Often times when working with customers on their message campaigns, I notice they are including only HTML versions of their messages to their subscribers, with no plain text version.
I politely bite my lip while I work with them on whatever issue they’ve called in for, then in an attempt to be as helpful as I can, I point a few things out to them about this:
Some subscribers will not be able to view a readable copy of HTML-only messages
Although most people use e-mail applications that support HTML messages, some don’t, and many applications provide their users with an option to disable HTML.
Some subscribers may see something like this in the body of the e-mail instead:
HTML-only messages are more likely to be content filtered.
We offer our customers a content analyzer that helps them to get an impression of whether their message is likely to be put in their subscribers’ bulk folder or to go missing altogether.
You’ll notice below, that this analyzer assigned some points for having only HTML in a message:
So What Is The Solution?
You could just send your messages with plain-text only, but then you lose all of the benefits of formatting your messages with your own branding on a nicely designed layout. You could also lose other features, like the ability to track how many times your messages are opened.
Some email service providers offer an option so that messages can include both an HTML as well as a plain-text version, using a process called multi-part MIME. When both versions are included, they are sent together as your messages go out.
If a subscriber has the option to display HTML turned on, they’ll see that version by default; if they choose not to display HTML or can’t, they’ll see the plain-text version automatically, all while minimizing the possibility of your message being filtered. Email deliverability experts agree that this is the preferred way to send formatted e-mail messages, so I make this suggestion to customers whenever it’s appropriate.
Useful tip:
Sometimes I see customers include a link to an on-line version (e.g.
http://www.example.com/newsletters/july.html) of their messages within
the plain-text version. This gives subscribers who don’t view HTML
messages an opportunity to still view a formatted version.
Sending your email at the “wrong” time can derail the most well-crafted campaign. So it’s no surprise that many email marketers put significant effort into optimizing their send times to make sure messages reach subscribers when they’re actively checking their inboxes. Twenty-three percent of all email opens occur within the first hour after delivery, GetResponse found; within the second hour, opens drop by half.
When you’re sending to a global audience, though, things can get tricky. An email sent at noon in New York City reaches inboxes in Sydney, Australia, at 2AM. Your Australian subscribers might check their emails as they wake up in the morning, but the longer your message waits for the open, the more competition it has in the inbox as emails pile up.
Optimizing emails for different time zones is one of the key challenges for email marketers who send to international subscribers. Here are some hands-on tips to help you master this task.
GET TO KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: WHERE ARE YOUR SUBSCRIBERS BASED?
Finding out where your subscribers are located is the first step toward time zone optimization and making more informed send time and copywriting decisions. Collect geolocation data during the opt-in or use email analytics to better understand the geographic distribution of your subscribers. With the help of geolocation data, you’ll get a better understanding of:
Where your subscribers are based
How many subscribers you have in each time zone
Whether your subscribers concentrate on specific parts of the world or are scattered across a broad range of time zones
INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE
Based on the results of geolocation analysis, email marketers can choose between two strategies: Choosing a send time based on the most important time zone, or segmenting their list to optimize for different time zones individually.
PRIORITIZING TIME ZONES
If the majority of your audience is based in a single time zone—or in time zones close to each other—it can make sense to focus your optimization efforts on this region. The number of subscribers is one factor that determines time zone prioritization. Also, consider business-related factors such as average customer value for each region and strategic expansion plans for your targets.
Prioritizing time zones and sending your campaign at a time that fits your most valuable region does not require list segmentation and is thus particularly appealing for marketing teams with limited resources. However, you’ll likely miss out on immediate opens and clicks in areas outside of that region, especially when sending time-sensitive promotions.
SEGMENT YOUR LIST BY LOCATION TO OPTIMIZE SEND TIMES IN EACH TIME ZONE
If your subscribers span across a range of time zones, and important markets aren’t close to each other, segmenting your list can be the best approach. This doesn’t mean you have to create a segment for every time zone on your list. Instead, cluster subscribers into manageable segments.
But what if you don’t have the geolocation information for all of your subscribers? This can happen when you only track location with email opens, but not during the sign-up process. Most geolocation analytics rely on a tracking pixel that loads when a subscriber opens your message. If subscribers have not opened any of your emails before—because they’re new on your list or an inactive subscriber, for example—email analytics can’t provide geolocation data for them. Or, if they are reading your email with images disabled, then geolocation data won’t be counted.
Also, Gmail’s image caching makes it impossible to track geolocation. Instead of seeing where a Gmail reader is located, email analytics will show the IP address and location of Google’s proxy servers, potentially placing your subscribers in a wrong time zone.
So what can you do? Create a segment and pick a send time for all subscribers that lack reliable time zone information. You can pick your local time zone or the one of your largest market for this fallback segment.
A segmented approach not only allows you to send emails at the same time in each time zone (for example, always at noon local time), but also gives you the opportunity to test and optimize send times in each location. Reading time preferences differ by audience, and regional habits and schedules can play an important role, too. For example, MailChimp found that most subscribers in Spain read emails between 10am and noon, while optimal send times in Egypt peak at 2pm.
Optimal send times by country, according to MailChimp
Depending on the range of time zones you cover, the number of segments you choose, and the level of testing you commit to, this approach can become very complex and time consuming. However, accounting for local differences and acting on them when sending emails can be a powerful way to increase open and click rates with your international audience.
TIME ZONE MANAGEMENT THROUGH YOUR ESP
Many email service providers (ESPs) have features to help their customers through their time zone struggles.
Time zone management features can be a key criterion when picking an ESP, especially for companies looking to reach subscribers in various time zones but may not have the resources to handle segmentation themselves.
Many ESPs offer features that allow you to send your email at the same local time for each subscriber. For example, when you’re setting your campaign to go out at 9am, the ESP will delay sending to anyone until it’s 9am in their time zone.
If you’d like to experiment with different sending times for each time zone—for example, sending the message at 9am local time to US subscribers, but at 10am local time in Spain—you’ll have to set up manual segments and test them individually.
Time zone management in email marketing goes far beyond testing and optimizing send times. They also impact the content of your email, especially when you’re sending time-sensitive promotions or announcements that contain dates and times.
TIME ZONE EMPATHY
Whether you’re segmenting your email list or focusing your efforts on your most important time zone, always make sure your message is relevant to your audience. A lack of time zone empathy won’t just mean you miss out on clicks and opens, but also can damage your brand reputation.
Being empathic about your subscribers’ time zones is especially important when sending time-sensitive campaigns. The more you emphasize timing in your email—with “Today only” or “Sale ends at midnight” campaigns, for example—the more crucial it is to double-check your campaign for time zone conflicts. Let’s say you’re sending a “Monday only” offer at 10am on a Monday morning in San Francisco. Without segmentation in place, your subscribers in Sydney will receive it on Tuesday, 3am local time, and will likely end up confused and frustrated.
Put yourself in your subscribers’ shoes and ask yourself: What does the timing of this email mean for my subscribers in different time zones? Does the message make sense no matter where people live? Does the email contain time and date information that need special attention?
HANDLING DATES AND TIMES IN EMAIL
Time zone challenges become most obvious when your email contains actual information about dates and times—for example, for events, webinars, or deadlines.
Here are three things to remember when sending emails that contain dates and times:
ALWAYS STATE WHAT TIME ZONE YOU’RE REFERRING TO
Never let your subscribers guess what time zone you’re referring to. Make checking for time zone information part of your email proof-reading process, especially when the time changes during daylight savings time. If your automated emails contain times and dates (like weekly webinars, for example), set a reminder to switch templates at the beginning and end of daylight savings.
LET SUBSCRIBERS VIEW TIMES IN THEIR LOCAL TIME ZONE
Stating the time zone you’re referring to allows subscribers to convert to their local time zone. However, converting time zones can be tedious and confusing, so don’t let your subscribers do all the work. Instead, offer a link to a time zone converter, like Permatime, to make it as easy as possible for your subscribers to translate a date and time to their local time zone.
MAKE YOUR EMAIL RELEVANT, NO MATTER WHERE YOUR SUBSCRIBERS ARE LOCATED
Even if you optimize events so that they are at a time when most of your subscribers can attend, it’s not always possible to make it work for everyone. And that’s fine—as long as you find a way to still make your email relevant for every single subscriber, no matter where they’re based.
In the email above, for example, we’re promoting a webinar that subscribers in the US and some parts of Europe can attend. However, for our audience based in Tokyo, Japan, the webinar takes place at midnight, making it impossible for them to join. Without additional information, this email would be of no benefit to our subscribers in Eastern Europe, Asia, and Australia, likely causing confusion and frustration.
However, the email asks subscribers to sign up even if they can’t attend the live webinar, because the webinar recording and slides will be shared with all registrants. Subscribers who cannot attend the webinar—because of their time zones or any other reason—can still get the benefits from it.
AVAILABILITY AND RESPONSE TIMES: MANAGING EXPECTATIONS
Email is a great way to receive vital feedback from customers, answer questions, and create a line of communication between brands and consumers. When sending marketing messages to an international audience, you can adjust your send times to fit your subscribers’ time zones; your support hours, however, might not always match your subscribers’ business hours and you might not always be available when your subscribers hit reply. Here’s how you can set the right expectations if your team can’t offer 24h support.
An email is an asynchronous form of communication and most of your customers will not expect an immediate response. But when time differences come into play, subscribers might have to wait longer than usual before they’ll hear back from you. Keep this in mind, especially when sending emails that likely trigger responses and questions, like major feature announcements or pricing changes. Consider setting up an autoresponder for your reply-to address that reflects your time zone, your support hours, and give an estimate of when subscribers can expect to hear back from you. This helps to set the right expectations.
HOW DO YOU MANAGE SENDING EMAIL ACROSS TIME ZONES?
Do you have more tips for sending email internationally? Share them with the email community!
Email marketing remains core to most marketing strategies. A cohesive
blend of copy and design - along with a clear picture of your ideal
audience - will enable you to build an email process that establishes a
connection with subscribers, collects data, and generates results. But
which components of your email campaign matter most? And how do you
leverage those elements to maximize effectiveness?
5 Keys to Email Success
Your email must feature 5 critical elements:
Subject Line - The first words your audience sees when they open their inbox are those that comprise the subject line.
You need to hook the reader with a phrase that compels them to open the
email and find out more. At the same time, you must keep the subject
line concise. The perfect email subject line is a unique mixture of
creativity and information that grabs the reader and incites them to
read more.
Tight Copy -
Members of your audience likely receive hundreds of emails a day. The
copy in your email must quickly communicate the message you want to
impart and intrigue them enough to react. Email marketing, in most
cases, is not the place to spin long-winded stories or share layered
messages. It's a place to hit hard and fast with the idea you're
communicating. Your copy should drive an almost subconscious reaction
and response.
Appealing Visuals - Working hand in hand with the copy is the need to draw readers in with striking email design You
need to grab their attention with compelling visuals that communicate
the key messages of your email while still generating a call to action.
Email design requires active use of white space, an awareness of what
visual cues impact readers, and an understanding of how color theory can
make a difference in causing a reaction.
Personalized Messages - Research shows that personalized email subject lines are even more likely to be opened than standard subject lines. But that's just the start. Personalizing email leads to greater engagement,
higher click-through rates, and improved insight into customer
segmentation. Your customers want to feel that you're trying to
establish a long-term relationship. Personalization helps in reaching
that goal.
Mobile Optimization - Every email you send out needs to be optimized for mobile responsiveness. Data shows that people in growing numbers are accessing their email through their mobile devices.
And your customers are spending more time on their phones and tablets,
so they often go back to review old emails after initially opening the
message. As your customers continue this trend toward mobile
responsiveness, it is paramount that all email sent out as part of a
marketing campaign be optimized to reach the greatest audience.
Even with the growth of social media channels, email is still the most
successful online tool for reaching potential customers. By successfully
implementing the 5 elements listed above, you increase the likelihood
of running a successful campaign.
Interested in Learning More?
Learn more about creating highly personalized email campaigns with industry-leading scalability and ease. Download 8 Stories of Email Success.
Let's assume you already have a great sender reputation, you have worked hard at keeping subscribers engaged, your spam complaints are next to nothing, and you have already read this post by Aleksandr Peterson here on the Marketing Cloud blog. What happens when you or someone in your organization wants to try a 'Free Offer' or some other tactic that can be considered a classic spam trigger?
There are usually 2 reactions among Email marketing professionals; absolute horror or a nonchalant shrug. Until about a year ago, I was definitely with the horror group. But the more I talked to some of my shrugging friends, I found that in most cases they had set up initial tests and saw little to no delivery issues-and sometimes much higher engagement or redemption!
The key is to be purposeful. Times have changed and spam filters have too. If you are doing everything else right and use a spam trigger in your subject line, things will most likely work out just fine. By the way, 'Free' was the most popular choice and also the most tested word I found. Everyone loves free shipping, a free entree, or buy one get one (BOGO) free so that is the example I am using.
How to Protect Your Email Reputation
Our audiences and lists are our lifeblood, not something to be toyed with hastily. They propel everything, and there are some instances where I would not recommend engaging in any potentially reckless behavior that could land you on the naughty list. For example, if you are sending from a shared IP address across multiple businesses, you must proceed with caution. Not only do you have less control over the reputation, there can be fluctuations you wouldn't be aware of. Another instance is if you are not messaging your audience regularly, adding in a free offer could potentially lead to deliverability trouble.
Here are 4 things you should absolutely consider to stay out of Gmail Jail:
1. Technology. Ensure your deliverability rate is as good as you think it is. We use premium inbox tools in Email Studio for its convenience, and Return Path offers a free sender score tool.
2. Testing. Your audience might not actually respond better or deliverability might go down.
3. Diversity. This should be just one in an arsenal of tactics you employ in your email marketing program.
4. Combinations. Do not combine with other practices that are known to raise filtering risks such as:
Additional known spam triggers
Low image to text ratio in your emails
Capitalization (especially of the word 'FREE')
Overuse of exclamation points and/or question marks
Multiple font styles and sizes
Attachments
Odds are if you are mindful of how, when and where to apply what are typically considered to be 'spam triggers' you'll be in a great position to send out those 'free' goodies in your emails. So for now may all of your emails be delivered merry and bright, and to digital marketers a good night!
All of us think we know how to write a newsletter. What could be simpler? Now think again about how many bland newsletters you see in your inbox everyday. Follow these best practices to send email newsletters your subscribers will actually open and read.
1. Determine if you really need a newsletter.
Ask yourself if you’re doing a newsletter because you have consistently relevant content to share with your audience or if you’re just following what everyone else is doing. If your answer is the first one, then proceed. Make sure, though, that you set clear, measurable objectives. Are you aiming to drive more leads, close more deals, boost retention? Knowing what you want to achieve lets you focus your efforts, set goals, and measure success.
2. Set expectations.
Do subscribers know what they’re signing up for? Be clear up front about what they’ll be receiving from you. Is it an early glance at new products, special coupons and discounts, inspiration, or how-to information? Make sure you’re meeting customer expectations and not bombarding their inboxes with content they didn’t want.
It is also a good idea to say how often they will hear from your brand. Once a week? Once a month? At the least, you should quickly establish a routine cadence with subscribers and stick to it. Your subscribers trusted your brand enough to share their email addresses. Abusing that trust is a good way to land in a spam folder or with high unsubscribe rates.
3. Keep content balanced.
Unless you’ve set clear expectations otherwise, your newsletter should not be a coupon book. A good rule of thumb for newsletter content is 90% educational and 10% promotional. This allows room for a focused call to action but makes sure that the large majority of content is meant to serve the customer first.
4. Stick to your brand.
Like all communications you send, your newsletter should adhere to your brand’s standards for design, voice, and tone. Don’t be afraid to have fun, though. Users who subscribe to your newsletter tend to be the ones most engaged with your brand and ready to hear from you.
5. Think mobile first.
According to Litmus, “Fifty-four percent of email is now opened on a mobile device.” And that number is projected to continue growing. You should be thinking mobile, mobile, mobile. Follow responsive or mobile-optimized practices when designing your newsletter templates.
This means keeping content limited to fit on a mobile screen. Make sure buttons are large enough to tap. Also, limit image sizes to avoid lagging load times. For more tips on designing mobile-first emails, check out the Email Design Toolkit.
6. Keep your newsletter exclusive.
Your newsletter subscribers are likely some of your most engaged brand fans. Reward them with exclusive or early access content.
7. Test, track, and refine your newsletter.
Keep going back to the goals you set at the beginning. Measure what’s working well and what needs improvement. Are you hitting your goals? If yes, good job. Go ahead and set higher ones. If not, ask why. Then continue tweaking and testing your newsletters until you do.
Done well, email newsletters are a great way to stay connected with your audience and keep them engaged. Get started building exceptional email journeys today.
Writing a few sentences for an email campaign might not seem challenging, but there's an art to crafting effective copy. When your email message is well written, it can draw up to 7.8 times more traffic to your website. That's nothing to scoff at, and yet, many marketers are in such a hurry to get emails out that they spend little time thinking about word choice, placement or their audience.
To help time-strapped marketers create emails that are effective, here are ten advanced email copywriting tips to follow:
1. Solve a problem
People buy solutions, not products. No one wants a plunger—they want a way to fix their toilet when it gets stopped up. Write your copy to help the reader understand how your product or service will save them time or money, or generally make their life easier. Solving a problem also requires your recipient to trust you, that is, believe that you’re an expert on the subject. The Black Tux, an online suit rental company that partners with Nordstrom’s, does a great job of solving several problems in its e-newsletter, “Well Suited.” Using a mix of short, punchy copy, images and video, they provide expert tips on:
What to Wear When There’s No Dress Code
How to Talk to a Tailor
Why You Shouldn’t Wear a Matching Bright Tie and Vest
When in doubt, talk about the benefits of your product or service, not the features. It’s great that your vacuum is bagless, but it’s better to point out that bagless vacuums don't lose suction.
2. Focus on one point
Don’t try to cram your new product announcement, free shipping promotion, and upcoming webinar into one email. Choose a topic and stick to it. It's better to send multiple emails than to try to squeeze everything into one, which not only overwhelms subscribers but also dilutes your messaging. JAM, a business that offers online courses for kids on topics like cooking, building with LEGOs and drawing, knew that last-minute Christmas shoppers would be looking for gifts that could still be delivered on time. The company sent out an email focused solely on gift certificates available for online courses for kids, offering a printable certificate so that the gift-giver could have a physical item to present on Christmas.
If JAM had crowded the email with other promotions or information, the idea of a printable gift might have gotten lost; leading recipients to believe it was just another solicitation for an e-gift certificate.
3. Set a deadline
Email copy should compel subscribers to act instantly. Once they've read your message, you need them to click and convert. To do that, give subscribers a deadline. Every sale should have an end date and every coupon should have a quick expiration date. The idea is to get subscribers to act fast so they don't miss the deal. Mention the deadline in your subject line and again in the copy. You could even send a second email as a "last chance" to take advantage of the sale or coupon. Here's a great example from Bath and Body Works. This is the second email sent about this deal and the deadline is clear at the top of the email.
4. Talk to the reader
Just as you don’t want to get stuck in the corner at the dinner party with the guy who only talks about himself, no one wants to read copy that’s full of “me,” “we” or “I.” Instead, use “you” to make the reader feel engaged in the copy. Think of it as a respectful conversation in which it’s your turn to talk about something that (hopefully) interests you both. Using "you" in the copy also forces you to think about the customer as you write, which will make your messages stronger and more relevant.
5. Stop pushing your brand
When Saturn first starting selling cars, it touted “no-haggle” pricing. The novel approach was welcome to many because it removed the “hard sell” of the stereotypically used car salesman from the picture. The same approach should be taken with your email copy. Skip the hard sell, create great copy and simply add your logo. Shaving company Harry’s successfully pulled off this approach in a St. Patrick’s Day email. The copy that accompanied the video only mentioned Harry’s by name once, and that was simply to say, “Happy St. Patrick’s Day from all of us at Harry’s.”
Don’t worry that subscribers might not know who or what you are if you don’t hit them over the head with your brand. Curiosity will give them a reason to click and learn more.
6. Don't overpromise
In an effort to sell products, brands sometimes overpromise. They exaggerate a product's features or use phrases like, “Guaranteed not to break.” If you make a promise that you can't keep, customer retention will suffer and word of mouth could negatively affect sales. Dishonesty will be a disaster for your company; no one does business with someone they don’t trust. Be honest and realistic with your subscribers. Period.
7. Format for scanners
Assume that everyone reading your email is incredibly busy and won’t read every word of the text. Use headlines, subheads and very short blocks of text, or better yet, bullet points, to get your point across to skimmers. Put your most important message first and use boldface to draw attention to other important messages. Remember, your copy can always include links to longer pieces, which gives the email a cleaner look and the reader the option to click to read more. Paul Boag writes copy using short paragraphs, colorful headlines and linked text for recipients who want to read more on a topic. In this end-of-year email, he immediately gives readers an option to skip something that might be irrelevant to them by addressing the target readership in the headlines:
If you work in-house
If you run your own digital services business
It's a great way to format an email with the subscriber in mind.
8. Kill your adjectives
There’s a reason Mark Twain advised writers to “kill your adjectives.” They make content fluffy and tend to slow things down for the reader. Instead of clogging your copy with descriptive overkill, offer the basics and then provide links for readers to further explore the products or services. Vacation Rentals by Owner (VRBO) has had success using a simple headline, two lines of copy and then category choice—rather than lots of description—over clickable images. For example:
HEADLINE: Find the best retreat for your besties
COPY: Summertime means time off for grand adventures with great buddies! Be your pack’s leader and plan the perfect group getaway now.
CATEGORIES: Fewer than 10 people; 11-15 people; 16-20 people; More than 20 people
Here’s another example of this style form VRBO in which they use pricing limits to invite click-throughs on the images.
Even if the recipient wasn’t planning a vacation, who wouldn’t at least be curious to see what you could get for under $100?
Marketers tend to believe that everything they say is exciting, which is probably why they overuse the exclamation point. Used sparingly, the exclamation point can show enthusiasm, but most of the time it's just unnecessary. Your email copy should mimic a conversation, so unless you're the type that runs around yelling all the time, you should stick with normal, conversational punctuation like a period. With these ten email copywriting tips, you can create compelling emails that subscribers will love. Remember, sending a quality email with a great message is more effective than creating sloppy copy in an effort to get an email out quickly. Source
To be successful, you have to make continuing efforts to grow your email list. But, with so many marketing tasks, finding time to add contacts isn't always easy.
However, there are a few simple ways to keep subscription rates growing without spending a lot of time recruiting.
Here's a look at four ways to grow your email list, along with a list of tools to make it so easy you can almost "set it and forget it."
1. Add a signup form to your website to grow your email list
One of the best ways to entice visitors to join your email list is through signup forms. You've probably seen them on websites before but might not know what they're called. This is a basic sign up form that's on the American Red Cross website:
This small form sits on a website and gives visitors an opportunity to sign up for a company's emails. It has a basic design that explains what subscribers get for signing up and has a spot for visitors to enter their email address.
Sign up forms can be a little more complex, but the overall point of a signup form is to collect email addresses.
The key to creating a successful signup form is to keep it simple. You should only ask for basic information. Research shows 60% of brands only ask for 2-4 pieces of information per form. In other words, ask for a visitor's name and email address, and maybe one or two additional pieces of information like a hometown or job title.
Tools to create sign up forms
Pinpointe users can create a signup form in a few clicks. Any contacts gained go directly into your Pinpointe account, so you don't have to download any spreadsheets or manually enter email addresses. To set up a signup form on your website, use these simple instructions from Pinpointe.
If you're not a Pinpointe customer, there are additional tools you can use to generate a signup form for your site. Here are a few options:
JotForm. Create sign up forms and any other kind of form you can think of including surveys or registration cards for events.
Email Subscribers and Newsletters. If you're a WordPress user, this is a simple plugin with high customer satisfaction ratings that you can use to create an email sign up form.
2. Give pop up messages a chance
Pop ups get a bad rap. Brands are hesitant to use them because they don't want to annoy customers or cause them to leave their site prematurely. It's true if you're bombarding your customers with a ton of pop ups as soon as they arrive on your site, visitors will be annoyed.
However, if you use pop ups correctly, they can give your email list a big boost – and won't bother your visitors. How? It's all about using pop up messages at the right time. Here's when a pop should appear:
At the end of an article
Once a visitor has finished reading an article on your website or blog, it's a great time to ask for his or her email address. After reading content, visitors are engaged so a pop up that gives them access to more great content makes sense. It isn't intrusive.
When a visitor is about to leave
You can trigger pop ups to appear when a visitor is about to leave your site. If they are already on their way out, you know you aren't interrupting their site experience. By showing a pop up, visitors can easily sign up for your email list before leaving. Here's an example:
A pop up should also have a clear, short message. Tell subscribers why they should give up their email address, and consider sweetening the deal with a coupon. For instance, "Join our email list and get 10% off your first purchase."
Tools to create pop ups
There are a lot of pop up tools out there. Here are a few you can choose from:
PopUp Domination. This tool is probably the most well-known popup tool. It's easy to use, offers premade templates so you don't need any design or coding skills, and lets you set pop ups to appear when you want.
OptinMonster. Another tried-and-true popup tool, OptinMonster gets a lot of acclaim for letting its users place pop ups in a variety of different places like on the side of a website or at the very bottom.
PopupAlly. WordPress users can check out this plugin that lets you create pop ups for free. Yes, free. It's a good way to see if pop ups are effective for your site before paying to use a premium tool.
3. Put a sticky top bar on your homepage
Turn website visitors into subscribers with a sticky top bar. What's a sticky top bar? Look at the red arrow below. It's pointing to a small blue bar at the top of this website that says, "Free ProBlogging tips delivered to your inbox" and asks for a visitor's email address. That's a sticky top bar.
It's "sticky" because it's always there. It doesn't appear when a visitor is about to leave or slide in when a customer makes a purchase. It lives at the top of the page. Period.
Sticky top bars have become quite popular, probably because they're not intrusive and don't take up a lot of space.
To use top bars effectively, you have to create a short message. Space is limited, so you have to choose your words wisely to entice visitors to subscribe. Tell subscribers what they get when they sign up or draw them in with a sweet deal.
You can also create a series of sticky top bars that actually switch while a visitor is on your site. You might have 2-4 different messages on rotation. One might encourage visitors to subscribe to your newsletter, while another asks visitors to sign up for an upcoming webinar.
It's like a mini advertising bar that you can use to promote your business. You can even use the bar to promote a certain part of your website and provide a link to send visitors there.
Tools to create sticky top bars
If you like the idea of a sticky top bar, check out these tools:
HelloBar. This tool is user-friendly and offers targeting tools so you can decide which visitors see the bar. Different users are exposed to different messages, which can help you provide a more personalized site experience.
WordPress Notification Bar. WordPress users have access to this handy plugin that lets you use the sticky top bar anyway you see fit. Promote a YouTube video, show a countdown timer for a flash sale or collect email addresses.
4. Add a subscriber box to your email signature
Why not add to your email list as you're sending emails? You can use tools to create an email signature that allows people to subscribe to your list. Take a look at the example below:
Your personal email list holds a lot of potential. Give the people that you speak with on a regular basis the chance to learn more about your business by adding a subscribe feature to your email signature.
Tools to create an email signature
Email signature tools can turn an ordinary signature into the most eye-catching part of an email. Most tools will incorporate your picture, work phone number, website, social media buttons and an email sign up feature.
Here are several tools you can use to gain subscribers as you create and send emails:
Wise Stamp. The go-to email signature tool is Wise Stamp. This tool offers a newsletter app that lets you create a small line of text to encourage email sign ups.
Exclaimer. This tool gives you a basic email signature – for free. It doesn't have a specific email sign up button but if you have a signup landing page, you can add that URL to your signature. Granted, it's not as recognizable, but if you're looking for a free tool it can work.
Selecting the right tools for the job
While some of the tools we mentioned in this list are free, most come with a monthly fee. Take a look at each tool, weigh the pros and cons and decide whether or not the fee is worth the investment.
Wrap up
Growing your email list is important. Every new contact can turn into a loyal customer, so taking the time to attract new subscribers to your list can have a big return on investment. Use the tools above to keep your list growing without spending a ton of time to increase sign ups.
