OFFER SOMETHING IN RETURN – offer an incentive to sign up, a special offer or discount. Even if people only sign up to gain access to the offer, you’ve still got them on your mailing list for future.

EASY TO FIND – make sure the sign up is at the top of your screen or ‘above the fold’.

PROVIDE FREE CONTENT – offer a few download of an eBook or white paper. Who doesn’t like freebies?

STRATEGIC PLACEMENT – not all visitors land on your home page so consider putting the sign up box in a fixed potion in the header or footer.

DATA CAPTURE – make sure you add the data capture field on the page so the potential subscriber does not have to click through to another page to sign up. Make the sign-up process quick and simple.

ADD TO SOCIAL MEDIA – post messages on Twitter and Facebook asking if they are on your e-newsletter yet, with digital links to your emails. If you are providing remarkable, useful content (rather than merely selling), people are more likely to be interested in willing to subscribe.

FORWARD TO A FRIEND -if your customers believe in your product/ services they will be willing to spread the word and pass on to a friend. Sharing your content is one of the most effective ways of exposing your mailing list.

POSITION IN EMAIL SIGNATURE – add a hyperlink to your email newsletter after your normal email signature information. The more routes to your mailing list, the better!

PRIVACY POLICY – have a policy laying out how subscribers information will or will not be used. Also, ensure you include an unsubscribe button and only target companies and individuals who could be interested in what you’re selling to keep things legal.

HOW OFTEN RECIEVE – state clearly about the email frequency whether it’s daily, monthly or quarterly. People don’t want to be swapped with emails – don’t put them off before they’ve signed up!

We think if email marketing is done properly it can encourage customer loyalty. You may have noticed a recurring point throughout the tips: the best way to build a successful mailing list is to provide them with remarkable content. That way people will willingly sign up, continue to read your emails, share them and become a prospective customer. And while we’re on the topic – thanks for being part of our mailing list! We hope you found this useful. The S4B Team