The main concern of all businesses, regardless of whether they are online or offline, is to continually build a list of email addresses. Email marketing remains one of the most effective marketing strategies ever created. The people on your email list are your past, present, and future customers.

But those people need a reason to become one of your subscribers. Here are some proven tactics to help you grow your email list.

content updates

A content upgrade offers additional information, free of charge, that goes with the content your audience is currently reading on your website. It can be a checklist, an e-book, a report, a video, or anything that requires an email address to access.

Place a ‘Gate’ of content

If you’re already providing a lot of free content and have a lot of repeat visitors who aren’t on your list yet, add a popup form that handles your content. Again, access to more content can only be gained by submitting an email address.

Gifts and Discounts

You can grow your email list by offering rewards to members of your current list. Offer a free gift or discount on their next purchase based on the number of referrals you provide. This type of offer can also be passed on to any new members who sign up for email updates.

Make your email signup form obvious

Put your signup forms on every page of your website and make the buttons big and attractive. Keep in mind that you are offering your audience an incredible amount of free content to help them with their problems.

Use action words in your signup forms

If your email signup form says “sign up” or “submit,” you need to change them now. Come up with some better action words to get your audience to take action. Tell them what to do, why they need to do it, and how you will solve their problem.

Don’t ask for too much information

If you ask for too much information from your audience to sign up for your email list, that can turn them off. Obviously it depends on your specific audience more than standard practice, but generally all you really need is a name and email address. You can collect more information from them once they have joined your list.