9 Proven Tips to Grow Your Email Subscriber Base

Email marketing continues to be valuable in building lasting relationships with your audience. An engaged email list can boost sales, drive traffic, and make your brand more visible. If you’re looking to grow your email subscriber base, you’ve come to the right place. Here are 9 strategies to help you increase, and keep, your email subscribers.

1. Create Engaging Content

Your email content is the key to engaging your subscribers effectively. Create content that is relevant and captivating so that your subscribers get real benefits. You can accomplish this by getting to know your audience and tailoring your content to meet their needs and interests.

Don’t just create content that is promotional or sales-oriented. Include educational, informative and entertaining elements. This could range from insightful blog posts that provide expert advice or tips related to your industry, to behind-the-scenes peeks into your company, or even exclusive offers designed specifically for your email subscribers.

By providing a variety of content that is both beneficial and engaging, your emails can become a must-read resource for your audience. This not only encourages higher open rates but also fosters a stronger relationship between your brand and your subscribers, ultimately leading to increased loyalty and conversions.

2. Create User-Friendly Sign-Up Forms

Creating visually appealing and easy-to-use sign-up forms can help attract new subscribers. A well-designed form not only captures the attention of your visitors but also makes the subscription process easy.

Sign-up forms should be simple. Limit the information you ask for to the essentials to make the process less time-consuming. Also consider using enticing call-to-action phrases and attractive visuals or colors that align with your brand identity to draw more attention.

Strategic placement of your forms are key to maximizing their visibility and effectiveness. High-traffic areas on your website are prime real estate and a great place to put your form. This includes your homepage, popular blog posts and landing pages. Placing your sign-up forms on these pages can increase their exposure to a larger audience, and boost your chances to grow your email subscriber list.

3. Provide Attractive Incentives

Incentives can take various forms, such as discounts on your products or services, complimentary eBooks related to your industry, access to downloadable resources like templates or guides, or exclusive invitations to webinars or online workshops.

The key to successful incentivization lies in ensuring that these offerings align with the interests and preferences of your target audience. For instance, if your audience consists mostly of professionals seeking to improve their skills, offering an exclusive webinar on a relevant topic would be more effective than a discount code for a product they might not need.

Your incentives should provide real value to your subscribers. A free eBook, for instance, should contain insightful and useful information that your subscribers can apply in their personal or professional lives. A discount should be substantial enough to make a difference in the purchase decision.

The primary goal of incentives is not just to grow your email list but also to build a strong relationship with your subscribers from the start. By offering something of value at the beginning of your relationship, you’re demonstrating your commitment to providing them value, which can lead to increased loyalty and engagement.

4. Implement Pop-Up Subscription Forms

Pop-up subscription forms can be a powerful tool to grow your email subscribers, but they must be used thoughtfully and strategically to avoid annoying your visitors.

The timing of pop-ups is important to user experience. Instead of displaying them immediately when a visitor lands on your page, consider triggering them at more suitable moments. For example, you could use an exit-intent pop-up that appears just as a visitor is about to leave your site. This can serve as a final opportunity to capture their interest and encourage them to subscribe.

Another effective strategy is to set the pop-up to appear after the visitor has spent a certain amount of time on your site or scrolled through a specific percentage of a page. This allows the visitor enough time to engage with your content and develop an interest before being presented with the subscription form.

Your pop-up form should not be intrusive or disrupt the user experience. They should be easy to close if the visitor chooses not to subscribe, and they should not reappear too frequently, which can frustrate visitors.

When utilized wisely, pop-up subscription forms can significantly grow your email sign-ups while maintaining a positive user experience on your website.

5. Promote on Social Media

Using social media to promote your email subscriptions is an effective way to reach a large audience quickly.

Start by creating engaging posts that clearly convey the benefits of subscribing to your emails. This could include exclusive content, special discounts, or insider tips that are only available to subscribers. The goal is to entice your social media followers to sign up.

Include a link to the form in your bio and in the post itself. If possible, use a call-to-action button, like ‘Sign Up’ or ‘Subscribe Now’, to guide your followers directly to the subscription form.

6. Grow Your Email List with a Referral Program

Referral programs can be a powerful strategy to expand your email subscription list by leveraging the networks of your existing subscribers. By incentivizing your current audience to refer others, you can create a cycle of growth that benefits all parties involved.

Start by reaching out to your current subscribers with an invitation to participate in your referral program. Make it clear that they have something valuable to gain from referring others. This could be exclusive content, discounts, early access to new products or services, or any other reward that aligns with your brand and appeals to your audience.

The referral process should be straightforward and user-friendly. Provide your subscribers with a simple way to share your sign-up form with their contacts, such as a unique referral link or a shareable social media post.

Clearly communicate the terms of the referral program. Specify what constitutes a successful referral (for example, when a referred individual subscribes and confirms their email address) and how and when the rewards will be given.

Remember to thank your subscribers for their referrals and deliver the promised rewards promptly. This not only encourages further referrals but also builds loyalty and trust among your current subscribers.

7. Host Webinars and Online Events

Host webinars or online events on topics that are relevant and interesting to your target audience. This not only attracts potential subscribers but also helps to build trust and credibility.

Ask participants to register using their email address. Make sure to communicate the benefits of subscribing to your emails during the registration process. This could include receiving a recording of the webinar, getting access to additional resources, or being notified of future events. Also let them know that by signing up they are also signing up to receive marketing emails from your company.

Promote your webinars or events across all of your marketing channels, including your website, social media platforms, and existing email list. You can also consider partnering with other businesses or influencers in your industry to reach a wider audience.

Remember, the key to successful webinars and online events is providing genuine value to your audience. The more useful and engaging your content is, the more likely participants are to subscribe to your emails and stay engaged with your brand.

8. Segment Your Email List

Email list segmentation allows you to send personalized content to different groups of subscribers based on their unique characteristics or behavior. This approach can significantly improve engagement rates and make your subscribers feel more valued reducing the likelihood of unsubscribes.

First, bucket your subscribers into distinct groups. This could be based on a variety of factors, such as:

• Demographics: Age, location, gender, occupation, etc.
• Interests: Topics they’ve shown interest in, products they’ve purchased, etc.
• Behavior: Email open rates, click-through rates, website activity, etc.

Once you’ve identified your segments, tailor your content to meet the specific needs and interests of each group. For example, you might send a special offer to subscribers who frequently purchase a specific product, or share industry-specific news with subscribers who work in a particular field.

Segmentation may require some extra effort upfront, but the benefits it brings in terms of subscriber satisfaction and retention are well worth it.

9. Prioritize Mobile Responsiveness

Mobile responsiveness means that your emails and sign-up forms automatically adjust to fit the screen size of the device they’re viewed on. This ensures a seamless user experience, regardless of whether your audience is accessing your content via a desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone.

Here are some tips for optimizing your emails for mobile devices:

• Keep your design simple: Avoid complex layouts and use a single column format for easy scrolling.
• Use large, legible fonts: Small text can be hard to read on mobile screens.
• Make sure your call-to-action buttons are large enough to be easily tapped with a finger.
• Test your emails on different devices: What looks good on one device might not look as good on another, so it’s important to test your emails across multiple devices to ensure they’re displaying correctly.

Growing your email subscriber base takes time and dedication, but the rewards are well worth the effort. By consistently providing valuable content, optimizing your sign-up processes, and staying attuned to your audience’s preferences, you’ll create a thriving email list that fuels your brand’s success. Remember, it’s not just about the quantity of subscribers, but the quality of the connections you build with them.

Need some help with your email marketing? Reach out and speak with one of our experts today!