Many businesses now understand that producing content is necessary to get ahead and that good quality content can actually speed up the sales process. What many don’t seem to grasp, however, is the continual effort needed once this content is complete; you can’t just publish content and expect conversions. This results in incredible content not getting the views it deserves, and disgruntled businesses whose content creation efforts have seemingly gone to waste.

Think of the Internet and how much content is on there, not to mention how much is being added every single day. If you want your outstanding content to be consumed, you need to tell people it exists and encourage them to go view it.

Why Is Using an Email List for Content Promotion So Important?

Engaged audience

Subscribers to your email list will have (hopefully) opted-in, meaning that they like what you do and they want to hear from you. What better audience can you ask for than one that is actively interested in what you’ve got to say?

Personal relationship

These subscribers have let you into their personal space; their inbox is full of communications from the people that matter to them and you’ve been let in. Being granted access to a personal email inbox means that you are able to develop a deeper relationship with your readers; you can offer personalised, creative content that speaks directly to them.

More shares

Your email subscribers love what you do (otherwise they wouldn’t have signed up) which means they’re highly likely to share your content for you. Not only is this important because it’s free marketing for your business, it also helps you to attract a more loyal following. One Nielsen study showed that 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends or family over any other form of advertising.

Stay in control

And do you know what else? Your email list belongs to you. That means you make the rules, you produce the content you want, you’re the one in control. When you promote your content using social media, the rules can change at any time: Twitter changes the length of tweets; Facebook reduces outreach to encourage businesses to purchase ads; heck, the Google algorithm changes so often it’s difficult for anyone to keep up.

Results don’t lie

Still not convinced that an email list is that important? Don’t just take our word for it. Some of the top marketers out there have tried and tested many different methods and they love email marketing because it outperforms anything else.

Growing Your Email List

Because your email list offers so many benefits to your content promotion strategy, it’s a good idea to spend time growing the number of subscribers you have.

Use a lead magnet

Email addresses are very personal; it’s unlikely that people are going to offer you theirs for free, so you’ve got to give them something in return. A lead magnet is the best way to collect email addresses because it gives subscribers something that they want.

A good lead magnet will:

• Provide value – your lead magnet should be unique and valuable. If you’re offering something in exchange for an email address that can be easily found via a quick Google search you aren’t going to get the sign ups you were hoping for.
• Show expertise – your lead magnet should position you as an expert in your industry. This is a great way to gain loyal followers because, once they can see that you know your stuff, they’ll keep coming back for more.
• Be easily accessible – a good lead magnet is always easy to access and usually comes in the form of digital, downloadable content like a PDF. Subscribers provide their email address and are instantly awarded with the content.
• Solve a problem – your business should know what its audiences’ problems are. Lead magnets can be used to solve a problem which helps to create trust between you and your customer.

Examples of lead magnets

The list of possible lead magnets is endless. It can be fun to experiment with different lead magnets to see what works well with your audience. Here are some examples of lead magnets that you could try:

• Cheat sheets
• Top tips
• Vouchers
• Quizzes
• White papers
• Case studies
• Tool kits
• Access to exclusive webinars
• eBooks
• Checklists
• Templates
• Planners
• Worksheets

Anything that will provide value and offer a quick win to your audience is going to help get more people to subscribe to your list.

Use a call to action (CTA)

Having a lead magnet isn’t enough on its own; you want to ensure people can find it and that, when they do, they want it. This is where a CTA comes in: it pushes your visitor to take the plunge and sign up.

Your lead magnet should be accessible to your readers wherever they might be on your website. You can do this by:

• Checking your website stats and placing a CTA to your lead magnet on popular pages
• Using pop-ups at key moments, such as when a user is about to leave

Using CTAs directly on your lead magnets can be a great idea too. CTAs that encourage your audience to share your lead magnet with others once they’ve accessed it work well. This can be in the form of social media share buttons or email forwarders.

A call to action isn’t solely for lead magnets. You can also use specific CTAs to collect email addresses. For example, you could start a monthly newsletter that tells readers about what’s been going on during the month and highlights content you want to direct them to. Newsletters are an excellent way to build relationships with your readers and are great for preventing your email list from going stale.

CTA Tips

Don’t:

• have too many different CTAs; visitors are more likely to get put off and leave when there is too much choice
• use too many pop-ups; you’ll just annoy people and they’ll simply exit your website
• make CTAs too small or hide them in busy areas of your website

Do:

• be transparent and alleviate any concerns your potential subscribers might have: Can they unsubscribe? How many emails will you send? What’s your return policy? Consider the CTA and answer questions that come with it
• use a different colour to help your CTA stand-out
• show your visitors exactly what they’re going to get: What problem are you solving? What value are you providing?

ALWAYS use email opt-in

However tempted you might be to purchase email subscribers, we don’t recommend going down this route. Why? Because quite often you’ll end up with a bunch of fake email addresses and subscribers that aren’t interested in your business whatsoever. Sure, it seems like a quick win but when it comes to your email list less is definitely more. Your business will benefit much more from 500 subscribers who chose to opt in than from thousands of uninterested parties.

This method of getting more subscribers is pretty unethical and, in the long run, isn’t going to do you any favours. Not only will you witness poor conversion rates and potential negativity from subscribers who didn’t ask to be added, but you could face a run in with the law particularly since the new GDPR rules introduced earlier this year. Opt-in is always the best. Give your visitors the choice and, if you do it right, you’ll see your list grow organically over time which means high conversions and a loyal audience.

Content promotion is a vital piece of your marketing jigsaw. Using an email list to promote content can help you gain better conversion rates, free marketing via loyal customers, and target an engaged audience.

If you’d like more help with your content promotion strategy, you can fill in our contact form and we’ll be sure to get back to you.