10 Ways to Use Social Media to Grow Your Email List

Email marketing remains the digital marketing form with the highest ROI, but getting people onto your subscriber list can be challenging. Today we’re sharing ten ways you can use social media platforms to grow your email list.

Social media followings are a powerful tool for your small business, but when the algorithm changes or a platform suffers an outage, the effects can devastate your bottom line. The best way to circumvent this issue is to use your social media account to funnel people into your subscriber list, giving you access to them on and off social media.

10 ways to grow your email list through social media

• Include a call-to-action in your social media posts encouraging followers to sign up for your email list. It feels like a no-brainer on paper, but you may be avoiding this step if you’re one of the many small business owners who don’t like to seem pushy. It doesn’t have to be “buy this product now,” but a CTA is essential to your posting strategy. Remind followers regularly to sign up for your newsletter to stay up to date/receive offers etc.
• Offer an exclusive incentive or lead magnet to social media followers who sign up for your email list. We are all aware of the strategy of offering a free PDF, checklist, recipe etc., but when did you last remind people about it? Post once a month, reminding people what they get and why they might want it.
• Share content related to your email campaigns on social media to generate interest and encourage sign-ups. Tease what you will share in your newsletter by showing one of the 10 top tips in this week’s email, or let people know that you will be sharing an exclusive offer in the coming weeks with subscribers.
• Partner with other brands or influencers on social media to cross-promote your email list. Your reach is limited, but we encourage you to consider partnerships with other brands that serve the same clientele but aren’t directly competing with you. If you can speak to each other’s audiences, you can grow more quickly while reaching people who are happy they found you.
• Host a social media contest or giveaway that requires entrants to sign up for your email list to participate. These have fallen out of fashion, but the key is giving away something relevant to your business! If you are a food producer, don’t give away an iPad; give away a hamper.
• Leverage social media advertising to reach new audiences and drive traffic to your email sign-up page. PPC advertising can be a powerful tool for your small business, but building your audience is rarely something business owners focus on. Your ads don’t just have to be for a product or service. Consider advertising your lead magnet or newsletter if it offers marketable value to your audience.
• Utilize retargeting ads on social media to target people who have previously engaged with your brand and encourage them to sign up for your email list. Retargeting should be something on your radar too. If someone got as far as the basket but didn’t click buy, offer them a newsletter-based discount. If someone purchased from you previously, offer them follow-up information or future offers in newsletter form.
• Include an email sign-up button or link in your social media profiles and bios. We’re sure you know that you should be linking to your website on social media and vice versa, but construct a landing page for your newsletter or lead magnet, and you have a link specifically for your newsletter sign-up, making it simpler to get people on your list.
• Host a live webinar or Q&A session on social media and encourage participants to sign up for your email list for more information or follow-up content. Many business gurus swear by their weekly live sessions; if you have the time, they can work. Once a week is a stretch for most business owners, but you will still see results if you can commit to one a month. The trick is to launch when you already have enough followers to be sure of an audience and then continue your sessions regularly.
• Run a social media campaign highlighting the benefits of joining your email list and encouraging followers to share the campaign with their networks. Try to come up with a newsletter feature that will be a hook to your audience. Once you have it nailed down, market it and what else you get from your newsletter, encouraging your audience to share. PRO TIP: Add a CTA in your newsletter for people to share with their friends.

Next Steps

Digital marketing works best when multiple strands work together synergistically. Your social media posts should provide more than simple engagement metrics. Moving those followers onto your mailing list lets you interact with them in a whole new way and get them closer to becoming customers.

If you’d like help with your social media presence, email marketing, or strategies to bridge the gap, talk to us and let’s make it happen.

Cyber PR Army Solutions Inc. Digital Marketing Made Easy.