5 Ways You Can Increase Your Email Opt-ins and Get More Subscribers

Several advertising groups and business advisers rouse people to invest in social media advertising, but you have to make sure that your email marketing efforts are not eclipsed when you pay more attention to social media. After all, email remains to be the top communications channel where people prefer to receive promotional messages from a brand.

According to ExactTarget, 77% of consumers show a preference to email when it comes to receiving marketing communications. This topples social media despite the noise it has stirred up in the business world recently.

A 77% preference from a market is hard to miss. The tricky part is that email subscribers are gained through great effort. Unlike social media followers, subscribers are more discriminatory about the brands they support. This also makes them highly likely to engage with a brand they deliberately opted to let into their turf.

It’s a good thing to build your own band of loyal consumers. Here are 5 ways you can increase your email opt-ins and get more subscribers.

1. Optimize on Overlays

Overlays are pop-ups with more defined edges that make them stand out. They grab the reader’s attention more forcefully than a regular pop-up. Although many people find this invasive, it is swiftly becoming more effective in bringing in subscribers.

A report from eConsultancy asserts that overlays have the ability to catapult opt-ins to 400%.

Here are a few things to consider when optimizing your overlays:

• Timing – limit the pop-up to a minimum of 15 seconds and a maximum of 60 seconds.
• Headline – how do you want to capture the reader’s attention? Will you address a certain problem? Will you present them with benefits?
• Design – make sure that the pop-up is consistent with your brand or the theme of your website.
• Size – will your overlay fit on mobile screens? Is it big enough to capture the reader’s fancy?

2. Refrain from Soliciting Too Much Information

Many people shy away from subscribing not because they lack interest but because the page is asking for too much information. Readers may not be comfortable in providing some personal details or they could be in a hurry to fill out all forms.

When asking for information, make sure that you are only getting the details that you will use. Consider the purpose that you will have for the data you gather. This will help you keep the information you ask to a minimum. 

3. Eliminate Disruptions

You have enough rivals to contend with when it comes to the customer’s attention – don’t add any more on your website!

Review your site and assess the following:

• Are there widgets you can do without?
• How many calls to action do you incorporate at the end of your posts?
• Are there automatically loading videos you can eliminate?

If you bombard the readers with different distractions and calls to action, how can you expect them to have the time to sign up?

4. Integrate a Landing Page in Your Twitter/Instagram Bio

Your social marketing efforts need not be exclusive. Make sure that your followers have an easy way to reach you elsewhere – specifically, through an email opt-in.

Your Twitter or Instagram Bio is one of the first things a consumer sees on your social profile. Don’t miss out on the chance of introducing them to your email list.

5. Pin a Post on Facebook

Facebook posts are arranged chronologically through Timeline. You don’t want new followers to miss out on previous posts because of your recent activities.

Pinning a post allows users to keep a specific status or post prominent on their Timeline.

The great thing about this is that you don’t have to draft a post again and again to publish to your new followers. Just select the post you want to pin, navigate to the top-right, click on the downward arrow, and select Pin to Top to display it prominently on your Facebook page.

Tip: Hire a highly skilled content writer VA from staffing agencies to help you craft a post that will not only attract readers but have them click through your link and sign up.

Email subscribers, though built with more effort, have a higher engagement rating compared to social media followers. These 5 ways to increase your email opt-ins are proven to help you grow your list.

Images: Author’s Own

Author Bio:

Catherine vanVonno, the author, is the President and Executive Director of 20Four7VA, a global Virtual Assistant (VA) Service Provider. She holds a doctorate degree in Applied Statistics, Research Design and Program Evaluation from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and has over 10 years’ experience in facilitating evidence-based strategic planning, product development, brand management, legislative communications, and medical policy. She is married and has four children. You can reach her at communications @20four7va.