Top 10 Effective List Building Strategies to Increase Your Subscriber Base This Year

You heard, “the money is in the list” but the truth is that a big subscriber list makes huge sales. Getting more blog subscribers can mean an increase in your sales. Follow these 10 proven and effective strategies to get a lot more responsive blog subscribers fast. Read on and take action…

Effective Online Traffic Conversion Tactics To Turn More Search Browsers And Website Visitors To Blog Subscribers

How to get more subscribers - like bee to honeyThe saying “the money is in the list” is more like a slogan among internet marketers and bloggers but just like traffic, the money is in big, fat lists. And that brings us to the question “how big is your list?”,  “is your list growing day by day?”

Why build a list, you may ask? Market research reveals that people are not likely to buy the first time from you, but if you tell them again and again, up to 7 more times, they may buy. So, if they subscribe to your list, you’ll have the chance to remind them time and time again until they are ready to buy, while building a trust-based relationship with them and of course adding value to them – giving them a compelling reason to remain subscribed to your list.

And, as with all things, the bigger your subscriber list, the more sales (and money) you are likely to make (that is, assuming you’re building a quality subscribers’ list and building a relationship with that list). However, building a big list entails getting more and more subscribers daily, weekly and monthly.

In this post, you’ll discover 10 effective web traffic conversion methods you can start using today to significantly increase your subscribers count, customer base and sales volume this year.  The principle in the tips here are on “casting your net wide and far, in order to help more of your target audience find and reach you fast to get what they want because you have it”.

Have fun reading…

Top 10 Strategies To Get More Visitors Become Your List Subscribers

1.    Give First, Solve Their Problem and They’ll Come Subscribing and Buying

Ask yourself: Can your readers truly use the tips in any and every of your posts to solve a single problem or are your posts simply on general information that they sill need to go elsewhere searching? Make a goal to be the last ‘bust stop’ of every single target audience – find what they are hungry for and place exactly that right in front of them. If they use your DIY tips and see results, they’ll like and trust you AND they’ll want to stick real close – by subscribing.

Create relevant and useful contents that your prospective customers will be able to use to solve a problem or to feed their passion. When you find what your prospective customers are “thirsty” for, give them something to quench their thirst. When they come for more, you’ll have a chance to put your offer in front of them; as long as the offers would genuinely solve a problem for the, you’ll get them buying from you.

2.    Spread Your Reach To Increase Subscription Rates

Contents alone are not viral except you give them wings.  Go, get traffic from new sources you’ve never explored before. Cast your net wide and far.

So, get up and out of your blog sometimes, to where your prospective buyers usually hangout to discuss or search for help.  These are places like the forums, article directories and Q & A sites (such as Yahoo Answers). Do a Google search with key phrases related to your niche – under ‘discussions’ you’ll find places where people are discussing and what – go there and provide answers and leave links to your related useful posts and articles. Doing this will also give you backlinks to your website.

Ensure that you have placed your opt-in boxes at strategic location s on your blog (sidebar) and within posts – where they can be seen easily by readers.

3.    Write Free Articles and Blog Posts To Get Exposed To More Potential Subscribers

Piggy-back on the traffic of bigger websites and article directories to get your contents read by more people. Write guest posts for bigger blogs in your niche and submit articles to top article directories. It’s just like leaving your footprints around the WWW so that people who read and love your articles on these places will trace you back to your website, and some will join your list and keep coming back to your blog.

Write guest posts for bigger blogs with more traffic; also write articles for article directories and related niche article sites. Ensure to place a link to your squeeze page, from your article resource box.

Click here to learn how to use article submission on high traffic article sites to generate tons of new website visitors and subscribers

4.    Create a Viral eBooks To Increase Sources of Subsriptions

hire cheap ecovers creatorsThis is a great way to get subscribers from outside your blog (i.e non readers). Create a free eBook with useful contents and create a landing page for your free eBook and put the landing page link on your forum post signature, your social media profile, also tweet the link and share it in other places. You may get lucky to get other people re-tweeting the link.

Having a catchy eBook cover will attract more of your website visitors to subscribe to download your free eBook – you can get  ‘KillerCover Graphics’ to make that happen (click image on right).

Be sure that your freebie eBook has a link to your “newsletter subscribe” page or squeeze page.

5. Create a Free Mini-eCourse In Exchange For Email Subscriptions

Create a free eCourse and then create an opt-in box within your website for people to opt-in to take the eCourse. You can even take this further by creating a landing page within your blog, for your eCourse and placing the link in the resource boxes of articles you submit and also in your forum signature.

If you create a good quality mini eCourse that helped your subscribers solve problems, you would have succeeded in moving up their value pyramid  – they’ll like you more and trust you (to help them) more and perceive you as an expert who knows the subject matter. With that, they’ll have fewer or no objections to buy what you recommend to them.

6. Offer An Incentive (of Value) to Entice New Opt-Ins

Guess what? Some people are wired to subscribe to your blog only when there’s a freebie. But on another note, don’t just ask for email addresses without giving something away.

Take the lead and offer free eBooks to encourage people to subscribe to your lists. Give away useful information that they can really use to solve a problem; if you give first, they will subscribe to your list to get more useful reads. You can add a twist to this by embedding your opt-in box at the end of your eBook. It’s important to make the contents of your eBook so good that your readers would feel guilty they didn’t pay for it. Note that if you do not offer good contents that are relevant and timely in the needs pyramid of your prospective customers, you would get low opt-in rate and even lower referrals – only good, useful materials get passed around.

You can offer a free eBook (#4 above) or a free eCourse (#5 above) or anything at all that is valuable, as incentive to encourage more people to subscribe to your email list.

7.    Place Your Opt-in Subscription Box at Strategic Locations On Your Website

Add a subscription box at the end of your blog posts. I have even see some bloggers nicely place these within the “What Would Seth Godin Do” plugin just before every post.

In addition, also create a squeeze page on your blog, to send traffic to so that people can (i) join your subscriber list (ii) subscribe to download your eBook or free report. Use your squeeze page link on forum signatures and resource boxes (when you submit articles or guest posts), as well as in your blog posts.

Hint: You’ll need autoresponder in order to create a squeeze page and an opt-in box on your blog, as your autoresponder service will provide you with a code that will create an opt-in box wherever you want.

8.       Create Squeeze Pages and Share The Link on Other Sites

Create a squeeze page on a dedicated page on your blog, where you’ll direct readers to signup to become your subscribers. This can be called your “join newsletter” page, as I tagged mine here. You can place your this subscription page link on articles you write, guest posts and even forums, in order to get more subscribers.

*OptimizePress is one of the best tools widely used by bloggers, to create high converting squeeze pages. You can check it out by clicking below.
affordable squeeze page creator software - optimizepress

9.    Interview an Expert and Offer the Audio MP3 for Free To New Subscribers

Get an expert to answer a few questions that touch on the present needs of your blog readers and prospective customers. You can also transcribe the audio and include that as a PDF free download. Ride on the wave of the expert’s popularity, brand and like – promote the interview as a bonus free gift to new (would-be) subscribers in order to entice more people to subscribe to your list.

10.    Offer MP3s of Recorded Webinars or Podcasts To Entice New Subscribers

Conduct a webinar and record it, or dig into your archives for old but relevant recorded webinar and offer it free to subscribers. You can use GoToWebinar (paid) or AnyWebinar (free) to host a webinar; if you’re just starting this you may experience a low turnout but over time, more people will attend your webinar and also invite others, as you continue to increase your awesomeness to your target audience.

11.    Promote Your Freebie Giveaways in Your Forum Signature

Find 5 top forums in your niche, which have high traffic. Find topics with high activity and start contributing to answer people’s questions. That is also another way of leaving your footprint for people who get value from your answers to follow you back to your blog, but they can only find you through your forum signature – you may want to provide the URLs of your freebies’ squeeze pages in your Forum signature, in addition to your blog URL.

Below is a great course by one of the top master marketers, on out-of-the-box but simple list building strategies that work today (highly recommended. At least, check it out, and decide for yourself).

lee mcintyre-lazy way to list building

Next Steps: Action Items For You

That’s it on “10 Effective Strategies to Get More Blog Subscribers“, thanks for reading – I appreciate your time here. One thing before you go, please help me share this post so more people can read it – Facebook it, Tweet it, Stumble it… Use the one-click, easy share buttons down below or floating on the left side:)

Here’s a 5 step action plan to your getting more subscribers this week:

  1. Get an autoresponder, if you don’t have one get one Free here (then click “Plans & Pricing” –> select “Free”)
  2. Setup opt-in box on your blog sidebar AND a squeeze page on your blog page area
  3. Create a small report (5 to 10 pages) to give your subscribers Free (to encourage opt-in)
  4. Implement each of the above 10 steps, complete one and move to another (learn simple skills to do some, where need be – using links in the post above)
  5. Watch your blog subscriber base (list) grow monthly/weekly/ daily

Comment and Share:

  • Finally, leave me your foot print (comment) so I’ll know you were here – I’ll love to hear your feedback. The comment box is down below.
  • Please don’t forget to help me share this post – Facebook it, Tweet it, Digg it, Stumble it, email to a friend.

As always, thanks for reading and I’ll see you on the comments side.

 

Stella


Photo Credit: “Beauty and the Beast!” by Danny Perez, www.flickr.com/photos/da100fotos/

27 replies on “Top 10 Effective List Building Strategies to Increase Your Subscriber Base This Year”

An insightful article… One of the ways to get more traffic is quest post, I want to write more of guest posts this year.

[…] In the detailed review above, I mentioned about affiliate marketers emailing their subscribers about their affiliate products. And the ones that know how to do it right generates tons of sales without bombarding their subscribers and the good thing is that they do not have to write lengthy articles and then straggling to rank those high in the search engine – in search of clicks and sales. This eBook will teach you how to quickly build massive lists of subscribers in a short time. […]

The theme of your post is about giving in one form or another. Giving usually prepares the way for unprecedented harvest.

Your suggestions have come in very timely. I particularly like the one you mentioned about creating an e-book of about 5-10 pages and give it free to your prospects to encourage opt-ins.

Thanks for sharing.

Offline and online, people move warm up to strangers easily when they perceive the other is open to giving first, and giving something of value without asking. That’s the psychology of using gifts to warm up to new readers, and make them want to join your list.

A gift is always appreciated, no matter hos small. That is why even giving away a 5 page report will encourage more readers to optin.

Thanks Ruth. I’m glad you found the post actionable – that was the exact purpose I wrote it, like a tick list you can follow and implement.

Welcome to becoming a blogger! You’ll find many helpful, step by step beginner blogger tips and resources around here – feel free to scavenge the old and new posts:)

Hope to see you around some more – enjoy your day!

These are very profound tips Stella! Joining other blog networks and connecting with people via FB and Twitter also helps. Is Google+ doing good so far? It may soon become a good source of friends and subscribers.

Hi Aiko:

I’m glad you like the tips, thanks for coming by and commenting.

You’re right, every method of expanding one’s reach, including blog networks and making new connection, are all great tactics to increase reach as well as get exposed to potential subscribers.

On Google Plus: Yes, there’s a feature you can use to email any of your contacts there but te problem is that many people will consider it as unsolicited (spam) and instead of gaining followers, that could cause people to unfollow or block you on Google Plus.

Hi, I found this article very helpful, but I was confused about some of the terms. Do I have to have a blog already to download the autoresponder and the other things that you mentioned in the five tips to get started. Does it have to be separate from my facebook page? Thank you?

Hi Terri:

Thanks for reading, and for your question. I reckon you’re starting or about to start doing your business online or to start a blog.

The answer to your questions:
Yes, as the post title implies “How to increase your subscriber list” – the target audience for this post is those who already have a subscribers email list system setup. That means (i) they already have a blog/ website; (ii) they have opt-in boxes on their websites, for interested readers to enter their emails in order to receive updates.

The autoresponder is a tool you use to build a list.

It is possible to setup an opt-in box on your Facebook page BUT websites are more functional than Facebook pages.

So, if you like what you read and have a business you want to pursue/ are pursuing, you can start a website or blog.

I have a couple of beginner posts on this topic, here: How to Build A List From Scratch. So click and check out previous posts on this topic.

Be sure to join our V.I.P readers so I can notify you personally of every new post. In the mean time, you can learn more from scratch, step by step, from this beginners’ Free course, by clicking here: Step by Step to Blogging for Online Business . Let me know if you need further help:)

Hi Stella,

Super tips.

Great note to lead with value. We sow what we reap. If you want to build a list following, offer us good stuff. Do plenty of sowing so you can do plenty of reaping.

Being persistent plays a chief role in list building. Put yourself out there each day. Expand your presence. Share your buddies’ content, and many do the same for you. This exposes you to new audiences, helping expand your presence more quickly than if you tried to do it all by yourself.

Thanks for sharing your list building insight Stella.

Ryan

Hi Ryan:

Good to see you around, and thanks for taking the time to read and leave a comment. I’m glad you like the tips shared.

I like that “If you want to build a list following, offer us good stuff“. I also agree that “plenty of reaping begets plenty of sowing”. The principles of giving and getting holds true everywhere – business and personal lives.

Again, Ryan, you touched on one very essential rule that pertains with achieving expanded reach to acquire a new audience, that is “share other people’s contents and they’ll share yours”. That’s so correct as any solo-entrepreneur can significantly get other people helping with their traffic generation else one is likely to get overwhelmed with little result.

Hey man, thanks for adding more useful angles to this subject. I enjoyed your contribution, as always.
yours”.

Hello Stella,
I was going through one of your post “7 Steps to Building a Big Profit Pulling Email List from Scratch” which made me to go through this post … and no surprise that it was informative article as rest of your post are…

As i was read i came to point number 5 “Mini e-course” …. and you just gave me a new way to make things happen. I would like to share my thoughts with you here, and If go wrong any where please guide me through..
What i am thinking to do here is I am going to launch a series of “to-do”, “how-to” and few Giveways to my readers just to gather Email list, what else i can add which can make things more spicier ?

Thank-you

Hi Gary:

Thanks for reading my list building posts – that one and this:) I appreciate the feedback.

Yes, the mini-course is a great idea. You should start it – and you know, you only write it once and let your autoresponder do the job of emailing it to people who join your list. You can also, if you can, have multiple channels of getting optins – like, write a 5 to 10 page informational or how to article and make it a PDF free report, so that some people who prefer the report will optin and others who prefer the mini-course still will optin.

Just start with one method first. Before then, you can even put an optin box while you’re creating the giveaway, and tell people to optin to get updates from your blog site. Once you have done the giveaway, you can add that. You’ll be amazed that you’ll get people subscribing gradually. If it’s a blog that has a bit of contents, you can merge 2 or 3 related old posts, to form a free report.
–You can read my steps to create an eBook fast.

Let me know if you need more guidance as you start your list building. I’ll be happy to help:)

Great tips, Stella! Confirms that I am on the right track! I think that building a list is a powerful tool and one I’m actively engaged in! I will refer to your tips again and again to remind myself what I need to do to build my lists!

Hi Dana:
You’re right, lists are one of the most valuable assets any blogger or online marketer has. I’m glad that you’re on top of your game on that front.

I’m glad you want to make reference to this post, as you build a bigger list.

I just read your post, and thought that was a great action plan for women in small businesses to tap into the opportunities online to increase their market reach. I left you a comment:)

Great overview Stella! Giving love is the first and foremost strategy of becoming the love you deserve for your blog. Sharing your ideas selflessly will surely reward you in the long run. I bet you have a decent amount of subscribers right now 🙂

Hi Mika:

I’m glad you like the post. You’re right – giving first, without reservation always pays and thankfully readers who get value out of my posts do subscribe to my list.

Thanks for coming around, I appreciate. Hope to see you around some more:) Have a happy weekend!

BTW, I like your children’s park website.

Stella, These are great tips. I was chatting with Chris Brogan today over at Google+ and his blog and he was saying how important it is to engage your community in order to build your market because they are not necessarily the same things.

It was a great distinction…by building a list, we can build greater trust within our community and by doing so, extend our reach into the market. Great work, my friend!

Hi Steve:

Thanks for taking the time to come around to read and comment. I appreciate it greatly.

You’re right about ‘engaging your community to build one’s own market’. It’s a subject I’ve been studying recently and testing out a few stuff too – one thing I realized is that many bloggers already have more than enough traffic (and subscribers, in some cases) to start building a business on BUT traffic generation seems to be the order of the day. CONVERSION of already acquired, steady traffic or subscribers is largely neglected in pursuit of more.

It’s a matter of getting to a point where one should spend more time on conversion, engaging the traffic already generated, engaging the subscribers already got – building a community with them and evangelists out of them – by supporting them to solve problems in their own businesses.

I recently discovered that if we can successfully engage to convert, the specific community we build and nurture will bring us more referral and social media traffic. I’m learning how to make that work for me here, and any thoughts on this will be appreciated.

I like the work you’ve done on the “SparkBook” blog so far; are you still on the KarmicKappuccino blog”?

Yes! I’m in the middle of that process too…and I’m a bit behind you in the traffic sense. I think we become addicted to the analytics and forget that we’re running a business.

I just saw Derek Halpern post something on G+ and essentially he said: “Want to make more money from your blog TOMORROW? Find a product you love, and pitch it to your audience. (After all, you can’t get paid, if you don’t sell :-D)”

This is great advice. There’s a follow-up discussion going about should we “sell” to our readers.

I think that when we find a great product (or create one), it’s our duty to point it out to our community. It doesn’t have to be sleazy or pushy…but just make them aware of the benefits. I did that today on my Karmic Kappuccino blog. I found a great book that really helped me and so I did a review and recommended it to my readers.

(You’ll notice I also recommended it on my “root of evil” post, but the post itself was about what I *learned* from the book…not about selling the book)

So far, the feedback has been good from my readers. I don’t think they felt like I was “pitching” them a product. The key is to provide great content…whether they buy or not.

You’re right…eventually the community who’s really “gaga” for your product/service will help ‘sell’ it and bring more credibility too!

I do maintain both blogs (to answer your question). I post at Spark Blog about business, communication and personal development. The KK Blog is more inspirational, spiritual, personal development.

I wanted to blog about business, but wanted to have a separate forum since my loyal readers at KK Blog were there for inspiration, not necessarily business or communications/relationship stuff.

Comments are closed.