Whether you’re blogging for a large corporation, a small local business or just to make your voice heard on a topic you care passionately about, starting an email list can help you develop a relationship with your readers and build your business. If something’s been holding you back from adding an email sign-up to the blog, it’s time to rethink your strategy.
Alerting Readers to New Information
Without an email list, you might have a reader who stops by your blog through a web search, enjoys your information, but then never comes back again. No matter what type of monetizing strategy you have, getting eyeballs to your website is a crucial component. When you have an email list, you can easily send out messages to readers letting them know you’ve got a new post up with information they might want to learn. You can also alert them to an upcoming sale, or a local event where they could meet you in person. Customers are growing used to getting emails from companies or bloggers who interest them, so a sign up means that they want to hear from you.
Building a Relationship with Readers
When you send emails to readers, you start to build stronger relationships with them. You build a following of readers who constantly come back to your blog when you’ve posted new material. You put yourself and your contact information out there for readers, allowing them to contact you when they have specific questions that only you can answer. Not only will this build loyalty to you, but it will also improve your bottom line. Readers who feel a connection to you are more likely to buy your products or services.
Creating Buyers
Having a large readership doesn’t necessarily mean that you will earn a lot of money for your business. You need to have buyers. However, in building a relationship with your readers, you can turn them into buyers. For example, if you’re blogging about fitness and trying to sell your personal training services, building your email list and developing a relationship with the readers helps them to see you as a trainer who knows what she’s talking about and who cares about them as people. When they decide to make the jump into using a personal trainer, you’ll be the first person they think of. The same is true for other types of businesses.
Making It Easy to Sign Up
Some people hesitate to add an email sign up box to the blog because it can seem spammy or feel like it would detract from the message in the words, but it needs to be visible. If readers can’t find your email sign up, they will never be able to sign up. The sign up box doesn’t have to be a pop-up that blocks them from content until they sign up. A simple sign up box in the corner can be very effective. You might also consider a small message at the end of each post that says something along the lines of, “If you liked my post, sign up to receive updates.” Think about ways to make the sign up box visible and easy to use, so that your readers are more likely to sign up. Offering something in return for signing up is a tried-and-true method to increase response.
Blogging and participating in other forms of social media will help you gain trust and build your customer base, but it’s rarely enough. Through targeted email marketing campaigns, you’ll see even bigger responses. Put that email sign up box on your blog and make it easier for readers to stay in touch.
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