YOUR FIRST 5000 SUBSCRIBERS
TABLE OF CONTENTS Why Email Marketing? 3 Before we get started, have you imported your list? 5 Tip #1: Leverage Your Sign Up Form 6 What to Write on Your Form 7 Using Incentives 9 Where to Place Your Form 10 Pop Ups and Lightboxes 11 Hosted Forms 12 To Do: Create a Sign Up Form 13 Tip #2: Get Social 14 Add a Sign Up Form to Facebook 15 Use the Facebook CTA Button 15 Tease Content on Your Social Channels 16 Host a Social Contest 18 To Do: Leverage Social Media 19 Tip #3: Network to Collect Subscribers 20 In Person 21 Teleconferences, Webinars and More 22 Guest Blog Posts 23 Event Websites 23 Membership Websites 24 Other Business Communications 25 To Do: Start the Conversation 26 What s Next 27 2
WHY EMAIL MARKETING? You already know how valuable email marketing can be for growing your business after all, you downloaded this guide! But just in case you needed a refresher, here are a few of the reasons why email marketing is so effective: ROI You can t beat email marketing s ROI about 4,300%! Reach Email lets you reach more people more consistently than any other medium. Analytics With email, you always know what s working and what isn t. Engagement Email is a two-way street, not to mention one of the best ways to keep your customers engaged. Time Save valuable time that you can use to do other things... like running your business! 3
We could go on and mention how it s the most cost-effective form of marketing, how most people prefer email over other forms of marketing, and how it integrates perfectly with social media and your blog to create the ultimate marketing trifecta, but we ll keep it short. To achieve these AWesome results, the first thing you need to do is kickstart your email list s growth and here at AWeber, we have more than a decade of experience doing just that. We use the tactics in this guide at AWeber every day, and so do thousands of our customers. We ve broken down each tactic into manageable steps that you can start today. We ve even included examples of how other businesses are using these same tactics to achieve explosive growth. If at any time you get stuck, our team of email marketing experts is here to help, seven days a week. My subscriber list (50K+) is the most valuable part of my online business. I use email marketing to create a deeper relationship with my readers, and also to share products/services that I ve found useful myself. By far, when I am promoting a product, sending an email to my list gets the best results. Jill Winger, theprairiehomestead.com 4
Drag & Drop File Here Supported file types include: XLS, XLSX, TSV, CSV, TXT BEFORE WE GET STARTED, HAVE YOU IMPORTED YOUR LIST? Importing an email list from another provider is one of the easiest ways to grow your list fast, but only if your subscribers aren t required to reconfirm their interest in your emails. With AWeber, you can import subscribers without requiring them to opt into your list again. That s right, as long as you have a healthy email list, moving is 100% worry-free. Click here to learn more about imports without COI. 5
Name Email Sign Up TIP #1: LEVERAGE YOUR SIGN UP FORM This is a big one. Your form is the most important part of your email marketing strategy. An effective form will grab attention, get you more subscribers and show people what kind of value your business can provide. That s why we ve mapped out each part of a sign up form to help you create the best one possible for your business. 6
What to Write on Your Form Header The header is the part of your form that appears above the fields where new subscribers fill out their email address and other information. It s also where you make your case for why people should join your list. In your header, tell your subscribers what they will receive and how often they ll receive it. Don t just say, Sign up to receive email updates. Be specific. Will they get a weekly newsletter? Coupon codes? A free ebook? Tell them! And most importantly, stick to your promise. Do you have an impressive list? Use your list size as social proof, like in the example below. Fields The fields sections are where your potential subscribers fill in their email addresses and any other information you re asking for. 7
Stick with the basics. Include fields for your new subscriber s name and email address. Beware of adding too many fields on your form. Remember, your job is to make it as easy as possible for people to sign up for your list. Submit Button The submit button is a part of the sign up form that is often overlooked. This could be costing you subscribers! Here s why: How often do you see a form where the button call-to-action is Submit? What exactly are they submitting to? People don t want to submit to your list. They should be excited about the emails they re going to receive from you. Make sure the button correlates to the action people are taking, or better yet, what they re getting. Subscribe, Sign up or Join are all decent calls-to-action, albeit not very exciting. Get creative with your button text to entice more subscribers and help you tie-in what you re offering. 8
Using Incentives An incentive offer not only rewards people for signing up for your list, it gives them a preview of your services and the quality of your business. In a lot of cases, a valuable incentive gives people the nudge they need to sign up for your list. A few ideas for incentive offers include a free ebook or PDF, a one-time discount or offer code, a video or webinar. Whatever you decide on for an incentive, make sure your offer is crystal clear on your form. When someone signs up, your first email to them should contain their freebie. Don t make them wait! 9
Where to Place Your Form The placement of your sign up form can have a huge impact on the growth of your subscriber list. The following parts of your website are prime real estate for sign up forms: At the end of blog posts Convert your readers into subscribers. Sidebar Add your form to the top of your sidebar to ensure it gets clicks. Footer Make the most of this space by adding your form here. About page These pages can get a lot of traffic take advantage of it! Your email signature Turn your colleagues into subscribers. Your social channels Turn followers into subscribers by linking to your hosted form. (More on that later.) 10
We went from making a few cents a day to thousands of dollars a month almost overnight with email marketing. We use our email list to deliver amazing free content and keep our sales leads warm. Shane and Jocelyn Sams, flippedlifestyle.com Pop Ups and Lightboxes Pop ups and lightboxes are in their own special category because of how hotly debated they are. While some believe they interrupt the user experience, others have seen dramatic increases to their subscriber list, like AWeber customer Noah Kagan. When done correctly, pop ups and lightboxes aren t intrusive. You can control when they appear (three seconds, 30 seconds, upon exiting your website - it s your call), how they appear (from pop up to slide in), and of course, what type of content they deliver. No matter what you choose, always test to see what works best for your audience. To learn more about optimizing your pop up forms, click here. An effective form will grab attention, get you more subscribers and show people what kind of value your business can provide. 11
Sign Up to Stay in the Know! Name Email Submit Powered by AWeber EMail Marketing Hosted Forms Need to get a sign up form up and running ASAP? Then a hosted form could be the answer to your email marketing prayers. All you have to do is create your form and hit save, and your form will be accessible on its own web page that you can share anywhere. Why use a hosted form? If you don t have a place to embed your sign up form just yet (like your website or your blog), a hosted form is a great solution. You can share it on social channels like Twitter to turn your followers into subscribers - or anywhere else you want to grow your list! Click here to learn how to create a hosted sign up form with AWeber. 12
TO DO: CREATE A SIGN UP FORM Here s how to create a sign up form with AWeber. Log in to your AWeber account Use the Sign Up Form Generator to choose a template, or create your own sign up form. On your form, be sure to tell people what they can expect when they sign up and how often they ll hear from you. Add your form to the sidebar or head of your website, blog, social channels and email signature. And that s it! Need help creating your form? Our team of email marketing experts is here to help, seven days a week. 13
Social Media Pro Tip Give your social followers a taste of what you have to offer, along with a link to your hosted sign up form. TIP #2: GET SOCIAL Social media can supercharge your subscriber list like nothing else if you re using it correctly. Here are a few of the ways you can grow your subscriber list via social media. 14
Add a Sign Up Form to Facebook Have a dedicated business page on Facebook? Take advantage of the tabs bar and dedicate a section to your email newsletter sign up form. All people need to do is click the icon and they are sent to your sign up form or landing page. Using a relevant image and clear call-to-action will capture people s attention and incite them to click. To find out more about AWeber s integration with Facebook, click here. When I have important content that I believe my readers would be interested in, I send a broadcast email to my list and I know I ll have instantly hundreds of people reading, commenting, sharing. It s a kick-starter for my content. Ruggero Loda, runningshoesguru.com Use the Facebook CTA Button It s getting harder and harder for businesses to gain organic reach on Facebook these days, so it s important to take advantage of every opportunity to collect subscribers. 15
The Facebook call-to-action button is perfect for this. The button displays on both desktop and mobile at the top of your page, so it s easy for people to find. Simply link this button to your hosted sign up form and watch your followers turn into subscribers. Here s how to publish a form with AWeber using Facebook s CTA button. Tease Content on Your Social Channels Give your social followers a taste of what you have to offer in your newsletter, along with a link to your hosted sign up form. Include a short excerpt or summary and try adding a visual component to help increase your engagement. Use tracking links to help you track which source drove the most traffic to your resources. 16
Include a short excerpt or summary and try adding a visual component to help increase your engagement. Be sure to let your followers know that if they want to read more from you, they can sign up to your list for regular updates! To take it one step further, you can get subscribers by promoting your ebook or white paper on social, too. Use an email sign up gate on any premium content that you give away to collect new subscribers who are interested in your field of expertise. From there, you can segment your list and send them targeted messages based on the content they signed up for. 17
Host a Social Contest A great way to generate buzz around your mailing list is to host a social promotion or contest. Ask subscribers for their email address when signing up. Be sure to clearly disclose that, by entering, they agree to receive your newsletter (or give them the option to opt out of subscribing). To gain subscribers even faster, host a contest with a short entry period and a valuable prize. Tools like Heyo and Contest Domination make it easy to host your own contest. Once you ve got your contest up and running, promote it like crazy on social media and your blog. The more traffic, the more chances to convert prospects into loyal subscribers. 18
TO DO: LEVERAGE SOCIAL MEDIA Add a sign up form to Facebook Use the Facebook CTA button Tease content your social channels Host a social contest Want more tips digital marketing advice, examples, and inspiration? Connect with us on our social media channels. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Blog 19
TIP #3: NETWORK TO COLLECT SUBSCRIBERS In the past week, how many times has your business come up when having a face-to-face conversation, whether in a business or casual setting? How about on the phone? Social media? You never know where you ll find potential subscribers. The trick is taking full advantage of each opportunity to grow your list. 20
In Person Whether it s a trade show, conference, meetup, or in your store, facetime with prospects is a great opportunity to promote your newsletter. That s why having a mobile subscriber app is crucial for growing your list on the go. With AWeber s Atom app, you can add subscribers names and email addresses in seconds, all from your mobile device. They ll receive your first follow up immediately after they sign up. You can even add new subscribers without a wireless connection, just in case your WiFi isn t cooperating. You never know where you ll find potential subscribers. The trick is taking full advantage of each opportunity to grow your list. 21
Email marketing has given me the necessary tools to cultivate, nurture and grow meaningful relationships. Cole Mize, colemizestudios.com No tablet or smartphone? No problem. You can make pen and paper work for you. Just add a note on their business card or have a physical sign up form easily accessible. Remember, don t add every business card you collect to your list. Only add those who gave you permission to send them your newsletter. Not sure if your list is OK to use? This article answers the big question, Can I use this list? Teleconferences, Webinars and More Every conversation you have with prospects, clients and contacts presents another opportunity to promote your newsletter. If people are interested in learning more about the products or services you re providing, pointing them to your email list is a nobrainer. Think about it: if you re providing value on a call, attendees are likely to walk away wanting more. Webinars, conferences and calls are essentially soft-sell sales pitches for your business. Your biggest goal is to generate a response; the response here being subscription to your newsletter. 22
Your biggest goal is to generate a response; the response here being subscription to your newsletter. If you re hosting a webinar or other online meeting, make sure that your URL is clear to attendees or participants. And don t discredit asking them directly; you may find it s easier and more reliable to weave it into the conversation. Guest Blog Posts Guest blog posts are a great way to spread the word about your site and gain new readers. Typically, when you write an article or a guest post for another blog, you re allowed a signature at the end of the article. Make it easy for those who read your guest posts to easily subscribe for updates. Be sure to include: Your name Your company A link to your subscribe page A summary of what someone will get if they subscribe Event Websites Does your business host regular events? Want to start collecting subscribers before an event even begins? Tools like EventBrite and 23
Zapier lets you ask people to subscribe when they sign up for your events. You can even create a separate list just for people interested in your events and send them targeted emails. Email marketing is one of our primary tactics for engaging with our followers. We have a newsletter that shares our newest blog posts plus a partner promotion. Our focus is customer relationship rather than sales. It s worked well for us. Kathryn Aragon, crazyegg.com Membership Websites If you offer a membership program to your audience, ask your members to sign up for regular email updates. New members might be interested in a follow up series that shows them how to use your membership site, too. The great news is that if they re already members, they probably will be interested in hearing more from you in the future! AWeber integrates with a number of membership sites, like Wishlist Member and MemberMouse, making it easy for you to collect email addresses from your members. 24
Other Business Communications Every product or piece of information you produce and share with prospects and customers offers you the chance to procure a new email subscriber. Do you ship physical products? Include a one-page insert that exposes customers to your newsletter and encourages them to subscribe. What about catalogs? Promotional pieces? These are good places to advertise your newsletter. Do you give away or sell digital products, such as ebooks or whitepapers? Include references to your newsletter in the about section or in the footer of each page. Email has been absolutely instrumental in the growth of my businesses over the last five years. A big thank you to AWeber for supporting me in my business over the past five years by being my email marketing provider. Chris Ducker, chrisducker.com 25
TO DO: START THE CONVERSATION Ask people to subscribe in the following places: In person Teleconferences and webinars Guest blog posts Event websites Membership websites Anywhere and everywhere you promote your business! 26
WHAT S NEXT You ve implemented all of the tactics in this guide and have likely witnessed some impressive results. Now what? Growing a healthy and engaged list isn t a once-and-done effort. You need to continue to delight subscribers with quality content and an established cadence. There are dozens of great resources out there to put you on the path to email marketing success, such as the AWeber blog. Putting the time in to expand your knowledge will yield awesome results. And remember, the AWeber team is just a phone call, email, live chat or tweet away! How has this guide helped you grow your list? We want to hear from you! Send us an email at help@aweber.com or tweet us @AWeber. 27