A lead magnet is any freebie that you offer people in exchange for their email addresses. Common lead magnets include e-books, worksheets, swipe files, and templates. Having a lead magnet is a great way to entice people to hand over their email address.

Those who willingly give their address are much more likely to engage with your campaigns than those who don’t expect to hear from you. That’s why this strategy is much more effective than cold-emailing a purchased audience. (Haven’t emailed your list in a while? Follow these tips.)

However, there are some best practices you should follow to maximize your results:

• Give a preview of the lead magnet so that people can see what you’re offering.

Consumers are skeptical, even about freebies, so it’s worth it to tease your content and get them excited. Don’t just promise them a free e-book and give no indication of what they’ll get.

• Use double opt-in.

You’ll always get tire kickers who just want free stuff — or bots who pump email addresses into your lead capture form. Either way, that’s a waste of your email marketing dollars. Send new subscribers an email asking them to confirm their membership in your list.

• Let your audience know what to expect.

Express to your leads that you’ll be sending them valuable content in addition to the lead magnet. By managing expectations right off the bat, you can avoid unsubscribes and start building a community around your brand.

Follow these tips to reduce your unsubscribe rate and make your audience feel special.

One of the best ways to show that you have content worth reading is to publish a blog. Whether you host it yourself or publish on a platform such as Medium, you can drive readers to your mailing list signup form. This is a highly affordable way to reach people who might not otherwise see your content.

Compose a brief call-to-action that makes the reader feel as though they can’t afford to miss your other content. Use language such as “join” and “don’t miss out” to get them excited about hearing from you.

Then, include the CTA at the bottom of your blog posts. Make it extremely easy and convenient for people to join your list; their name and email addresses should be sufficient. You don’t want to send them to a lengthy signup form that scares them away.

Obtaining mailing list signups from social media is tricky but possible. Most people assume that they’ll see your content if they follow you, and therefore there is no need for them to join your list. The key is to convince them that your email campaigns have high-value content that’s different from your social pipeline.

Here are some ways to obtain signups from social media:

• Offer a discount.

Entice new subscribers with the promise of a discount code, early access to sales, and so on. Make sure to let them know that they can expect regular perks by joining your list.

• Promote your lead magnets.

While most lead magnets “live” on a landing page or pop-up box, you can highlight them on social media, then use your bio link to drive mailing list signups.

• Tease exclusive content.

Tap into your social media followers’ fear of missing out (FOMO) with sneak peeks of your email-only content. Then, include a link to your signup form in the post.

The beauty of social media is that you can access a broad audience who might not otherwise see your content. By using your social posts to promote your mailing list, you can generate more leads and spark a greater interest in your brand.

When you send content out to your list, be sure to personalize each email to help your subscribers feel special. That’s the difference between spammy sales emails and high-value content. All the strategies listed above are designed to help you build a community via email, so each of your campaigns should be highly personalized and targeted to recipients’ interests.

Email marketing holds immense potential to connect with your audience in a meaningful way. Rather than limiting your campaigns to cold contact and sales emails, offer your subscribers valuable content and make them feel like part of your community. You can do this by releasing lead magnets that meet your target audience’s needs, then promoting your list on social media and blogs that get people excited about your brand. All these strategies work together to help you grow your list — and build your
brand’s community.

Ready to grow your mailing list and power up your digital marketing strategy?
Dotlogics is here to help.