25 Proven Ways to Grow Your Email List Fast

There are many more ways than you think…

How many strategies are you using to grow your email list and your business?

You’re a savvy small business owner who’s always looking for new, cost-effective ways to market your business. The value of email marketing is clear and you want to take full advantage of this strategy.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “the money is in the list”? That can be true if you have a vibrant and responsive group of email subscribers.

So, how do you do it?

How do you grow a larger, more responsive list of prospects who are hungry for your content, products and services?

It is much simpler than you might imagine. You can and must increase your number of subscribers without compromising the quality of those subscribers – after all, there’s no point in having an email list of 25,000 people who have no interest in the message that you are sharing!

Here are 25 proven ways to grow your email list fast while ensuring each person on that list is a strong lead.

In-Person Email Capture

This might sound strange, but let’s forget about building your email list online for a minute.

Since list-building is thought to be mostly a digital activity, many entrepreneurs forget about all the different ways they can capture emails offline.

For instance…

• Ask customers to leave their business cards in a fishbowl and be added to your list
• Use text message marketing and send a “text to join” message to all of your customers
• Place a sandwich board sign outside of your business encouraging people to subscribe
• Include an email opt-in Call To Action in your brochures and other hard copy materials
• Place an ad in the paper and include instructions for subscribing
• Ask for the opt-in on your business card
• Include an email sign-up form at live events

One of the most effective live strategies for growing your email list is to simply ask people for their email address in person. Having a conversation about the products and services you provide is a great way to qualify your leads and see if they are a good prospect for your sales funnel. If they are, explain the benefits of opting in to your email list and get their permission to add them live, right then and there.

Online Email Capture

While live email capture tends to be more personal in nature, online email capture gives you the power to reach more people than you ever could in person.

First, it’s important to observe best practices when beginning to build your list.

Make sure the following things are in place before you move on to the list building techniques below.

• Place a sign up form on every page of your website. Make sure the form is easy to see as soon as someone lands on the page.

• Keep the form short, asking for basic information like a first name and email address.

• Test different calls to action to see which one converts best.

• Offer a valuable lead magnet to entice people to sign up. You might offer a white paper, coupon, eBook, or access to a members’ only area of your website.

• Create a “Reasons to sign up” web page on your site.

Once you have the basics in place, you can amp up your list-building efforts even more using social media, email marketing, and blogging.

Social Media

• Include an email sign up form on your business Facebook page

• Create a Facebook cover photo graphic asking people to subscribe

• Tweet a link to your sign up page

• Run Facebook traffic to your signup page

• Use YouTube and Vine to increase signups with video

• Include a sign-up link in all of your social media bios

• Join groups and communities on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+ and ask your fellow group members to subscribe

Email Marketing

• Include an email sign up link in your newsletter

• Include social share buttons in every email, encouraging subscribers to share your content with their networks

• Use Constant Contact’s “Forward to a Friend” feature, which will also expand your reach to prospective subscribers

Blogging

• Make it is easy for readers to subscribe to your blog via email. You can then email them with updates, special offers, and sales emails as well.

 

• Guest blog on relevant blogs in your industry or niche. Doing so will expose your brand to a new audience. You’ll also be able to include a link back to your website, increasing website traffic and possibly email subscribers.

 

• Comment on related blogs in your area of expertise. When you include a link to your website, readers will be directed to your email sign up page.

Growing a strong email list may seem challenging, but you’ll be amazed at how quickly your list will multiply when you explore every list-building possibility.

Don’t be afraid to use offline methods to build an online list, and when in doubt about getting someone’s email, remember – it never hurts to simply ask!

Want another 35+ ways to grow your email list fast? Join us for our Master Class that will show you the exact steps that you need to take to quickly grow an active list of qualified leads for your business.