3 Things You Need to Set Up An Email List
I’m sure you’ve seen many websites asking you to sign up to their newsletter for the latest news and updates. Even if you yourself are not a fan of subscribing to such an email list, having one yourself allows you to reach a group of people who are keenly interested in what you do.
Here’s a list of things you’ll need:
1. A website and/or blog
A website is a good place for your audience to learn more about you and what you do. This is where you should put your email sign up form. Having a blog or blog section is even better because this allows you to value-add to your audience without just trying to sell to them all the time. A blog indicates that you have knowledge to share and encourages a website visitor to explore and read. The longer they are on your website, the more it indicates to Google you have good content which leads to better rankings during organic searches.
Just to be clear, the time you want visitors to spend on your website should come from the fact that you have lots of content from them on multiple pages such as a blog, freebies etc. It should not be due to the fact your page is loading slowly.
2. An email service provider
An email service provider will be something you have to use every month when you write and send newsletters. It should meet your needs while being user-friendly. Most offer a free trial so you can try out various ones and see which works best for you.
Here are some factors I consider_
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Is the layout intuitive and user-friendly?
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Does it make my life easier?
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What are the prices?
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Which is more value for money?
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Can the packages offered grow with my business as I build my audience? For eg it’s only cheap if you have X number of audience but once your email list grows does it get exorbitant?
If you’re looking for more reviews and help, I wrote a blog about my experience with two different email providers that you can use as a point of reference.
3. High-conversion sign-up forms offering freebies
People aren't going to hand out their emails to you for free. It needs to be an equal exchange for something they really want. And if you offer that thing they really want, they’ll sign up for your email list in a heartbeat. How do you know what your audience wants? You need to figure out who they are and what they are looking for, then you can go about making a really good freebie that people will download. Examples include a how-to guide, a tutorial, a colouring sheet or even a really awesome desktop/phone wallpaper.
That’s all you need to start your own email list!
