According to the Content Marketing Institute, content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating
and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and,
ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
So, how do you take someone from reading content to making
the leap to give you their email address? Here are some tips for growing your
email list using content marketing…
Create Great Content
We realize this sounds like a no-brainer. It isn’t. Creating great content can be a
time-consuming, challenging endeavor. You have to work hard to make your
content entertaining and valuable to your target audience so they want to consume it
and, in turn, tell others about it.
Quality content can come in many different forms, but one way
to get people added to your email list is by offering a free digital
product. Whether it's a blog article, report, free guide, checklist, eBook,
video, or some other type of free download. Having something to offer in
exchange for their email information is always worth the effort.
Share Your Content
Another aspect of your content marketing strategy is how you
plan on sharing your content. Sharing it across your social platforms allows
more eyes to see your content and potentially sign up.
If your
social media
channels don’t have many people engaging with your posts,
Facebook ads offer cost-effective
options to boost your content posts in order to reach
a larger audience that would be interested in your content.
Improve Accessibility
When people visit your website, make sure that your content and email signup are easily accessible. That means having clear CTAs (call to actions), providing multiple opportunities, and ensuring everything works properly. If your process is cumbersome, then your target audience will abandon their pursuit and your email list will stagnate.
Don’t Be Afraid to
Ask
You’ve spent a lot of time creating valuable content for
your audience; so don’t be afraid to ask people to sign up! Many sites downplay
email signups in favor of social media icons. But those fans, followers, and
likes are not quite as valuable as getting them on your email list. Place your
email sign-up form prominently. And better yet, create a popup box or lightbox
to really grab their attention.
Craft Content That Attracts Email Subscribers
The key to growing your email list with content marketing
starts with providing great, quality content. People will never subscribe or
download your content if it doesn’t offer them value. However, it's not enough to simply create content. You must have a multi-channel strategy to maximize visibility to your target audience and attract email subscribers.
Schedule a discovery call with Sales & Marketing Technologies to discuss content marketing solutions that will grow your email list!
Editor's Note: This post was originally published in April 2016 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.