A common issue that small businesses face is cultivating an email list. Email campaigns and newsletters are crucial to building and maintaining relationships with your clients. With this communication there is a higher customer retention rate, meaning previous customers are more likely to utilize your services and buy your products again. They also showcase new products and sales going on at your company so your clients are up to date. They also are a free way to advertise. 

Here are 4 ways to grow your email list:

1. Create a call to action. These entice clients to sign up for email lists from your blog posts or social media sites.  It is a free offering in exchange for client information. For example, you can offer free recipes to people who sign up, appealing content will attract more clients. The call to action gets your clients to act. They sign up for your newsletter and in return they gain valuable, free information. 
2. Create more landing pages. A landing page is a destination page with a specific purpose and audience in mind. This is a type of call to action. It provides a higher conversion rate for your business and is a win-win situation for you and your customers. It will also broaden the scope and appeal of your business to more customers and clients. An example of a landing page would be a guide to gaining more muscle in exchange for your email to be added to their newsletter.
3. Use pop ups. Simply put, this is when an advertisement pop ups on your website. Pop ups on your site can be a great strategy to grow your email list. Use humor to entice your viewer. Have you ever seen a pop up with a funny message? Something like “no thanks, I don’t want to lose weight”. These make your viewers pause, laugh, and reconsider saying no. Using humor will ultimately increase the number of people that click ‘Yes, I’d like to sign up’.
4. Use enticing language. Language is an important part of marketing. Instead of saying ‘sign up’, say something exciting, such as “Gain exclusive access to our special offers”. The message remains the same but it is worded in an appealing way.
5. Encourage Sharing. Adding a simple ‘Email to Friend’ option on your newsletters is an easy way to help market and grow your email list/ business. If your clients’ friends are interested, create a subscribe link in your email for easy access. Take it a step further by putting this opt-in option on your employees email signature as well. 
6. Plan a contest. Promote a contest on your social media where users must sign up for your newsletter to enter. People love winning free products.

With these tips your email list will grow in no time. There are many different virtual and free ways to build your email campaign. Email campaigns are just one important tool to grow your business. Try a variety of these helpful tactics today. Keep in mind that it takes time to grow your email list, so be patient.