So you have started blogging and all is going well but then you hear from your fellow bloggers about how they are growing their email lists and getting conversions and all that jingo that comes with the territory of being a blogger. You may have felt like I did – overwhelmed by all the things that involve getting a contact list set up and then growing it! I am going to share with you how to grow your email list – the lazy blogger way!

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Let’s start with setting up your email marketing – I have written an in-depth step by step post which can help you on the way to setting up your email marketing using Constant Contact. Do not fear – its easy as ABC.

Then lets talk about how to grow your email list. But first what is an email list in the first place?

Why you need an email list?

Email lists give you a direct link to your audience. They are not subject to the vagaries of the algorithms that change regularly. An email list is like your contact list on your phone – its people who have voluntarily given you their email address because they want to hear from you. And that gold in the world of direct marketing. You own your email list. Your email list is the most important channel for you to cultivate.

Now that you understand why you need to set up an email list lest talk about how to grow your email list with Constant Contact. They provide marketing solutions for bloggers at competitive rates. The thing I love about Constant Contact is how user-friendly and intuitive the interface is. You don’t even need to do any HTML to use the forms.

Start your free trial here.

Why grow your email list?

It is all about the numbers – the more people you have on your email list the higher your chances of converting. Converting can mean anything from making sales, gaining new clients of getting more eyeballs on your content. Intuitively you want to grow your audience and share your awesome content.

How to grow your email list.

But how can I grow my email list? There are so many ways to grow your list! We will look at my favourite 5 ways to grow a list and how you can go about implementing these for your site! I love using Constant Contact because they have great support and a user-friendly interface that makes even a newbie be able to create fantastic looking opt-ins.

You know you already have the amazing content. Now combine that with crystal clear call to action goals to grow that list. Here’s how –

Pop-up Sign-up Form

A pop-up sign-up form is a form that prompts website visitors to join your mailing list. You
can set the form to display when users land on your website after they’ve spent a specific
amount of time on your site, or when they go to leave. You can also customize how the form
looks, as well as choose which lists the form is connected to. I personally prefer to offer it after they have been on the site for a while.

Why do pop-ups work?

Popups are a can’t-miss call-to-action. Literally. It doesn’t get more can’t-miss than a window appearing over the content you’re trying to read. And while we are at it – yes there are some who may say they find them annoying but here’s the catch. While 2/3 of people I asked say they don’t like pop ups, the remaining 1/3 said they found them useful. So you are better off presenting the pop up and capturing that 1/3 of people who love what they are seeing.

With Constant Contact there is no additional fee to use pop up forms.

Just follow these steps to create your first pop up sign.

To create a Pop-up Sign-up Form:

1. Click Sign-up Forms.
2. Click Create Sign-up Form.
3. Choose “Pop-up”.

Big Bold Sign Up Forms on your home page

The most email savvy sites have a big bold email sign up form on their homepages. You can do this by using an inline sign-up form. They treat their blog homepages like email capture central.

Inline Sign up form

An inline sign-up form is a form that can be placed in the perfect spot on your site. Using
HTML code, you decide where the form displays on your site. If you need to make changes
to your form, there’s no HTML editing necessary. Yes – read that again – No HTML editing necessary! You can make changes to your Inline Form right in your Constant Contact account and it will update automatically on your site.

Give a freebie.

Creating and giving away valueable content to your potential subscribers is another great way to 10x your email list. Here are some ideas for freebie opt ins you can create.

• Ebook – write up an ebook based on your most popular content.
• Cheatsheet – give the best value with a cheat sheet packed with value-added tips.
• Email series – offer a mini-course based on your most engaging content via email.
• Video – people love to see the face behind the creator so a video only viewable by subscribers is a great opt-in.
• Private blog content – you can offer exclusivity through extra content only viewable via email.
• Early access to new features – offer VIP status by showing first edits and top tip- ask your subscribers to comment on it before it goes live.

Make it easy to sign up with your subscription link

Your site isnt the only place where you can get sign ups. You can get the link and share it in a huge number of different places like email signatures, social media messages, Youtube channel, and guest blog bios. One of the options you can do this is by creating a lead generation landing page.

What is a lead generation landing page?

A Lead Generation Landing Page is like a stand-alone website for generating new leads through social media and email. With a Lead Generation Landing Page, you can customize the look of the page, add an image, and choose which data you want to collect from visitors. You have the option of givnig your landing page a custom URL!

Here’s how you create a lead generation landing page:

1. Click Sign-up Forms.
2. Click Create Sign-up Form.
3. Choose “Lead Generation Landing Page”

Once you have designed and customised you landing page then you add the link to your bios and and forums that you participate in. Its really easy to do. The best part is that once you set it up then all you have to do is continue creating amazing content as your email list grows!

Constant Contact offers many customisable sign-up options like Facebook lead ad, Join My List App and Text to join.

To sum up – email should be one of your top priorities to grow your site. Which methods do you use to grow your email list?

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