No matter what type of online business you’re running, one thing is always, always, always essential, you need customers.
And that’s where your email database comes into play.
After all, the more connected you are with your site’s users, the more value you can offer them and that will lead to sales. But how does the small business owner create the highly coveted email list? And how do you grow it in a way where you’ll see your database quickly expand and thrive?
Well, relax, because you’re in the right place. Here are 8 list building hacks to grow your email database fast.
1) Use Google Accounts To Make Sign Up A Breeze
Lots and lots of people use Google. And with the magic formula of getting a lot of sign-ups being to combine great content with convenience, using Google Accounts to allow your users to sign up for your email list with just a single click of the button is an excellent way to build up your database fast.
2) Put A Subscription Link Into Your Email Signature
When you’re trying to build your email database, you want to make it nice and easy for your readers to subscribe. A simple and clean way to do this is by inserting a signup link into your email signature. By doing this, your reader will now just be a simple click away from becoming one of your devoted fans and you’ll get the info you need.
3) Insert Links To Webinars Into Your Content
Getting people to sign your email list is all about providing maximum value to them and linking to webinars is a terrific way to draw readers in and keep them with you for the long run. Simply by inserting a sign up link on the same page you’re advertising your webinar, you’ll now be offering your audience the ability to be notified and receive all of your amazing content and if they’re already enjoying your posts, they’ll most likely jump at the chance to be frequently updated on the information you’re providing.
4) Provide Amazing Content
Readers love the value. And by writing posts that provide high-quality content along with unique, well-written insight into things, your audience will be compelled to not only read your work, but to print it, share it, and forward it to their friends and colleagues. This will not only build you the loyal following you’re looking for but will inspire your readers to sign up for your email list since they’re going to want to be kept up-to-date with all the great info your site provides. Of course, not everyone is a great writer, and if you need a little help, check out this reviews page to quickly find out which writing service will best give you the killer content you’re looking for.
5) Put Together A Case Study
If the power of the internet can be summarized as one thing, it’s an endless sea of information. And with the amount of amazing stuff you can find being virtually infinite, you can get overwhelmed with info pretty quickly.
And that’s where the case study comes in.
Remember,aside from promoting your site, it’s all about value, and along with blog posts, webinars, and podcasts, case studies are a great was to not only educate your audience but to also drive them to want to sign up for your email list.
The beauty of writing a case study is that you don’t have to run your own experiments to put on together. For example, people love before and after transformations, and you can create a study demonstrating one simply by referencing another study’s data and then reshaping it as your own.
6) Specialize
If you were looking for a foot doctor, would you seek out a general practice physician or a podiatrist?
If you said podiatrist, then congratulations, you already understand the concept of this hack.
People want a specialist. Thus, finding a niche for the type of content you provide and then making yourself into an expert in it is a much faster way to gain people’s interest and trust than if you try to wear too many hats. Once you hook an audience in with your specific knowledge about a topic they’re interested in, they’ll be more than happy to sign up to your email list and you can watch your database quickly grow from there.
7) Make Them An Offer They Can’t Refuse
Best – selling author and world class entrepreneur, Chris Guillebeau, said this about the difference between a compelling offer and an offer that is irresistible:
“A compelling offer is like a slice of orange at mile 18. It’s a marriage proposal from the guy or girl you’ve been waiting for your whole life. An offer you can’t refuse is like the $20,000 Bonderman Fellowship offered every year to graduation seniors at the University of Washington.”
Simply put, your goal is conversions. And when you’re trying to get users of your site to sign up for your email list, you’ve got to offer them something that they’d feel like they’d be crazy to say no to. Here are the fundamental characteristics of an irresistible offer:
- High Value
- Scarcity
- High Demand
- Relevance
- Exclusivity
Combine these elements with some good old fashioned persuasion and you’ll see your database grow in no time.
You’re On Your Way!
Remember, you don’t have to try implement all of these hacks at once. In fact, by first working with just one or two of them, you’ll be able to get your footing and then as you see results, you can start to employ more and more of them in order to maximize the speed and scope of which your email database grows.
Just remember, building something good takes time, and even if you don’t get sign ups right away, just keep at it – these hacks work.