Creating a flourishing email list is not rocket science. But most marketers find it difficult due to insufficient knowledge or proper guidance on building an impactful mailing list. 

So, what is the best practice or how to build an email list that will maximize lead generation and boost sales?

Follow this easy-to-follow article for comprehensive guidance over email list building.

Email Lists: Why Are They Important?

Before diving deep into building mailing lists, let’s learn more about what differences this marketing channel can make: 

• Direct Communication Channel: Reaching subscribers’ inboxes without intermediaries or algorithmic restrictions is the key benefit of email list building. You’ll have a reliable and direct communication line with your audience.

• Visitor Engagement: Engage your visitor’s personal level, make them loyal, and foster your brand or business through email list building. List emails and then send target and relevant content, which helps to build strong connections.

• Marketing And Promotion: Email list building is the most powerful channel to prompt your service or product directly with interested recipients. It’s the most cost-effective way to increase the possibility of conversions and sales. 

• Segmentation and Personalization: Segment your visitors based on their behavior and preferences and send them personalized messages. Doing this will surely increase the conversion rate and the effectiveness of your marketing. 

• Analyzing Your Visitors: Analyzing email marketing campaign metrics (open rates, conversions, click-through rates) lets you know your visitor’s behavior and preferences. As a result, you can refine your strategies and marketing efforts for better results.

How to Build an Email List: Expert Tips

Creating an email list for good audience engagement requires simple but effective strategies. Check out the following section to learn how to build an email list from scratch:

1. Understand Your Audience

Beginner guides often ignore this step, but you must first research your audience. Proper research helps you understand your target audience, which increases engagement and conversions.

Through research, you’ll uncover:

• Preferences
• Interests
• Pain points
• Behaviors

Having an understanding of these, you can devise effective and well-rounded email marketing strategies.

2. Choose The Right Email Marketing Platform

Your second step should be to choose the right email marketing platform. Choose one with advanced features like list management, data analysis, progress tracking and more to simplify your list-building process. 

How to choose the right one? We’ve included a comparison chart of some of the top email marketing platforms:

Features	Mailchimp	HubSpot	Brevo	ActiveCampaign	MailerLite
Free Plan	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Starting Price	$6.50/mo	$18/mo	$25/mo	$49/mo	$9/mo
Unique Feature	Advanced audience segmentation	Drag-and-drop editor	Conversational email marketing	Predictive sending	Landing page builder
Rating (out of 5)	1.3	3.5	4.3	3.1	4.6

Note: To build and nurture your email list efficiently, familiarize yourself with the features and functions of your chosen platform.

3. Creating High-Quality Lead Magnets

Beginning with creating high-quality lead magnets that attract, engage, and convert visitors into subscribers in no time. You must share a valuable incentive, and visitors will provide their email addresses in exchange.

There are many types of lead magnets you can try, such as:

• Guides
• Coupons
• Ebooks 
• Reports 
• Resource kits 
• Checklists 
• Frameworks 

All of these incentivize your visitors to sign up, and with proper strategy, you can turn them into a loyal subscriber base.

Note: Depending on your incentive, this strategy helps gain an average of 25%–50% new subscribers.

4. Design Eye-Catching Opt-In Forms

Building your email list with an eye-catching opt-in form is the most effective and proven strategy. It works like a bridge that allows you to communicate with potential subscribers. 

Designing an opt-in form is as simple as following these steps:

• Forms can be displayed as pop-ups, slide-ins, exit-intent forms, or inline forms
• Be sure to use attention-grabbing headings with a clear message
• Create a visual appeal form that catches the eye
• Don’t ask for too much information and keep it simple
• Promote visitors’ benefits with a compelling CTA
• Forms should be placed and timed appropriately
• Make sure there is a clear close button

Note: Opt-in forms can increase subscribers by 5%–15%. You can go for DiviFlash popup form for powerful targeting, customizable design, flexible triggers, and analytics.

5. Leverage CTAs (Call-to-Action)

Strategic and proper CTA placement will help you succeed in your email list-building strategy. If you want to attract your visitors, you can’t rely solely on Lead Magnets or opt-in forms. 

Hence implementing CTAs in the right place is the key to getting the highest results. The best places for CTAs are: 

• Add CTA on well-designed pop-up 
• Try to add CTA on content in line with proper relevance
• Use the website’s widgets or sidebar
• Include CTA above the fold 
• Use sarcasm or humor in your CTA
• End of a content

Note: Using CTA properly provides 15-20% of new subscribers

6. Effective Landing Page Design

Landing pages play a key role in converting visitors into subscribers. Hence, a landing page should include a proper message and elements to encourage visitors to sign up. The best way to create landing pages:

• Distraction-free design for the landing page
• Highlight the benefits of subscribing in the heading
• Minimize the number of fields on the form 
• Make the CTA button clear and prominent
• Describe the benefits of subscribing to your site
• Mobile-friendly design is essential

Note: A well-designed landing page increases email submissions (up to 45%)

7. Keeping Your Subscribers Engaged

Only preparing for building an email list is not enough; you also need to consider keeping the new subscribers engaged. Keeping them engaged is key to long-term success. 

Engage and nurture your subscribers using these processes:

• Share entertaining, informative, and relevant content
• Increase conversions with personalized emails
• Maintain consistency when sending content
• Keep an 80/20 ratio and don’t promote too much 
• Keep track of engagement metrics

8. Use a Referral Program

Implementing a referral program is a proven method to boost organic growth, achieve higher conversion rates, and foster engagement. This word-of-mouth and recommendation marketing approach is trusted by over 92% of consumers, surpassing traditional advertising.

Some of the techniques you can follow are as follows:

• Provide incentives for each referral, such as discounts or exclusive access
• Create a shareable referral link to facilitate tracking
• Set clear guidelines and actively promote the program
• Showcasing success stories to inspire others

9. Introduce Gamification

Adding a game-like element to your site’s integration can motivate users to take action on your lead capture form. It provides an enjoyable and interactive experience for your users. In fact, 60% of consumers are more likely to be engaged if a brand implements an enjoyable game.

Follow the provided guidance for impactful gamification:

• Use gamifications like quizzes, spin to win, surveys, and scratchcards
• Make sure you’re providing a compelling incentive for the audience
• The best place to add gamification is in the opt-in form
• Promote gamification across various channels
• Don’t forget to track clicks and results

10. Use Chat To Generate More Leads

If you believe chat boxes are only beneficial for customer support, think again. Nearly 99% of marketers affirm that implementing a chat box with an email opt-in form has markedly increased lead conversion rates.

Some techniques for leveraging chat box are:

• Create a friendly and conversational script for the chat box

• Don’t ask for lot of information and keep the field simple
• Implement an incentive to sign up via email

Note: There are dozens of ways to start email lists, but these are the basics you need to know as a beginner.

Mistakes to Avoid When Building Email Lists

A solid understanding of email list building isn’t enough; you also need to know the common mistakes to avoid. Here are some of them:

• Don’t Purchase Email Lists: Buying email lists may seem like an easy catch, but it can result in high unsubscribe rates and damage your reputation. Purchasable email lists contain irrelevant and uninterested contacts.

• Ask For Only What You Need: Not keeping the opt-in form clear and simple can be the key obstacle to not meeting your strategic goals. Always only ask for what you need and avoid asking for too many details.

• Not Providing Value: A lack of relevant value or incentives will discourage visitors from engaging in your email-building strategy. Give people a reason to subscribe, like something that enhances their lives or experiences.

• Pop-Up Or Opt-In Form Placement: Whether you use DiviFlash’s pop-up or Convert Pro’s opt-in, proper placement is essential. There are many suitable places; among them, the website’s quit time is the preferred option.

• Privacy Violations: Ignoring data protection laws like CAN-SPAM or GDPR discredits engagement and increases spam complaints. Also result in a damaged reputation as well.

Note: Remember, you must avoid the above mentioned aspects if you don’t want to ruin your marketing strategy and brand reputation.

Final Thoughts

Building an email list is indeed the most effective marketing strategy and reliable channel for engaging with your visitors. A strong engagement is the key to promoting your service or product while nurturing customer relationships. 

Overall, it’s a powerful yet comprehensive marketing method with the highest RIO compared to other marketing channels. 

So don’t hesitate and jump on the email-building strategy for your betterment. Also, if you need further guidance and are confused on any point, comment for a reliable solution.