Email Marketing is such a popular way to start an online business for today’s entrepreneurs. One reason for this is that it is one of the cheapest types of business to start. This is mainly because getting started doesn’t require a lot of money. Another reason is that there are many ways to build a successful online email marketing business that are absolutely free.
The best place to start is your email list since this will be the lifeblood of your business. Without a solid email list, you really won’t have much of a business in the first place. However, this article provides you with some valuable information on some simple and freeways that you can take advantage of for yourself and build an email list.
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Top 10 Ways to Build an Email List for Free
While so many businesses cost a lot of money to get started and to operate, you can actually operate email marketing businesses for little to no money at all.
Below are some powerful tools that anyone can use to start and build a successful email list in a brief time for free. Of course, you will have to put in the hours, but at least you won’t have to shell out a lot of your own money.
- Create a specific landing page
- Place a simple sign-up box on your home page
- Create a pop-up welcome mat with a call to action
- Use a smart bar on your home page
- Exit pop-up box with a call to action
- Consider using a static sign-up box
- Offer a free trial in exchange for their email address
- Put an opt-in form inside your checkout page
- Use offers of discounts in exchange for giving an email address
- Use free items as an inducement
1. Create a specific landing page
Creating a unique landing page for the sole purpose of garnering a visitor’s email address is a simple way to build a successful email list. These pages are straightforward to create and can be hosted using services that are available for free.
The key to the success of your landing page will depend on how your visitors respond to your call to action. If you are very persuasive enough to choose a call to action, your conversion rate can be quite high. But, again, it also depends on the enticement you choose to get them to give you their email address.
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2. Place a simple sign-up box on your home page
When it comes to building a successful list, qualifying the people on your email list is very important. Since your email business depends on your ability to get people to decide to purchase a product or use a service that you are offering.
However, putting an opt-in box on your home page is a superb way to qualify the person who gives you their email address. It is also a very cheap way to build an email list since you already established your website.
3. Create a pop-up welcome mat with a call to action
One of the more popular pop-up boxes is called a Welcome Mat, and one can set it up with little effort. Another benefit of using a Welcome Mat pop-up is that you don’t have to do any expensive recording to your website to add this handy tool.
This powerful tool allows you to add a call to action for your visitors to convert as many of them as subscribers and add them to your email list.
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4. Use a smart bar on your home page
Another popular website add-on that you can put on your website is called a smart bar. The simple tool attaches to the visitor’s browser and follows them down the page as they scroll to the bottom of your site.
The bar allows you to place an email opt-in form. Then, using the built-in call to action button, you can direct them to an opt-in page that offers several different offers in exchange for their email address.
5. Exit pop-up box with a call to action
A last chance pop-up page with a strong call to action is a very popular way to encourage visitors to give you their email addresses. This type of enticement can be a good way to build a strong email list that could be very successful.
These pages are really easy to set up and normally only require the person to enter an email address. A good way to make an exit pop-up effect is by offering a unique giveaway in exchange for their email address.
» MORE: How Much Does Email Marketing Cost?
6. Consider using a static sign-up box
Another popular tool that you can add to your website is a static sign-up that acts just like a smart bar. It practically follows your visitor to your page as they scroll down through your website. You can put any type of call to action on the sign-up box to entice them to enter their email address.
The benefit of the box scrolling down the page is that when your reader gets to a certain part of your content and is ready to subscribe to get more of your content, they can simply fill out the form.
7. Offer a free trial in exchange for their email address
Free trial period offers can be a very successful way to convert visitors into subscribers. This is especially true if your business is service-related. For example, by offering a free trial in exchange for an email address, you a better-than-average shot at converting them into paying customers by keeping in touch with them throughout the trial period. This is also a significant advantage if you offer several different tiers of your services.
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8. Put an opt-in form inside your checkout page
If you have an eCommerce website setup, you easily use it to build an email list. By placing an opt-in form on your checkout page, you can set up a way to gather email addresses for free by simply using a call to action as your customers begin the checkout process.
It is a simple and free way to grow an email list fairly quickly, and once again, you can qualify your subscribers automatically.
9. Use offers of discounts in exchange for giving an email address
No one can resist getting a bargain, and that can help you. You can simply do this by setting up a landing page with an opt-in form. And, the form will feature a discount offer or a coupon code for one of your products in exchange for their email address. This is an amazing way to drive people to your email list.
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10. Use free items as an inducement
Last but certainly not least, you can try tempting visitors with an offer of something for free in exchange for their email address. There are many things that you can offer to visitors for free, and all they have to do is put their email address in the opt-in form, and they get rewarded.