Top Ten Tactics to Grow Your List

Think you’re already doing everything right? I bet if you look really hard there’s probably room for optimizing your sign up process to grow your list. We should all know by now the value of growing your list organically, if not, check out this Bronto Blog post on why it's "so worth it." A lot has been written about how you can grow your list, but here are what I believe are the top ten ways to grow your list organically.

1. Be visible!

Don’t make them look for the sign up, give it prominent placement and make it really jump out by using bold colors, background colors, animation, etc. Bruegger's does a good job making their sign up very visible.

2. Multiple placements

Place that sign up in as many spots as possible. The header and footer are great places to start. Be sure the sign up call to action is located on every page of your website so that no matter where someone enters your site they have the opportunity to sign up for emails.

3. Pop-ups

Llove them or hate them, they work! I have clients that have experienced HUGE list growth since implementing a pop-up. If you go this route be sure to present the pop-up a few seconds after the person hits your site and not right away.

4. Sell the sign up

What’s in it for me? Set expectations on frequency, content and really entice them to want to join by providing an incentive such as a $ off coupon or % off.

5. Friends & Family/Forward to a Friend

People tend to purchase based on friends recommendations.  Use your existing subscribers as a recommendation tool by running Friends & Family specific offers that encourage forwarding along. Be sure to include a email sign up option within those emails so friends can easily subscribe.

6. Incorporate Social Media

Use social networks to grow your list by creating sign up webforms for these sites, posting calls to action to sign up for your emails, run contests, etc.  All Volleyball Inc. does a great job of asking for the sign-up on their Facebook landing page.

7. Don’t forget the check-out!

Include an option for customers to opt-in to emails during the check-out process. Best practice is to provide an unchecked box.

8. Transactional messages

Dedicate some space in your transactional emails for a sign up call to action. Remember the 80/20 rule.  Here's a great example from philosophy that promotes the sign up clearly in the right side of the message, and offers buyers a free gift for signing up.

9. Cross promote

Utilize sister brands and have them send an email to their list on your behalf asking people to opt-in.

10. Don’t forget offline!

Include inserts in all packages you ship out directing people to your sign up page, educate call center employees to get that email address, ask for email address at time of purchase in your retail branches, get creative with it.

Those are my top ten tactics to grow your list. Have you found one tactic that you've found greatly out performs all others? Any other tactics I'm missing? Please comment below!

Fawn Young
Marketing Strategist at Bronto