Be innovative when building your email list.

Email marketing can be used to increase sales volumes.

It is a low cost way of delivering information to customers as compared to other forms of marketing.

You can make use of themes and plugins to design effective landing pages and forms.

Most themes and plugins can be got for free.

Drip email marketing is an organized form of communicating with your leads through a steady stream of marketing emails. Drip email marketing automates your drip campaigns and can be used to convert your leads into buying customers. Drip email marketing can be combined with social media posts and ads. It can also be combined with other traditional forms of marketing such as telephone calls, posters, print media and brochures.

Behavioral emails are only sent depending on triggers based on visitor behavior. Emails are sent out when customers visiting your website take a specific action. Examples include thank you and congratulation emails. These can be integrated into your drip email marketing function.

Here are interesting ways you can build your email list.

Being innovative with your email list

· Always keep your opt-in form simple.

· Put out signup sheets and encourage people to fill in their contact information including their email addresses.

· Offer your business card in exchange for your customer’s business card and email addresses.

· Have your front office desk staff or receptionist collect customer business cards and email addresses.

Have a bowl at your reception and collect business cards.

Encourage people to leave their email addresses for free updates on your eBook or online courses.

Encourage people to leave their email addresses for free updates on your blog posts.

Ask for email addresses in exchange for free downloads of your eBook, speeches, videos or online courses.

· Encourage and reward employees who bring in new email addresses.

· Reward customers and subscribers who bring in friends to join your email list.

· Make door-to-door office or home visits and give offers that can only be got by visiting your website.

Sweeten door-to-door visits with exciting discounts and offers.

· Ensure that all forwarded emails also contain your opt-in form and collect email addresses.

· Ensure that all your business documents, receipts, invoices and catalogs have your email and website addresses.

· Participate in community, national or international events and ensure that you collect email addresses of participates and visitors.

Always ask your listeners to find more information on your product from your website and you can collect their email addresses using your opt-in forms.

· Hold your own events and encourage guests to give their contact details and email addresses.

You can create a quiz.

Host a giveaway.

Host a webinar.

Host a local meeting.

· Make use of your current email list and ask people to add friends that may be interested in your product.

· Give offers, giveaways, discounts and free samples in exchange for email addresses.

Consider giving out coupons.

Also consider offering free tools.

· Be creative and find ways to follow up and update lost contacts.

Have comment or response cards and ensure you use them to collect email addresses.

· Participate in trending social media topics and encourage people to visit your website where they will sign up to your email list.

Include a link to your website or opt-in form.

Make suggests and comments on other blogs and promote your opt-in form.

Participate in forums for questions on your topic giving a link to your opt-in form.

Participate and answer questions on Quora giving a link to your opt-in form.

Participate in relevant LinkedIn groups giving a link to your opt-in form.

Also participate in relevant Facebook groups giving a link to your opt-in form.

Add a signup button on your Facebook page and group page.

Add a call to action on your Google page and have visitors sign up using only their email addresses.

Use Google communities to find new visitors to your website and add your opt-in form.

Add a call to action on your Facebook cover photo and have visitors sign up using only their email addresses.

Organize chats on different social media platforms and request for email addresses.

Have a YouTube channel and add a link leading to your opt-in form.

· Add a call to action on your podcasts and videos and have people sign up to your opt-in form.

· Create social groups on social media and ask members to give their email addresses.

· Create a social or business club and ask members to give their email addresses.

· Make use of telephone conversations to request for email addresses.

Give offers that can only be got by visiting your website.

· Make use of text massages to request for email addresses.

· Make use of family and friends to help you grow your email list.

Ask your friends to share your email address with their friends.

· Make use of consultants and free lance marketers to outsource services to build your email list.

· Share your email list with other businesses in exchange for links on their websites.

Seek and establish partnerships that can be beneficial to you.

· Always reward loyal email followers.

Have rewards available only to present and new subscribers.

Start a loyalty program that will make your subscribers feel special.

Communicate the benefits of your loyalty program.

· Start discussions and professional talks on various platforms online and include your opt-in form to collect email addresses.

Take every opportunity to include your expert and professional advice and comments on various forums and include links to your website and opt-in forms.

Join professional bodies and business groups and include a link to your opt-in form whenever you send out emails on your product.

· Always make use of experts, influencers and leaders.

Show that they too purchase and use your product.

Add social proof by showing how many people use your product.

Add their testimonials.

Build your credibility.

Earn your customer’s trust.

· If your customers have to fill in any forms or even credit card receipts with their information; ensure that they have a place to fill in their email addresses.

· Ask and encourage visitors to your website to share and forward their favorite articles from your website.

Ensure all articles have your opt-in form to collect email addresses.

· Where you have to be sending out bills, invoices, quotations and receipts; create an option to have these via email instead.

Give attractive offers to encourage customers to opt for emails.

Emails are also an eco-friendly way to save papers, trees and the environment.

· Offer daily, weekly or monthly deals and ask visitors to leave their email addresses so as to take advantage of deals offered.

· Have raffles or competitions around your product and have people give their email addresses.

Have weekly, monthly or annual draws.

· Include a card inside every product and request for email addresses.

Request your buyers to fill forms giving their email addresses.

Add email offers on your packaging.

· For all your emails; have a link to your opt-in form with the signature.

Add a share button to all your email signatures.

· If you write good content or give advices; offer some of your articles in exchange for email addresses and subscription offers.

Add a share button to all your articles.

· Give people the choice to join your email list using a QR code.

· If you have a large social media following and subscriber base; then clearly display these numbers on your website and opt-in form to encourage more people to sign up.

Add social proof by showing how many people have subscribed to your service.

· Write an eBook on your field of expertise and encourage people to leave their email addresses when purchasing it.

· Develop online courses on your field of expertise and encourage people to leave their email addresses when purchasing it.

· Offer to send visitors and subscribers something through emails.

Do not share all your content but instead ask visitors to your website to offer their email addresses inorder to access your content.

Give previews of your content.

· Pin your opt-in form on the landing pages of your website and social media pages.

Add a share button to all your social media pages.

· Make use of social media ads and include links to your opt-in form.

Cheers,

Peter Kirimi Mburugu.

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