How to build an Email list ?
I can't say enough how important it is to gather a list of emails that customers have agreed to give you.
Don't even think of buying mailing lists, people who have not specifically opted-in to receive emails from you won't be reading your emails and might even get annoyed on top of it.
On Your Website
1) Create amazing content. You need your visitors to want to know and read more about you, what you do and what you can do for them. Be customer-centered on every page of your website.
2) Add a sign up form on your website. You could use a simple opt-in form on the website that you got from AWeber, or MailChimp. Make sure they are visible and easily found.
3) Personalize your sign-up form. Don't just write "sign in to our newsletter", write something like "Get out weekly free tips on..."
2) Create a new lead gen offer. Offer something in exchange for their email address -- like a free ebook, resource guide, whitepaper or special reports -- and require visitors to provide their email address in order to download it. I recommend it be a one-page PDF list of tools or resources. I would use a pop-ub box, so you make sure that your visitors won't miss it.
3) Link to offers that capture email signups throughout your website. Keep your offers as visible as possible, and include calls-to-action on just about every page of your website.
4) Guest blog and include a call-to-action or a link for readers to subscribe to your site's blog or email database in your author byline.
5) Run a promotion on a partner website or email newsletter that targets a new but appropriate audience to collect email addresses from a fresh source.
6) Host a co-marketing offer with a partner -- like an ebook or webinar -- and ask them to promote the registration to their audience. After it's released, swap leads.
On Social Medias
1) Promote one of your lead-gen offers on Twitter. Create a Twitter campaign to promote an ebook or a free resource to your followers that requires an email address to redeem.
2) Facebook Page - promote an offer that requires an email address submission. Promote offers on your Timeline, and be sure to add social sharing buttons to the landing pages and thank-you pages you send them to so you encourage your leads to share those offers.
3) Add a CTA button on your Facebook Page. Link the CTA button to a landing page that requires an email address for access.
4) Promote an offer on Instagram. Add a link to a landing page that requires an email adress for access.
5) Promote one of your lead-gen offers on Instagram. Promote an ebook or any free resource, and ask that people DM you their email address to receive it.
Using Email
1) Create remarkable email content. You are trying to get your subscribers to forward your emails to people they know. Your content needs to be amazing and shareworthy. Insert an "Email to a Friend" button in your marketing emails. At the bottom of your emails, include a "Subscribe" Call-To-Action button as a simple text-based link so that those receiving the forwarded emails can easily opt-in, too.
2) Refresh your email list with an opt-in campaign. Your email marketing database degrades by about 22.5% every year. Create an engaging opt-in message and send it to your old list encouraging contacts who wish to re-opt-in and promising to remove all contacts who don't respond.
3) Add a link to your and your employees' signatures that leads people to a landing page where they can sign up for your mailing list.
4)Promote an online contest, like a free giveaway, and have entrants sign up or submit using their email address. And promote your contest on social media as well.
In-Person
1) Ask to the people who visit your office/shop. Ask simply your customers for their email addresses. Be organized and save them directly in your computer.
2) Call and ask. If you have your customers phone numbers, don't hesitate to call them and ask, you might be surprised how easily they will accept.
3) Host your own offline, in-person events like meetups, conferences, hackathons, educational panels, etc., and collect registrations online using email addresses.
4) Collect email addresses at offline events like trade shows and import them into your database.
You can also...
1) Leverage paid search ads to link to a landing page with and email sign-up.
2) Add a QR code to your print marketing collateral that people can scan to opt in to your email database.
3) Host an online webinar and collect email addresses at registration.
I think this is a pretty good start to growing a mailing list. Be patient, be customer-centered, be super organized. I would definitely suggest you to use an email marketing services that would help you with that. And don't forget to refresh your list once in a while.
Anna B.
