How to Build an Email List That Drives E-commerce Sales

One of the most effective ways of reaching a large number of your audience, in a personalized way, is via emails. Marketers go on and on about the value of having a strong email list, consisting of actual, and a large number of, people interested in your product. However, with users’ inboxes already being flooded with emails, how do you get them to sign up for your email list? That’s exactly the issue we’ll be tackling in today’s topic. We’ll share the tips, tricks, and strategies that we’ve learned over the years of experience we’ve accumulated in the digital marketing field

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Okay, But Why Bother Building an Email List?

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Before tackling the question of how to build an email list, let’s make a case for why you should. First, let’s talk numbers. Email marketing has been one of the best marketing tactics available, fetching unbelievable ROI by generating $36 for every $1 spent, according to a survey conducted by Litmus.

Furthermore, look at it from the perspective of the number of potential individuals using email. In 2023, according to Statista, the number of global email users was a whopping 4.37 billion, a number that is expected to grow to 4.89 billion users in 2027. That’s almost half the population right there.

The sheer potential that lies within email marketing is unmatched and, despite there being approximately 347 billion emails sent and received each day, it remains untapped if you’re able to have people join your email list willingly.

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The Best Ways to Build an Email List

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Let us begin by saying that purchasing user data and creating an email list based on that is not a strategy for success. It is unethical, can land you in legal issues, and, as marketers and consumers, nobody likes it. It feels invasive and, right off the bat, leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth. If you’re struggling with the question of how to build an email list, you can always opt to take the assistance of a digital marketing agency with expertise in building email lists.

With that out of the way, let’s begin our list:

Use Sign-Up Forms

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The ethical way of getting people to sign up for your email list is by, simply, giving them the freedom to choose. Add a button, something along the lines of “Subscribe to our email list,” throughout your website. Keep the form simple, asking only for essential information like a name and email address. Another place where these buttons are most effective is during checkouts. This way, even if the cart is abandoned, the items within the cart, along with browsing history, can be stored.

Offer Discounts and Promotions

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Almost continuing the point we made above, with information about the cart and user stored within your CRM, they can be sent a reminder email that they abandoned their cart. Discounts and promo codes can be included in this email to encourage the user to complete their purchase. Offering a loyalty plan also works rather well.

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Giveaways and the Power of Social Media

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Numbers aren’t needed to make the claim that everybody is using social media, and it is one of the fastest ways of reaching people. In order to get people to sign up for your email list, host a giveaway contest.

The gifts can be one of your products, perhaps a coupon code or even a gift card. The more tempting the gift, the more people are likely to sign up. This giveaway can be advertised on social media platforms for amplified reach.

Also, while subjective, it is best to keep the giveaway gifts related to the product or service you offer. Generic gifts will attract a generic audience, but our goal is to assemble individuals interested in what YOUR organization offers, as those are the people more likely to make a purchase or opt for a service.

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Recommendation Survey

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People love being included and asked for their opinion. Come up with a survey that asks important and valuable questions in a fun way, because nobody likes a test, and have your customers take them.

Doing so will provide you with valuable information about the customer, like their preferences, and in return, you will get their email address (if they sign up for it). You can also incentivize the survey by offering a discount upon completion.

Other techniques that did not make this list but are equally as viable as:

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● Using social media to promote sign-ups (without giveaways, as we already mentioned that).

● Adding a link to sign up in your employee’s signatures.

● Offer special products via email only to build exclusivity.

● Request and encourage subscribed members to spread the word and refer a friend.

● Run promotions with partner websites

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Promise Valuable and Personalized Content

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The value of email personalization simply cannot be understated. There are some dos and don’ts of email personalization which ought to be understood before starting. Secondly, emails are a way for you to showcase the hidden creativity and talent present within your organization. There already exist far too many boring newsletters out there. With your list, offer your subscribers content that is entertaining, helpful, or at the bare minimum, relevant to them. Even if you manage to build a strong email list, sending out emails with irrelevant content is a surefire way of landing in someone’s spam folder.

Conclusion

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An email list can be tough to build organically, but the ROI it offers is absolutely worth the hassle. There’s no reason to wait; start the effort of building one today using the tips and techniques mentioned above. Focus on creating value and engaging with your audience regularly in order to keep your list active, as only active users hold the potential of actually increasing sales.

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