Q&A: 10 Strategies to Get Your First (or Next) 100 Subscribers

Caitlin_M
Administrator

Growing your list helps you grow your business. When more people receive your emails, you have a better chance to convert more customers to drive more business.

 

This month's webinar featured content manager Stephanie French and special guest Morgan Bell from our Product Marketing team teaching us 10 proven strategies to get and capture more contacts.

 

You can view the webinar directly through Wistia or right here on the Blog!

 

 

We're taking the most popular questions from the webinar and expanding upon them so you can better understand how to grow and make your lists more effective. 

 

I'm starting out and I want to start growing my list. How can I bring more people to sign up and convert them to being a customer?

Whether you're trying to sell a product or service, we have a variety of sign-up forms best suited to fit your needs. They can be shared in different areas such as your website, social media channels, or through an ad. Hey, even a physical sign-up sheet works if you don't have access to a device or you meet them in person! Let them know upfront what they can expect from you or reward them with a coupon or free download in a welcome email. For services that may require a longer lead time, you'll need to nurture your leads through a set of automated emails to keep their interest until they're ready to do business with you.

 

 

How can I grow an email list for my nonprofit?

When you are looking to grow your list, it's important to ask yourself a few questions, such as "Who is my audience?" and "Why should they join my list?". These will help you to target the right people and let them know what to expect once they sign up so you can have engaging conversations with supporters, donors, or volunteers. Read more about growing a nonprofit email list on our blog 



As a B2B business, will targeting potential subscribers be different from targeting a more general population?

Yes, for sure. You’ll be meeting them in some unique places where a B2C business might not be found, such as industry trade shows and events or webinars. Use lead-generation landing pages to promote your business and invite your subscriber to receive more information. Sounds enticing! You can also have someone sign up to receive gated content like white pages or case studies. These can be downloaded immediately after signing up or in an automated welcome email. 

 

 

We're a consulting firm offering services to other businesses. What kinds of lead magnets would you suggest?

Promote your uniqueness to set you apart from the competition. Do you specialize in a certain industry? Have past clients been satisfied with your services? Let your potential clients know! We have a few articles to help guide you out:

How to Promote Your Consulting Services

How To Get More Client Referrals for Your Consulting Business 

10 Ways to Get More Consulting Agency Leads

 

 

Besides in person or through a website or social media, where are other places to put a landing page?

We’ve seen customers include a link to a lead generation landing page in an email signature. Almost anywhere you are present online, you should be including a link to one. 

 

 

What if I don't have a social media page or website yet? Can I still grow my list?

A web presence is crucial for a small business. Building a website allows potential customers or clients discover you online and for you to grow your business. If you’re not ready to launch a website, social media is key. Luckily, we have a guide to building your brand on social media

 

There are other ways to grow a list, such as through in-person events or connecting face-to-face, but it’s going to be very hard to get them to remember you and have them easily find you again if you don’t have a web presence.

 

 

What can I do to keep the momentum going with potential clients who want to do business with me?

Leads should be acted on right away while you have their interest. An automated welcome series is an easy way to keep the momentum going without you needing to lift a finger. Continue the conversation right away by sending an instant "thank you" email and letting them know what they should expect going forward. Follow up with them a few days later to continue the conversation, inviting them to connect over social media or point them toward your website to learn more about your business. 

 

 

Can you please explain Linktree more?

Linktree is a third-party service that acts as a landing page to share out multiple links. Constant Contact has our own custom landing page feature that provides a similar experience. You can create a social profile landing page to promote a website, social media channels, or whatever page you think would be interesting! Why not include a link to your lead generation landing page?

 

 

I have my list but my open rate isn't great. Any tips to increase it?

There are a few suggestions we can provide to help achieve a great open rate. What’s the first thing someone sees when your email arrives? It’s more than likely your subject line. See our article on optimizing your subject line.

 

Having a high open rate is a cool statistic to look at. That means people are seeing your emails and taking the time to open them! But what are they doing after? You can have a high open rate, but if they're not engaging with you, then it's harder to make your readers stick around and want to come back the next time you land in their inbox.

 

See who is actually engaging with your emails at a deeper level. Maybe they clicked a link that brought them to a page on your website. Maybe they were really interested in that product or service you were advertising. You can create a segment to include these contacts and send them something special or could be of interest to them. We have tools that help you easily create segments based on their engagement.

 

 

 

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