How many times do you check your email in a day?
Well, if you’re like me, chances are you click on the little ‘envelope icon’ on your phone or hit ‘refresh’ on your laptop at least ten times daily.
The number of emails sent and received every day is expected to cross 333.2 billion in 2022.
So, if you’re a blogger, building an email list is essential to growing your audience. An email list has become such a critical part of running a successful blog that you can refer to it as ‘the new SEO’.
What is an email list?
An email list is a compilation of email addresses that have opted-in to receive emails from your business or organization. You can use this list to send out announcements or promotional messages, share content, and keep in touch with your audience.
An email list is among the most effective ways to build loyalty with your readers.
Why is it vital to build an email list for your blog?
Your blog will take off much faster with an email list. It allows you to connect with people interested in what you’re offering and gives you a chance to market directly to them.
Here are four reasons why you need to start an email list for your blog today:
1. Boosts traffic and grows your audience
Traffic is the lifeblood of any blog. Without traffic, no one would ever read your content.
People always wonder how to increase traffic organically to their site. However, one method that is often overlooked is email list building.
When bloggers have a mailing list, they can direct their readers to their latest posts, boosting traffic. To maximize the effectiveness of email marketing, bloggers should push out interesting content and ensure that their lists are well-maintained.
With higher traffic, more people will organically visit your website, resulting in more email subscribers and potential customers. As you continue sending emails to your list, your followers will become familiar with your brand, growing the audience who identifies with and follows you.
2. Builds a relationship of trust with your readers
If you want people to buy from you, you need to earn their trust first.
Growing your email list allows you to do just that.
When someone signs up to be on your list, they’re essentially giving you permission to contact them at any point in the future.
An email address offers you a direct line of communication. You can send announcements, updates, resources, deals, and other messages straight to your readers, giving you incredible power and control.
What’s more, you build a deeply personal relationship with your audience by communicating directly with them.
When you send out regular emails to your list, you give your readers a chance to know you better. This can help you build trust and loyalty and also help you sell your products or services.
3. Great way to make more money and diversify your revenue streams
Once you’ve built your email list, you’ll want to monetize it. The possibilities are endless when it comes to generating revenue through email marketing:
- Sell digital products such as ebooks, planners, webinars, online courses, and audio files to your audience
- Market any physical products you sell on your blog to your email list
- Create a paid newsletter that offers exclusive premium content
- Sell advertising space on your emails to companies who want to reach your subscriber base or ask businesses to sponsor your newsletter
- Sign-up for affiliate programs in your niche and include the links in your email and blogs. This is one of the simplest (and most lucrative) ways to monetize your list as you earn a commission for every sale.
- Target ads more precisely. By targeting potential customers, businesses can create a more personalized experience and increase the likelihood that they will return to the site or buy the product.
- Offer special discounts and offers to your subscribers on occasions such as Black Friday, Women’s Day, Diwali, and Christmas — leading to increased revenue.
4. Helps skyrocket conversion rates
What if I told you that businesses earn an average of $44 on email marketing for every dollar spent?
Well, it’s true.
No wonder email lists help boost sales and improve conversion rates on blogs.
When potential customers subscribe to your email list, you can send them valuable content and updates on your blog without spamming them with irrelevant advertisements.
This helps you build a loyal following of interested readers who are more likely to buy your products or sign up for your services.
You may also see a higher purchase rate from your email subscribers since you’re reaching out to people who already know you and have expressed interest in what you offer. These people are more likely to buy from you than people who haven’t heard of you before.
How can you create an email list for your blog?
Here are six simple steps you can take to begin building your email list:
1. Start with a cost-effective email marketing tool
You don’t need to spend a hundred dollars or more per month to build a successful email list. There are many affordable email marketing services that allow you to send out regular emails to your subscribers.
Some reputed yet inexpensive tools include MailerLite, Sendinblue, and Mailchimp.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you build an email list for free using Mailchimp.
2. Create a sign-up form
You will need to have a sign-up form on your website if you want your visitors to subscribe to your emails. You will find many email sign-up form providers online to make the process easy and hassle-free for you.
The standard practice is to collect just the name and email of the potential subscriber to make it as seamless as possible to subscribe to your list.
Helpful Tip: Use the double opt-in method.
Double opt-in means that users must confirm their subscription before receiving any content from you. This ensures that only real subscribers receive your emails. The best way to implement this is to include a link in the welcome email that allows users to confirm their subscription.
3. Offer a solid incentive to get people to subscribe to your email list
There are many ways to build a successful email list, but one of the most effective is offering a freebie and then asking people to sign up. You can provide an information-packed ebook, a bonus report, or even a free trial if you offer a digital service.
Offering incentives is an excellent way to increase your conversion rate. People love discounts, so why not offer them a discount code or coupon code? Or enter them into a giveaway or a contest!
Get creative!
4. Provide a clear call-to-action (CTA)
You won’t be able to build your email list if you do not instruct your visitors on how they can sign up.
Provide a clear call-to-action and make it obvious how your readers can get your emails. Keep it simple and specific such as ‘Sign up now!’.
5. Lead prospects down the pre-sign-up funnel
Offer helpful content to your visitors to lead them down the pre-sign-up funnel. This can be as simple as a series of blog posts that position you as an expert in your field or a YouTube video that delivers immense value.
This will motivate readers to subscribe to your list to continue getting more content from you.
6. Automate your post-sign-up funnel
After people sign up, continue providing quality content in their inbox to build brand awareness and develop a relationship. Keep in mind that the frequency of your emails and the information you share depends on the niche and audience you’re targeting.
Automating the funnel is a great way to ensure consistency while saving time and energy.
A few last thoughts
A blog without an email list is like a boat without a rudder. It may drift aimlessly for a while, but will not get very far.
Your mailing list is one of the most valuable assets of your blog but it is vital to remember that developing one takes time and patience.
So start building your list today and reap the rewards later.
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