Do you get a decent amount of traffic to your website everyday, but your list size continues to grow at a snails pace? If so, here are some suggestions I encourage you to analyze and tweak if need be.
1. Are you asking people to ‘Join Our Mailing list’?
Just about all online sites are now trying to collect names and email addresses of their visitors. That’s why just having a ‘Join Our Mailing’ list box doesn’t cut it anymore. You need to entice people to give you their name and email address and this requires more than just a subscription to your newsletter. Examples of enticements would be a free report, ecourse, or audio file that focuses on the reason they came to your site in the first place. For example, if your ideal client is trying to lose weight your free report may be geared toward ‘The Top 10 Steps for Lasting Weight Loss’. Whatever your ‘freebie’ is you want it to be something they just can’t pass up.
Tip: If you have a freebie and it’s not converting well you may not need to change the content of your freebie, just do some trial and error with the title to increase conversion rates.
2. Are you leading traffic to an opt-in page or your website home page?
Conversion rates for opt-in pages are higher than website home pages, which is why it’s best to send targeted traffic to your opt-in page where they provide their name and email in exchange for a free incentive item they can access immediately after subscribing.
3. Do you have a graphic image to represent your newsletter or freebie?
If not, consider having a graphic designer create an ebook or report cover for your freebie. Conversion rates tend to be higher if you have this visual reference.
4. Is your opt-in page visually appealing?
Your opt-in (and website) in general is a representation of you and your business. If it is not visually appealing it’s likely you’re opt-in rates will be lower.
Tip: If you don’t have the funds to invest in a website makeover all you need is an attractive opt-in page that visitors view first so you can accomplish your goal (i.e. grow your list).
5. Are you leading website visitors to the next step?
For example, in my content marketing package we drive a high level of traffic to client blog posts. At the end of these blog posts you need to lead readers to the next step you want them to take (i.e. invite them to receive your free report). If you end the post without offering a way to engage with your further you are missing an opportunity to grow your list.
Tip: On every page of your website you should identify the one step you want visitors to take and make sure your website copy/layout guides them to complete that one step.
Bonus Tip: Are you communicating in your ideal client’s language?
This probably isn’t your biggest problem increasing list sign ups, but it’s something to think about. How does your ideal client like to receive information? If they prefer to watch a video over reading text the set up an opt-in page with a video and make your freebie along the same lines, such as a video course.
If you are not seeing a high level of traffic to your website on a regular basis I invite you to learn more about the content marketing package I offer here.
If you have a suggestion on a tweak you made that resulted in higher subscriber numbers, please share it below!
All the best,
Lisa Nelson
Great info, thanks!
Thank you Lisa! I needed this info and will definitely implement all these terrific tips.
Lisa,
Thanks for sharing these tips. I particularly like the adding a graphic tip. I also think I need to “direct” a little stronger at the end of posts other than just asking for comments.
One tool I use is a wordpress plugin called What Would Seth Godin Do and it allows you to set up a subscribe call to action at the top or bottom of every post and customize it for new visitors and returning readers. Adding that has increased my blog subscribers.