How to Effectively Grow an Email List

Eight Ways To Effectively Grow an Email List

in order to build an audience of engaged sports fans for our sports network, we decided to increase our email list. While email marketing may seem old fashioned, email is still one of the best marketing channels in the B2C market according to a recent Conductor study. By accumulating 23,000+ people on our email list, we generated over $200,000 in sales.

Here’s how we did it:

1. We Made Capturing Email Addresses a Priority Within the Site Design

We strategically placed callouts and signup forms, along with targeted pop-up ads to collect email addresses. Although pop-up ads may seem another outdated tactic, there’s a reason why many top sites still use them; they work.

2. We Turned Deficiency into Opportunity

For example: if a Steelers’ fan searched for “Pittsburgh Steelers Tickets” and found our Steelers ticket page before the NFL released next season’s schedule, the fan would leave our site without discovering the schedule or adding to our revenue. To turn the fan’s experience around, we added email forms stating: “If you want to be notified when the NFL releases the Steelers schedule, leave your name and email address.” Not only could we let the fan know when the schedule came up, but we could also update said fan with Steelers NEWS and other relevant updates. This enabled us to build relationships with fans.

3. We Tested Subject Lines Again and Again

We constantly tested subject lines to find out the most efficient. Most mailing programs allow you to A/B test subject lines in the same email campaign. A/B testing allowed us to see open rates as high as 84.6%!

Email Marketing Example

5. We Segmented Our List

If we were selling Red Sox World Series memorabilia, we only sent email notifications to Red Sox Fans. By sending relevant content to segmented, focused groups, we achieved click rates as high as 66.3%!
Segmenting Emails Delivered Better Email Marketing Performance

6. We Tested The Format Of Our Emails

The biggest jump in our click-through rate came after we redesigned the email to make the CTA clearer, more visible and mobile friendly.

7. We Implemented Gary Vaynerchuk’s philosophy of Jab, Jab, Jab, and Right Hook.

Not every email has to be sales-focused. We sent emails that highlighted content on our website and covered breaking NEWS stories. As a result, our opt-out rate was under 0.5%.

8. We Used MailChimp’s Scheduled Post Feature to Our Benefit

With MailChimp’s scheduled post feature, we were able to deliver the emails to sports fans across the USA and Europe at the most optimal times to reach our targeted audiences. For example, with London five hours ahead of New York City, it wouldn’t make sense to email Londoners and New Yorkers at the same time. The scheduled post feature allowed us to deliver emails at the beginning of our fan’s day—whenever that day began, which improved our open and click-through rates.

As a result of implementing these strategies, we grew our email list from zero to over 23,000 with over $200,000 in sales via email. The success of our email strategy in engaging fans and generating revenue demonstrates that email lists are still one of the best ways for brands like ours to stay in touch with fans and customers.

Looking to stay in touch with your fans and customers, get in touch with us!

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