Contemporary digital marketing channels are rapidly emerging. Social media advertising, chatbots, influencer marketing…it’s all new, and it’s all exciting stuff.

But what about one of the oldest digital channels — email?

Is it still relevant? Should you be putting effort into generating leads, growing your list and creating email campaigns?

Yes.

While email marketing is an old kid on the block, it continues to be one of the most profitable channels available. According to HubSpot, email marketing generates $38 for every $1 spent (a whopping 3,800% ROI).

In order for email marketing to be successful, however, you need to first focus on creating and growing a high quality list.

Here’s five proven ways to do just that.

#1 Create & Distribute a High Converting Lead Magnet

One of the most effective ways to grow your email list is to provide something of value to your prospect in exchange for their email (a.k.a a lead magnet).

It’s a simple trade, a win/win for both parties.

You get your prospects email, and your prospect gets something genuinely valuable to them for free. Your prospect gets to engage with your brand which builds trust, and you’re connected with a warm lead.

Not sure how to go about creating and distributing a lead magnet?

No sweat. We’ve got an easy three step guide that covers how to come up with a high converting offer, how to create your lead magnet and how to successfully distribute it. Click here to check it out.

#2 Collaborate & Partner

Can you think of another business that isn’t a direct competitor, that would have a similar target market to yours?

Say for example you run a NZ based plastic free food wrap company. Some psychographic characteristics of your target market may be that they’re eco conscious, they care about stopping the use of single-use plastic and they want to support local businesses.

You may be aware of another company that doesn’t sell plastic free food wrap, but has a similar target market. Maybe an eco-friendly cosmetic company or a reusable drink bottle company.

If appropriate, explore collaboration with those businesses, as emails on their lists will be high quality leads for your list – and vise versa. We’re not talking about sharing lists here (a big ethical no no), we’re talking about co-hosting webinars and producing co-created and co-promoted opt-in content.

You will introduce new leads to their business, and they will introduce new leads to yours. Another win/win.

#3 Create a Newsletter That People Actually Want to Read

You need to create a newsletter that people look forward to receiving each week. Your newsletter can’t be ‘just another email’ from ‘just another company’. You need to provide weekly content that resonates with your target audience, provides them with value and encourages them to engage with your brand.

The better your regular newsletter is, the more likely people are to tell a friend or family member about how much they like it. They may even forward your newsletter on to someone else if it really makes an impact.

When you produce good content, your list is guaranteed to grow. Never send out a newsletter for the sake of it. Your newsletter needs clear purpose, value and CTAs.

#4 Offer a Welcome Discount

You’re visiting a new online store and just as you begin to browse, a pop up appears notifying you that you can get 10% off your first purchase. All you have to do is enter your email, and the code will be sent to you.

Sound familiar?

There’s a reason so many businesses offer a welcome discount – it works.

Simple, effective and worthwhile, a welcome discount is one of the easiest ways to grow your email list with people who are actively considering buying your products.

#5 Optimise Opt-In Copy & Design

In order to get people to give you their email, you need to make the experience easy, and even exciting.

Practically speaking, you need to make sure your form is clear, has very few required fields and is easy for someone to fill out.

The design needs to be on-brand, and it needs to stand out from the crowd.

Your copy should be engaging. Saying “Sign up to our newsletter here” is probably the least inspiring thing you could say. Think about the value they receive, how you can capture your prospects attention and relate to them.

Here are some examples of strong newsletter sign ups:

Casper Mattresses – Simple, witty copy, and provides an option to engage with the brand though other channels.

Glossier – Simple layout, overcomes a subscription obstacle by stating the prospect can unsubscribe anytime, only has one required field.

To recap, if you:

Create and distribute a high converting lead magnet
Collaborate and partner with other like-minded businesses
Create a consistent, high value newsletter
Offer a welcome discount and,
Optimise your opt-in copy and design…

…You WILL see your email list grow in quality and quantity in no time. A big, high quality list will enable you to get the most out of your email marketing campaigns and strategies, and see the return on investment that you’re looking for.

5 Effective Ways to Grow Your Email List