How many hours do you spend producing content for your blog?
Three hours?
Five hours?
More than 10 hours?
Sometimes it takes days to get a project from an idea to the finished product.
And whether you’re a service-based business or selling a tangible product, producing content isn’t the hard part.
Getting people to engage is the biggest hurdle.
For all the time you put into producing a service or product, you need to spend the same amount of time—if not more—advertising and marketing your product.
Otherwise no one will know you exist, and you won’t make any money.
So how do you get people to sign up, join your network, or buy your product?
What if I told you there are a few ways you can do this without the need to constantly chase leads?
As long as you’re on social media and have a self-hosted blog, you can use your bios, blog pages, and content upgrades to entice people to get on board with your product.
Below are four proven list building strategies that can help build your email list and increase customer interaction.
Pop-ups
Despite the new Google rules on mobile pop-ups, this time-tested technique is still an effective way to get people to sign up to your email list or buy your product when visiting your website from a desktop.
Pop-ups are easy to install and design, and the quickest way to get an opt-in set up on your blog.
Try these two types of pop-ups:
Welcome Mats
A welcome mat is a full-screen pop-up that entices new visitors to sign up for a newsletter or freebie.
There’s enough space on the page to explain why your email list or freebie is worth their time and email address.
Exit Intent
To be less intrusive, use an exit intent pop up that appears when your visitor goes to close the browser tab or click outside of your content.
This technique is useful because it prompts the “undecided” visitor one last chance to sign up.
Pop-ups are also the easiest list building strategies to implement on your blog.
You can use a simple plugin to create different types that will get your visitor’s attention.
Content Upgrades
Content upgrades are pieces of bonus content that expand upon something a website visitor is already consuming.
Also called lead magnets, these are often in the form of PDFs, videos, checklists, or templates.
For example, if you have a long post, entice the reader to watch a video of it instead by signing up to your email list.
Or, at the end of the post, offer the reader a quick-reference checklist in exchange for his or her email address.
The reason this is one of the most effective list building strategies is there is a clear “what’s in it for me” for the reader.
You can easily create content upgrade lead magnets with plugins.
Following are some content upgrade ideas.
SlideShare
Reach out to visitors who’d rather consume visual content by repurposing your blog post as a slideshow on SlideShare.net.
In exchange for a visitor’s email address you would share the link to your private SlideShare post.
And to activate the large audience on SlideShare, put call-to-action buttons in your public slides that link back to your website or opt-in focused landing page.
Drip Campaigns and Email Courses
Create an email course for your readers using automated drip email campaigns.
These emails are prepared in advance and are sent out to your subscribers based on specific timelines or user behavior.
Visitors gain access to them when they sign up to your network.
Let’s say you wrote a popular piece on how social media networking can increase sales.
Why not create a step-by-step email course that shows people how to set up an effective social media marketing strategy during the course of four or five days?
You get their email address, and they get to know you as an expert in social media marketing (which will keep them coming back for more).
Quizzes
People love taking quizzes, in fact, this technique was ranked as one of the most effective list-building techniques in 2016.
Bloggers and marketers use it to direct targeted content to visitors to entice them to sign up.
You can take advantage of this highly engaging method by using a plugin.
When people finish the quiz, they can’t wait to share it with their friends on social media—hello free promotion.
Website Optimization
There are a few things you can tweak on your website to help build your list.
Homepage Sign Up and Sidebar Widgets
Make your home page your opt-in page.
Use the space above the fold to pitch your newsletter or free course.
Your home page has lots of room to explain why signing up is a huge benefit to your visitor.
Or set up a sidebar widget that advertises your newsletter.
Author Bylines and Email Signatures
This is one of the easiest and most overlooked list building strategies.
Every time you leave a comment on someone else’s blog using Facebook or Disqus, you have the chance to advertise your platform.
Embed a link to “sign up for exclusive content” with your author byline.
And make sure your email signature has a link where people can visit your social network, check out your product, or sign up for your group.
Your Social Media Profiles
Make sure everyone who comes across your social media profiles can get to your opt-in focused landing page or sign up page.
Make it quick and easy for them to know about your “subscriber exclusive” content.
You can do this with any social media bio or company profile you have available.
Guest Posting or Post to Medium
It’s no secret that guest posting to high-traffic blogs can help boost your visibility.
When people read your content and like what you have to say, they’ll look for more ways to follow you.
If you can’t get on your favorite blog as a guest poster, post on Medium.com, which is free and boasts around 30 million visitors each month.
This gives your blog higher visibility and can be a second source to bring traffic to your website.
What Are Your Favorite List Building Strategies?
Don’t struggle with marketing your content.
Make your blog and social media profiles work for you.
Optimize them to entice visitors and followers to take action.
CTAs can invite visitors to sign up for a newsletter, join a group, take a free course, save a resource, or keep up with your newest projects.
By doing this, everyone who sees you on social media or a team page gets a direct link to your most valuable content.
It’s a win-win all around!
What are some of your favorite list-building strategies?
