Growing an engaged email is an ongoing effort. In this blog, we share 7 tips to creating an engaged email list.
1. Opt-in is everything.
Ensure subscribers on your email list are acquired through opt-in. Permission-based marketing is when subscribers specifically request to be on the list and opt-in to hear from your company.
Don’t be tempted to buy a list.
Reputable email service providers won’t let you send to a purchased list and you won’t get the results you desire.Think of a purchased list as calling people who didn’t give you their number.
Stick to opt-in and only.
2. Develop sign up forms.
Using a sign up form is the single easiest tactic to grow your email list. Place it on strategic pages of your website (which is called a Landing page), blog, social media or channels and it becomes a powerhouse for acquiring new subscribers. Plus, it’s permission-based.
3. Collect the right data from the start.
Data has increasingly become important to marketers and quality data is considered gold. Many marketers struggle with data because their data may be dirty or incomplete, or they don’t have the data they desire to accomplish their goals. You can overcome these challenges for your email list by collecting the right data from the start in your sign up forms and gated content.
Keep your sign up forms short and only collect the information you need. 1-3 pieces of information is optimal as form fills decrease when there are too many fields.
4. Strategically gate content.
Gating content is an age-old lead gen tactic that most marketers use to collect email addresses and leads. When gating content, it’s paramount to consider what assets you’ll gate at what stage of the funnel and how you’ll use that data to grow your subscriber base and nurture leads to your end-goal.
5. Measure email list health.
Your email list is your most valuable email marketing asset. To ensure your email list is healthy, keep an eye on your engagement metrics such as open, click-to-open, and conversion rates. These are all key indicators of engagement. Additionally, be aware of where you are acquiring your most engaged subscribers. Do they come from your website sign up form, social media or some other channel?
6. Cleanse your list on a regular basis.
The key here is that you are focused not just on growing a big list but on a healthy and engaged list that will take action on your messages.
Is a large percentage of your list inactive? Have a majority of your subscribers not clicked on a link in the last three months? If so, instead of continuing to mail to inactive subscribers over and over gain only to have them ignore or delete your messages, you can create a reactivation campaign to win them back with different content or a relevant offer.
7. Provide valuable content to your subscribers.
Many marketers fall into the trap of sending out offer after offer in an effort to drive sales and revenue for their growing businesses. However, subscribers can soon tire of promotional offers that don’t deliver true benefits for them. The most savvy marketers know that a balance of value adding content (like blogs, email newsletters,) and offers are the key to success.