6 Steps to Build an Email List for Your Business

When you start a new business and build your website, you should create an efficient email list to have direct access to your customers. Sure, ads and social media posts are great, but if you can access their Inboxes, that’s half the battle won.

Remember, when someone joins your mailing list, they’re showing interest in your business and are more likely to purchase your products or services than someone randomly browsing your website. To simplify things, we’re going to assume that you’ve just created a new business website, and we’re going to show you how to build an email list from scratch. We explain the journey, from sending your first message welcoming a new customer, to increasing your mailing list.

Step 1: Create an Email Signup Form

Your signup form is where visitors can provide a name and email address to subscribe to your mailing list. As you want the form to be visible, simple and fast to fill in, it needs to be easily accessible, so place it either on your homepage or on a landing page. There are various methods of creating this type of form, depending on whether your host provides a website builder or you’re using WordPress or another CMS (content management system). 

If your site has an online ecommerce store, there are built-in tools to help you create this form by dragging and dropping different blocks.

Step 2: Use Incentives for Signups

Now it’s time to work out how you will send it out to add new subscribers to your list. Commonly used tools for this include Mailchimp, Klaviyo and Brevo, all of which connect the form to your email.

Your first email message should include the following:

• A heading saying something like “Enjoy early access to new products”. You could also mention tips and VIP Customer discounts, if you wish. You want people to trust you and respond.
• When you create the form, request only the details you need, such as a name and email address. Perhaps add space for a mobile number. The shorter the form, the more likely it is that people will fill it in.
• Sometimes, people don’t want to hand out their email address and other details for free. To stop this happening, offer a small incentive so they have no issue signing up. Perhaps give a discount on their first order (say, a 5 or 10% off coupon if you have an online store), or you could offer free shipping, or promise early access to new products and sales. If you’re using an incentive, put this in your heading, such as “Get 10% off your first order!”.

Step 3: Automate a Welcome Email

Have a Welcome Email ready and on standby for when people sign up. As this is the very first message your new subscriber receives, it’s your chance to make a strong first impression. Thank them for signing up, give them an idea of what they can expect from you in the future in the form of emails with tips, offers and early access, and if you incentivised signing up, give them whatever you promised, such as the discount coupon, guide, or whatever.

If you wish to send this email automatically the moment somebody signs up, you need a tool like Mailchimp to do this. Mailchimp allows you to create simple automations. All you need to do is select “Welcome Email”, write your message and switch it on, and the email will be automatically sent out to everyone who subscribes.

Step 4: Promote Your Mailing List

To promote your mailing list, you should create a landing page that explains how to subscribe to your email list and gives an idea of why it’s a good idea. Then share this information on your social media accounts, at the bottom of your blog posts and in thank-you emails when someone purchases a product online. Work out where else you could place this information.

Step 5: Create Regular Content

Set a time, say once a week or every 10 days, to communicate with your subscribers. Find something interesting to tell them, offer them something, tell them about a new product or service. Keep them interested. Write friendly, reasonably short pieces with a personal touch, as if you’re writing to a friend to keep in touch.

When you write, consider the people you’re writing to, what they like, what they want, and what interests them. Keep them in the loop and make them interested in your brand. Offer tips on using products or special offers to try new items. Keep them updated on new trends and offer hints of what’s coming in your range. Give more than they expect, and you’ll have loyal customers who keep coming back for more.

Step 6: Form Customer Groups

If you have several very different products or services, there will come a time when you need to separate them into individual groups and communicate with each group separately. This way, you ensure you’re sending the right messages to the right people.

Also consider compiling groups for past customers, loyal customers and exceptional customers (these need to be treated as VIPs). Singling people out makes them feel special, and that’s never a bad thing.