People are wary of email soliciting. Maybe it’s junk mail fatigue, maybe it’s genuine distrust, but on the extreme end, ask for an address and you may as well be requesting their social security number.

Still, we all know companies whose email list numbers in the thousands with impressive open rates to boot. So how do marketers overcome the skepticism and keep subscribers engaged over the long haul?

That, my friend, is today’s aim.

Looking for inventive ways to double your email subscribers? These tools and tricks are designed to do just that.

Why Prioritize List Growth?

You’re still reading so that means you are at least partially invested in growing your email list. Great!

For those of you still on the fence or who need to make a case to the higher-ups, what if we told you that with no email growth strategy in place, you’re likely to lose about half of your list within two years.

According to Hubspot, email marketing databases degrade by about 22.5% every year. Some of your subscribers change companies, others actively unsubscribe part way through the year, and many fed you an inactive yahoo email from the beginning and haven’t logged in since 2007.

We repeat, the time to double your email list is now!

Here are five essential, creative practices to implement starting with your next email campaign.

1.     Use buyer personas to list segment. You know we’re big proponents of both buyer personas and email segmentation. The two go together as naturally as search marketing and increased sales. Certain users will respond better to certain content. It’s your job to use the demographic information you have about your subscribers to send them pointed emails with information that’s most likely to speak to their specific interests. We also recommend segmenting by action so you know if a reader is more likely to follow a certain CTA or consume particular pieces of content.
2.     Host an event. Workshops, speaking engagements, and networking events are great ways to bring in fresh potential subscribers. Whether you invite industry leaders, contact social media influencers, or just give out free snacks, there’s no shortage of options to draw a crowd. Simply look within your immediate community to create a killer panel. Or, if you’re like us, consider promoting a cause. In our case, we decided to turn our office into a gallery space, inviting talented local artists to show their work a few times a year.  Whatever type of event you host, make sure to use a site like Eventbrite to register guests, send tickets, and capture their emails in the process.
3.     Offer a guest WiFi. You’ve done it a thousand times at the airport waiting for your plane to board. The security line was a breeze and you now have an hour to kill before takeoff. You shore up appropriate WiFi networks on your laptop and see the Boingo Hotspot or free airport guest WiFi. With the flick of the keyboard you enter your email address, hop online, and never give it a second thought. Similarly, offering a free guest free WiFi option to your patrons or clients who visit your office is a great way to grow your email list without much work. Apps like Gazella make the collection even easier, integrating the collected contacts into platforms like Constant Contact.
4.     Run a paid ad. Paid search is everywhere these days. It’s a critical part of any digital marketing strategy that can help you knock out all variety of end goals. While most people think it’s designed to increase your web traffic or improve your page views, you can also use it exclusively as an email capture. We’ve seen plenty of clients have great success creating a Facebook paid ad that steered browsers to their email sign-up sheet, effectively doubling their email subscribers in the span of the campaign.
5.     Go analog. We’re living in a digital world, but don’t underestimate the value of good ‘ol pen and paper. You might try sending out postcards to former customers with a QR code that takes them to your subscription page. Or you could simply create email sign up sheets on rotation at trade shows, your brick and mortar stores, or at the receptionist area of your office. 

These email list growth tips only scratch the surface of all the many ways you can increase your subscribers.

Want us to talk you through additional email marketing strategies? Make contact – see you in our inbox!