Starting an email list for your small business is essential in growing your customer base. You don’t even need to be making money online to create an email list. This article will give you the tips and tricks you’ll need to get started, grow your list, and make more money.
It all comes down to where people find value in what you do. The easiest way to build credibility with your website visitors is by offering them something valuable in return for their email address and to stay consistent in business. If you’re trying to grow a list without any products or services yet, then this is a great place to start!
What Is An Email List?
An email list is a database of people’s email addresses. If you’re running any business, chances are you’ll need to build an email list eventually.
This is because more and more businesses are moving away from traditional advertising methods, like print ads or television commercials. These days, the most effective way to get your message out there is by building an email list.
Why?
Email marketing provides businesses with another form of communication with customers. Email marketing is not only cheaper than traditional advertising, but it’s also more targeted.
Emails can be sent with personalized messages about new products or services, discounts, or exclusive offers for people who have subscribed to your list. This ensures that customers never miss out on anything important in your business.
Why Start An Email List?
Starting an email list for your small business is essential in growing your customer base, even if you have no product or service yet. Emailing your customers will keep you top-of-mind when they’re ready to buy, and it will give them a reason to come back and check in with you from time to time.
The more people on your list, the more likely they are to buy from you when they’re ready! You’ll have a group of people that trust you and want what you have, just waiting for the perfect opportunity.
So how do you go about starting up? There are many different ways, but it comes down to finding a few solid ideas that work best for your business type and needs.
Getting Started
The first step to creating an email list is deciding whether or not you’re going to charge your customers for it. If you decide to charge, the next step is creating a pricing plan, which can help you determine how much money you want to make.
Assuming that you don’t want to charge for your email list, the next step is deciding what information people will need to subscribe. It’s best to provide something of value in return for their email address.
This could be a report on the industry they’re interested in, a freebie they might enjoy, or any other valuable piece of content that will help them with their life. After providing this information upfront, all that’s left is letting people know how they can sign up!
Know Your Audience And Serve Them Well
There are many ways that big businesses do this, but for the purposes of starting or growing an email list, know who makes up your audience and what they’re looking for from you.
Know What You Offer And How It Will Benefit Your Audience
For example, if you’re starting an email list for a restaurant, you’ll need to know what type of food or cuisine you offer, what time your business is open, etc. This should all be included in your “About” page online, a Facebook page, or any social media accounts that you use.
Encourage Engagement By Offering Something Of Value
Offer something valuable when someone signs up for your email list. There are many ways to execute this, so make sure to think outside the box.
Connect With Your Audience
Use social media to connect with your email subscribers. You can do this by encouraging engagement on Facebook or Twitter, where you can offer special deals only available if someone follows you!
This is a great way to get people following you but also to see what they’re saying about your business. If they’re saying good things and sharing ideas for improvement, take note and thank them! If someone has a complaint, try and implement it into future changes. That way, everyone benefits!
Email Marketing Services
There are many ways that email marketing can be beneficial to small businesses like yours, featuring pop-ups about new arrivals or events at your store promoting discount codes for certain products or creating a coupon for new arrivals or upcoming events.
Build Your List
Building your list is one of the essential parts of digital marketing. It’s also likely the most difficult part because you have to collect email addresses, especially for a small business. So how do you get started?
Make sure to create an opt-in form on your website with compelling content that offers an incentive for people to sign up. You can even use social media contests to help build your list.
An email list is like the backbone of any business, and it should be treated as such!
Give Them A Reason To Subscribe
Ensure your email list subscribers know they’re receiving valuable information from you. Remember, the whole point of an email list is to build a network of people who want to hear what you have to say.
Give them a reason to subscribe with valuable content that can’t be found elsewhere. You’ll likely get more subscribers with valuable content than just a basic email newsletter.
Use The Right Subject Line
One of the most important parts of starting an email list is making sure your subject line for your welcome email is catchy. The subject line is the only thing people see when they open their inbox, so make it count!
When you’re writing an email to someone for the first time, ask them a question. This way, when you send them another message later in the future, they’ll be more likely to read it.
The length of your subject line matters too. You want it to be short and sweet. A three-word subject line would work best because it’s easy to remember and quick to read. This will help you stand out in your customer’s inboxes.
Add Value To Your Subscribers
There are many ways to add value to your subscribers. Providing them with free access to content on your blog is a fantastic way of doing this.
You could also use a pop-up that offers exclusive discounts and offers to those who sign up for your list. This is an excellent way of incentivizing people to join your email list while simultaneously generating revenue by selling products or services that they might not have known otherwise.
Best Practices For Growing Your List
It’s best to offer something of value to your customers in return for their email addresses. This might be the easiest way to start building your list for your marketing emails.
It would be best if you also focused on building your email list without selling anything to your potential customers. This will help show you how many people are interested in your idea and that they’re willing to invest in it.
Offer exclusive content or other benefits to people who sign up for your email list. You can also offer incentives like insider information or free samples when someone subscribes through your sign-up page.
Don’t try too hard with these strategies. Offer what’s valuable to you, and don’t make it about the sale. The sale will come naturally once you’ve grown a large enough base!
Choose Your Autoresponder Service
Using an email service provider in tandem with your list is a great way to keep your customers engaged. This will help you build trust and loyalty with your audience by sending them valuable content.
You’ll want to use an autoresponder service like Aweber, MailChimp, or Getresponse. They all have the same basic functionality, but they vary in price and features.
Create A Template For Your Emails
Before we get into some tips for starting and growing your email list, let’s talk about how to make the most of your content.
The best way to start is by creating a template for your emails. Create a basic email that you can send to anyone who subscribes to your list. This will be the basis of any future emails you send, so try to think of what would be valuable to your audience in this initial email.
Some ideas might include a free online tool, a special offer, a product update, or even a request for feedback on what they thought of their first experience with your business.
Write Content For Your Emails And Blog Posts
One of the most important aspects of building your email list is putting time and effort into writing content and blog posts. Content is what will keep your audience coming back for more.
The content you write for your emails and blog posts should be enjoyable and content that your audience finds interesting. Not only will it be easier to write, but it will keep your audience engaged with what you’re sending them.
You can also use the same tactics as email marketing software companies by giving away free eBooks or reports in exchange for an email address. This will help build a list of people interested in what you have to offer.
How To Make Money In The Process
If you’re wondering how to make money in the process, all you need to do is offer your list members something valuable in return for their email addresses.
You could also ask them if they’re interested in your product or service and see what they say. If someone is on your list, they are more likely to be interested in what you have to offer. And if not, it doesn’t hurt to ask! It’s worth a try with no risk attached.
It’s easy to start an email list without any products or services yet. You don’t even need to invest money into the process until you’re sure it’s working for your landing pages. All you need is to put in some time and effort.
Closing thoughts
The internet has changed the way we do business. Marketing campaigns and advertising have gone digital, and email lists are the fastest and most effective way to grow your customer base.
The best thing about email lists is that you can start one as a small business and take it as big as you want. What are you waiting for now that you know how to start and grow your email list? Start building those customer relationships today.
