Don’t spam your Twitter feed or Facebook wall with invitations to sign up for a mailing list—it will just annoy people! Instead, mention it once every few days (celebrating milestones like reaching 5k followers can help).
When you connect your marketing channels, it’s more likely that people will see what you have to offer. Some of the followers on one social media platform might not be users of another—so make sure they can find out about your newsletter by connecting with all the major services!
If a social media network such as Instagram doesn’t allow links in posts, you could link to your landing page from your profile—the one with the gated content. This might drive more traffic for you!
4) Participate In Live Events
Don’t discount live events as a way of growing your email list and meeting new people. If you decide to speak at an event, make sure everyone knows your Twitter handle so attendees can find out more about your work that way—and sign up for the email list!
Nowadays, people expect to connect on social media. Pick a primary platform that you’ll mention at live events—whether it’s giving a speech or leading a roundtable discussion.
5) Stimulate the Email-Gathering Process
Gamification involves using game mechanics to orchestrate content on the Internet. You’ve probably played board games such as Monopoly and Clue—solving a puzzle or playing your cards right so that you win is part of what makes these games fun.
In email marketing, the rules are a little different.
You could also create a scavenger hunt for your email subscribers. Every time you send an email, include something that they can collect; this might be a word or graphic—something like the eggs in Easter baskets!
To make the hunt more appealing, offer a prize for anyone who collects every item. For example, you can create an ebook or coupon that provides useful information to people who finish your scavenger hunt.
6) Set An Exit Intent Popup
People often leave a website abruptly, without giving any indication that they are leaving. An exit-intent popup is designed to capture their attention in the moments before they abandon your site altogether.
To encourage readers to sign up for your email newsletter, use an exit-intent popup. Make sure you offer a compelling incentive if you want people to take action.
7) Make Your Emails Engaging And Effective
If you don’t have anything valuable to share, it doesn’t matter if you can figure out how to build an email list from scratch. Eventually all those hard-won subscribers will hit the “unsubscribe button” or simply start deleting your emails upon arrival—not what anyone wants.
To avoid information overload, craft each email so that it offers something of value. Tell a story, paint a rich picture, offer a coupon code—or provide insider information that your subscribers will appreciate. Further, make sure your email is mobile-friendly and doesn’t annoy readers.
Bottomline
A plan without execution is worthless, and without a process to follow and measure, a plan alone won’t provide you with the insight you need in order to grow your email list. The tools above can help jump-start your growth and give you the insight you need to make educated decisions about your audience, the messaging that resonates with them, and the products and services that create loyalty, repeat purchases, and referrals.
