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Building Your Email List To Grow Your Business: A Step-by-Step Guide
Add Extra Revenue to Your Business With Email
Moses Agbonmabi
January 19th, 2025
If you think email marketing is just a buzzword— you're totally wrong. It's more or less one of the most powerful and cost-effective solutions for business growth and list-building when done right.
That's why you have to be quite strategic with your approach.
To have a proper email marketing strategy that generates results for your business, you'll need an easy, visible sign-up on your site, offering something exclusive to new subscribers, like valuable content that drives engagement, but it doesn't just stop there.
Mix up your email content to keep things fresh and segment your list to customize messages. Craft strong subject lines, optimize for mobile, and sprinkle in clear calls to action (CTAs).
A/B test subject lines to see what resonates with your audience more. And if you're just getting started, look into top email marketing software like beehiiv for features that fit your needs.
Prioritizing and adding email marketing to your marketing funnel could turn things around, especially for small businesses, so let's dive in deeper on how to leverage email marketing to be your stepping stone to measurable growth.
Table of Contents
Understanding Email Marketing
Any experienced digital marketer, swears by email marketing. With 4.48 billion email users globally, it's no surprise why. The reach is immense, and it's at the forefront of digital marketing strategies today.
In a recent survey done by Mailmodo that asked email marketers and delivery experts what their top-performing marketing channel in 2023 was, email marketing took the lead.
If you're looking to build strong relationships, keep your audience informed, and grow your business, email marketing is your best bet.
And just like every other marketing channel, you have to understand its intricacies in order to make the most of it. We'll go over that very soon; but, first, let's get through the basics.
What Is Email Marketing?
In layman's terms, email marketing is the practice of sending emails to a list of subscribers with a goal in mind.
The topic of these emails can vary from promoting your products, whether digital or physical, sharing news or updates, nurturing relationships, or simply driving engagement.
Think of email marketing as a direct line to your customers—you've got their mail, and it's your business to say “Hello, here's what we have to offer and how it can benefit you.”
Purpose of Email Marketing:
Promoting digital or physical products: This could include new product announcements, special offers, limited-time discounts, and more.
Sharing industry news or updates: Examples include market analysis reports and live event promotions and updates.
Nurturing relationships: Welcome sequences, periodic check-ins, educational content, and personalized outreach help build trust and keep you top-of-mind.
Engaging Subscribers: Techniques like surveys, polls, contests, and interactive content encourage subscribers to actively participate and provide valuable feedback.
Common Email Practices:
Newsletters: These keep your audience updated and engaged with regular content.
Personalized Promotions: Through segmented lists, offer personalized deals to cater to specific interests.
Automated Campaigns: Set up things like welcome emails and order confirmations to save time and ensure consistent communication.
Knowing these basics and having a clearly defined purpose will help you build a robust strategy that will allow you to fine-tune your approach and avoid sending emails aimlessly.
The Importance of Email Marketing for Business Growth
When most new-age marketers think of email marketing, they think of old old-school or boomer technology, and you can't blame them. In recent years technology has improved a lot.
We have new social platforms like TikTok where Gen Z and Gen Alpha spend the majority of their time. This might give off the idea that email marketing has become less effective, and yet it remains a cornerstone of an effective marketing strategy.
Take, for example, Danielle “Dani” Tudahl, the founder of the LA Raver, a nightlife brand that helps enthusiastic partygoers find raves and after-parties in Los Angeles.
With over 40,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram, Tudahl was able to build a highly engaged newsletter consisting of 14,000 subscribers who eagerly await a weekly comprehensive guide to all the hottest events in Southern California.
Tudahl’s newsletter started as a way to help her TikTok audience find the hottest parties in the city, and now it has grown into a full-fledged business, complete with events, sponsorships, and a rapidly expanding media empire.
You could say that email marketing is the silent hero in the world of digital marketing, subtly but powerfully propelling businesses forward, which makes it very underrated.
Why? Because it nurtures the delicate balance between staying top-of-mind and providing value to your audience.
Why Email Marketing Is Effective
Unlike social media or search engine marketing (SEM), where your visibility and reach depend on algorithms that aren't stable and change frequently, email marketing provides a direct line to your audience's inboxes.
This is highly beneficial as 60% of consumers say they’ve purchased a product as a result of a marketing email they received. So if you were thinking that email marketing is dead or outdated, think again.
Over the years, multiple “experts” have predicted that email marketing will become a thing of the past. People like Meta's Ex COO, Sheryl Sandberg, predicted that email would come to an end in 2010. It’s now 2024, and it's still going strong.
So what is it about email marketing that has allowed it to stand the test of time and still prove to be effective to this day?
Let's go over a few reasons why:
Email has an insane reach. We're talking over 4 billion users worldwide. That's a massive pool of potential customers just waiting to hear from you. And the best part? Pretty much everyone checks their email every single day.
You know your message will be seen if it appeals to your readers’ interests.
Email allows you to personalize your content to fit each subscriber's desire. You can segment your list, get super-targeted with your content, and speak directly to what your subscribers care about.
This builds stronger relationships than a generic, one-size-fits-all approach. Your customers will feel heard and understood, which will make them way more likely to buy from you.
Marketers who personalize their content can achieve around 26% higher open rates compared to marketers who don't.
Email is very adaptable. You can test out different subject lines, types of content, and calls to action to see what resonates best with your audience.
Then, you can use the data to continually improve and fine-tune your strategy.
Do you think this would be possible on a billboard or a TV ad?
Email marketing is cost-effective compared to other marketing channels. With a 3500% Return on Investment (ROI), you really have no reason not to leverage it.
For example, in 2022 during Black Friday, email marketing drove 25% of all online sales, making it the leading revenue-generating channel for eCommerce brands.
To put things into perspective, buyers spent $31.2 billion over the holiday period, according to Sender. If email accounted for 25% of that, that’s $7.8 billion in revenue from email alone!
How beehiiv Can Enhance Your Email Marketing Efforts
To build an email list that'll convert, you need to have the right tools in your arsenal, and you're in luck!
beehiiv is an email marketing platform that empowers creators to build, manage, and analyze their email newsletters effectively.
beehiiv offers a suite of advanced tools to streamline your email campaign management, track performance metrics, and automate repetitive tasks.
Here are a few key features that were made with you in mind:
Intuitive Drag-and-Drop Editor: Easily create visually appealing emails without any coding knowledge.
Customizable Templates: Choose from a variety of pre-designed templates or create your own.
A/B Testing: Experiment with different subject lines, content, and send times to optimize your campaigns.
Segmentation: Divide your audience into targeted segments based on interests, demographics, or behavior.
Real-time Insights: Monitor key metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and conversions in real-time.
Detailed Performance Reports: Analyze the performance of individual emails and campaigns.
Audience Segmentation Analytics: Gain insights into the behavior of different audience segments.
Automated Workflows: Set up automated email sequences to nurture leads, welcome new subscribers, or re-engage inactive users.
Scheduled Sends: Plan and schedule your emails in advance to maintain consistency.
Drip Campaigns: Deliver a series of timed emails to guide subscribers through a specific journey.
Whether you're a seasoned marketer or a beginner, beehiiv provides the tools you need to create impactful email campaigns that drive engagement and conversions.
Why Trust Me: I've built a subscription-paid newsletter with thousands of subscribers that share weekly updates on how third-world country citizens can get international paying gigs/jobs. I know my onions.
Building an Effective Email List
Creating an effective email list is like building the foundation of a house—you need solid groundwork to support everything that comes after.
Whether you're aiming to engage more customers or drive more sales, implementing proven strategies to grow your email list can significantly increase your email marketing efforts.
Strategies for Collecting Email Addresses
The timeline from when a potential subscriber lands on your site to when they come across your sign-up/opt-in form is very short. If you don't do it right, they get “turned off,” and you get a high percentage of site exits compared to your sign up rate.
The question is how do you collect those precious email addresses without turning off potential subscribers?
First, you start by making it easy and attractive for users. Here are some go-to strategies:
Sign-Up Forms: Sign-up forms are email acquisition tools that are positioned on intuitive places like your homepage, blog posts, or checkout paths. These should be straightforward, eye-catching, and quick to fill out like the one in the image below. Here's how to configure sign-up forms using beehiiv
Landing Pages: Dedicated pages designed specifically to capture email addresses can convert like a mini unsinkable ad. Make your message clear with creative copy and offer an enticing incentive for signing up. Here are a few examples of converting email landing pages:
See more here.
Offline Collection Techniques: Sometimes, the offline world is your playground. Think business events, in-store visits, or even during product deliveries—capture emails by engaging directly with your audience and setting up a straightforward email collection system.
It could be something as simple as having a QR banner on fliers or banners in your store/business events. Then, offer an incentive for users who scan your code and sign up to your list.
Using Lead Magnets and Incentives
Why should anyone give you their email? Do you have knowledge that potential subscribers would find valuable or an offer you're sure would be hard to say no to? This is where lead magnets and incentives play a pivotal role.
Offering value in exchange for email addresses can convert curiosity into commitment. Here are a few techniques on how to utilize them:
E-books and Guides: Chances are you already have an ebook or guide that you don't know about. Most people overthink when it comes to creating lead magnets.
Giving away exclusive digital resources like cold call scripts, email marketing templates, or even recipes would provide abundant value to your audience.
You’re not required to have some in-depth guide that subscribers wouldn't end up using when they get access to it.
Sharing bitesize and actionable information that users can easily consume and utilize immediately after they go through is proven to be effective.
Discounts: Have you ever tried shopping on a website like ASOS or Fashion Nova and gotten a popup with something along the lines of…“Get 15% off of your next order when you sign up for our newsletter”?
You've most likely experienced that at one point.
That's a perfect example of discounts being utilized to grow an email list.
First-time purchase offers or embedded codes for discounts can be excellent motivators to attract subscribers to your newsletter.
Picture from dbrand website
This strategy is very effective because as soon as they subscribe to your newsletter, you can then upsell them on other products, driving more revenue for your business.
Exclusive Content: Offer subscribers VIP access to exclusive videos, articles, or newsletter content that are usually paid, but they can get free access for a specified period once they sign up for your newsletter. You can do this seamlessly on beehiiv.
Software as a Service (SaaS) companies utilize a variation of this offer, like giving 7 days free access to their premium software once users sign up to their email list.
Compelling lead magnets can turn passive visitors into active subscribers who are eager to hear what you have to say next. You can't afford to not use them in your email marketing strategy.
Implementing Double Opt-In for Quality Leads
Not all subscribers mean quality engagement, which leads us to double opt-in.
It's simply adding an extra step to your email acquisition process, where users need to confirm their subscription from their email.
This process acts as a filter for spam accounts or serial subscribers who never subscribe to newsletters and never open them. You could compare it to a CAPTCHA verification but for email.
Those who confirm their subscription usually have a genuine interest and are more likely to open, read, and engage with future emails, ensuring that your list comprises active, engaged individuals and reduces non-existent or fake email entries.
When you implement a double opt-in in your email sign-up funnel, you're cherry-picking your subscribers, ensuring that they are interested and receptive, paving the way for meaningful interactions with your emails.
Crafting Engaging Email Content
“Storytelling is among the oldest forms of communication. It's the commodity of all human beings, in all places, in all times” - Rives Collins. To craft content that engages your audience, you have to be a good storyteller.
Some of the best content that you've ever seen on YouTube, Instagram, or Tiktok is guaranteed to have some sort of storytelling in it, which is why you found it captivating. It's the same way with email.
To craft engaging email content, you need to invite your reader to a captivating story.
You have to understand your audience's needs and speak directly to them. When executed well, it not only fosters a real connection and engages them but significantly boosts your email marketing conversions.
Although it doesn't just stop at storytelling, here are some additional ways you can ensure that your email captures attention and drives action.
Personalization and Segmentation
Personalization and segmentation are the powerhouse duo in email marketing. Imagine walking into a store where the clerk knows your name, your past purchases, and can recommend items you're sure to love.
That’s essentially what you can achieve by segmenting your email list and personalizing your content.
Segmenting Your Audience: There are various categories to segment your list in. You should never use a one-size-fits-all approach in your content. You might have segments for new subscribers, frequent buyers, or those interested in specific product categories.
Certain content that’ll resonate with an old subscriber might not do too well with a new one.
Imagine sending out an email continuing a story you sent out to your list last week. Then, you send this email to all subscribers, even the new ones who subscribed yesterday, and they'll be quite confused when reading your email, right?
Breaking down your email list into smaller groups based on preferences, behavior, or demographics helps you create content that appeals to your readers’ individual interests and builds a form of writer-to-reader bond, also utilizing the KLT(Know, Like, and Trust) principle.
Personalized Content: Using the data from your segments to craft tailored messages like addressing subscribers by name, referencing their recent interactions, or suggesting products they might like based on past purchases can increase engagement and conversion rates significantly.
Why? Because it makes your audience feel understood and valued.
Marketers who take advantage of personalization smile all the way home to the bank after conversions.
For example, On, the sports brand, was able to leverage personalization to create a brand community and achieve a +537.46% increase in click-through rates.
In addition, The Warehouse Group, a New Zealand retail group, was reported to have a 14% uplift in click rate by including recommendation widgets in themed emails based on available algorithms.
Creating Valuable and Relevant Content
The key to keeping your readers hooked is to provide content that is both valuable and relevant.
Think of your email like a magazine issue—it's only special if it offers something informative or entertaining that the reader can’t wait to dive into.
To accomplish this, you have to make sure that your email delivers insights or knowledge that your subscribers will find useful. If you sell software, include tips on making the best use of your product.
You can also engage your audience by entertaining them. As said earlier, this can be done through storytelling, including fun facts, or tying in newsworthy topics related to your industry in a creative way, alongside tailoring your content to be in tune with your audience’s current needs or interests.
For example, with the holiday season around the corner, you can incorporate gift ideas related to your business offerings in your emails. Doing this will not only get your emails opened but will make your subscribers look forward to them.
Designing Visually Appealing Emails
Design plays a crucial role in ensuring that your email doesn’t just get opened. It will be read and engaged with.
Your email is like a welcoming storefront window—it needs to pull the reader in right from the start.
Opt for clean, organized structures. Use headings and bullet points to break down information clearly, just like it's stated here.
Include visual elements that support your message, but ensure that they are optimized for fast loading.
Make sure that your emails are responsive and visually appealing on smaller screens to reach your audience effectively wherever they are, since more than half of all email opens happen on mobile devices.
These design techniques will ensure that readers will open your emails and interact with them, which will also increase your delivery rates.
When you tailor the visual journey your emails take your audience on, your results will speak for themselves.
Leveraging Automation and Analytics
Using automation and analytics in email marketing can be your secret weapon in maintaining engagement and boosting business growth.
With these tools, you can run more effective campaigns with less manual work.
Here's how you can make the most of automation and analytics to enhance your email marketing strategy.
Setting Up Automated Email Sequences
Automated email sequences play a role similar to that of a personal assistant. It's a feature that's always ready on standby to communicate with your audience even when you're asleep.
Setting up automated emails properly can enhance your engagement levels without any manual effort.
Here's how you can utilize automated emails:
Welcome Emails: Introduce new subscribers with a friendly welcome email by setting an automatic trigger for when someone signs up, ensuring that they receive an immediate hello along with a brief overview of what to expect from your emails.
Follow-Up Sequences: Keep the conversation going. If someone clicks on a link in your newsletter but doesn't follow through with a purchase, trigger a follow-up email that offers additional information or a special offer.
Abandoned Cart Reminders: Automate messages to customers who leave items in their carts without completing the purchase. Gently nudge them back with reminders of what they’re missing out on, possibly with a tantalizing discount.
Image courtesy of Really Good Emails
With automation, you can consistently reach out to your customers and keep them engaged, all while freeing up your time to focus on other marketing tasks.
Analyzing Email Campaign Performance With beehiiv
Crafting engaging email content shouldn't be the only focus of your newsletter; you also have to understand how those emails will perform.
If you're a creator using beehiiv's robust analytics tools, you can gain valuable insights into your audience's behavior and optimize your campaigns for conversions.
beehiiv provides a user-friendly interface to track key metrics like open rate, click-through rate (CTR), bounce rate, etc.
Here's how to make the most of beehiiv’s analytics features:
1. Dashboard Overview:
Get a quick 3D overview of your campaign performance with key metrics displayed on a single dashboard.
Identify top-performing emails and segments and make improvements where necessary.
2. Detailed Email Performance Reports:
Look deeper into the performance of individual emails.
Analyze open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates for each email.
Identify which elements of your email resonated with your audience.
3. Audience Segmentation:
Segment your audience based on various criteria, such as demographics, interests, or behavior.
Tailor your email content to specific segments for better engagement.
4. A/B Testing:
Experiment with different subject lines, content, or send times to optimize your campaigns.
Use beehiiv's A/B testing feature to compare the performance of different variations.
By signing up to beehiiv, you can refine your email strategies and ultimately drive better results for your newsletter.
A/B Testing for Continuous Improvement
Continuous improvement is vital. This is where A/B testing comes in—an essential practice for anyone seriously using email marketing as a growth strategy.
Want to know why your emails aren't converting? Here's how A/B testing can help you find out:
Test Elements: Assess different subject lines, headers, or email lengths. Sometimes, what works for one audience might not hit the mark for another. A/B testing allows you to try various options with small segments before deciding on the best approach for your whole list.
Define Clear Goals: Determine precisely what you're testing for—higher open rates, more clicks, or increased conversions. Knowing your aim helps refine your approach and measure success effectively.
Responsive Timing: Adjust send times via A/B testing, finding the best window when your audience is most likely to engage with your emails. This is particularly relevant for reaching different time zones efficiently.
A/B testing isn't just a one-and-done activity. Make it part of your regular routine to understand your audience better and continually optimize your campaigns.
Essentially, you’re not just shooting in the dark but engaging in a tactical game of discovery that refines your email marketing strategy over time.
With email marketing, complacency isn't an option. You need to be at the top of your game at all times.
Continually optimizing through A/B testing ensures that your emails are always performing at their best, enabling you to grow your business more effectively.
Integrating Email Marketing With Other Channels
You're already using email marketing to effectively connect with your audience—but why stop there?
Did you know that by integrating email with other digital channels you can build a holistic marketing approach that reaches customers where they are?
Pairing email marketing with platforms like TikTok or Instagram, just like The LA Raver, not only extends your reach but enhances engagement across your brand, just like a full-blown omnichannel marketing funnel.
Let's explore how combining these elements together can be a game-changer for your business.
Using email to drive social media engagement—and vice versa—creates a synergy that transforms how your audience interacts with your brand.
Start by cross-promoting your content. Do this by adding social media sharing buttons or links within your emails and encouraging your subscribers to share and follow your profiles.
This simple step can amplify your reach to new audiences who might not yet be part of your database.
On the flip side, use social media to increase your email sign-ups.
Share snippets of your newsletter or exclusive offers on platforms like Instagram or X (formerly Twitter), compelling followers to subscribe for more.
This cross-pollination ensures that you're continuously growing your audience.
For example, if you're running a social media contest, announce it in your emails and direct subscribers to your profiles to participate.
When you encourage this dual engagement, you're stitching together two powerful networks that drive reciprocity and expand your visibility.
Using Email To Support Content Marketing Efforts
Consider each email as a signpost that leads subscribers to your blog posts, videos, or whitepapers.
Link relevant articles or visuals in your newsletters based on subscriber interests. Not only does this boost website traffic, but it keeps your audience informed about new insights you’re sharing.
Email is direct and personal, enticing readers to click and discover more.
You can also use email to tease upcoming content.
Offering a sneak peek of a blog post or a video series will pique curiosity and drive people to your site as soon as it’s live. We do something similar at beehiiv. Take a look.
Think beyond just linking; embed videos or GIFs directly into your emails, engaging subscribers with rich media that heightens interest and interaction.
Using email as a content hub can extend the reach of every blog, infographic, and video you've painstakingly created.
Enhancing SEO With Email Campaigns
Although emails themselves aren't indexed in search engines, they can serve as important allies in your quest for better search rankings.
When you drive traffic through emails, they can impact on-page engagement metrics when you encourage subscribers to click through to specific posts or landing pages, increasing time spent on the site and reducing bounce rates—both crucial factors in search engine algorithms.
An additional benefit comes from proactive sharing. When subscribers share your content directly from their inboxes, they can generate external links pointing back to your site—a direct plus for SEO.
Great subject lines increase open rates. But when aligned with key themes or headlines from your website, they reinforce primary keywords in subscribers’ eyes.
This strategy ensures that your messaging is cohesive and aligned across platforms.
Finally, emails can lay the groundwork for nurturing relationships with influencers or partners, leading to collaborations that ultimately result in backlinks and mentions that further uplift your SEO presence.
In sum, integrating your email marketing strategy with other channels ensures that you're not relying on a single platform. It strengthens your overall strategy, stretches your marketing reach, and helps build a more engaged audience.
Conclusion
You're now equipped with the tools to make email marketing work for you.
Here are some key takeaways from what we've talked about so far:
When you're setting up your sign-up page, make it easy to complete and offer exclusive content incentives. By doing this, you invite users to engage with your brand.
Diversifying email content and segmenting your list allows for targeted and personalized messaging.
Include clear calls to action (CTA) to guide your audience through their journey with you.
Steering clear of common mistakes like vague subject lines and poor mobile optimization keeps your communications sharp and effective.
Take advantage of top email marketing services for features that best support your goals and prioritize email marketing as a central strategy in your digital toolkit.
Next Steps
Sign up with beehiiv, if you haven't already.
Set up your newsletter using this walk-through guide.
Follow the steps in this article guide to grow your newsletter for your business.
You're only an email away from seeing your business transform with each send. Give it a go right now with a 30-day, free trial.
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