How to Connect Your Email Service Provider to Your Website and Start Building Your List
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In today’s digital landscape, capturing leads and building an email list is crucial. With social media algorithms constantly shifting, relying solely on platforms like Facebook or Instagram to reach your audience is risky. But when you own your list, you own your audience, and that’s where email marketing truly shines. So, if you want to grow your email list, in this post, I’ll guide you through how to add an opt-in form to your website, explain why it’s vital, and share tips on how to make the most of your list once subscribers start rolling in after signup.
CONTENTS:
1. Why Capturing Leads is Essential
2. Different Ways to Get Someone to Opt-In
3. Where to Place Your Opt-Ins for Maximum Impact
4. What to Do After a Subscriber Opts-In
5. Ready to Create your Opt-in and Lead Magnet?
6. Avoid These Common Mistakes
7. My Personal Recommendations
8. Moving Forward: Master Your Email Strategy
So, let’s get into it…
1. Why Capturing Leads is Essential
Control Over Your Audience
Social media platforms are great for visibility, but they come with a catch: algorithms. Your content’s reach is never guaranteed, and platforms change their rules all the time. By capturing leads through opt-ins and building an email list, you’re in control of how and when you engage with your audience. Emails land directly in your subscribers' inboxes, ensuring your message is seen without having to compete for attention.
Building Lasting Relationships
An email list isn’t just a collection of contacts; it’s a long-term asset. It allows you to nurture relationships, provide value, and turn interested prospects into loyal customers. Email marketing is a proven way to drive repeat visits and generate consistent conversions.
The ROI of Email Marketing
Email marketing consistently delivers one of the highest returns on investment (ROI) compared to other marketing channels – 36:1 according to Litmus. Whether you’re selling products, services, or simply sharing valuable content, emails give you the best chance to maximise your marketing efforts.
2. Different Ways to Get Someone to Opt-In
Now that you know why building an email list is essential, let’s explore the different ways you can encourage people to subscribe:
Lead Magnets
Offer something valuable in exchange for an email address. This could be an eBook, a checklist, a free course, or any other resource that provides immediate value to your audience. Create an opt-in form on your website where visitors can easily sign up to receive this incentive.
Newsletters
A regular newsletter is a great way to provide ongoing value and keep your audience engaged. Let potential subscribers know they’ll receive exclusive insights, tips, or updates directly in their inbox. Creating your opt-in form for a newsletter ensures that people who are interested in your content can easily subscribe.
Exclusive Content/Offers
Gated content or exclusive offers (like discounts or special access to new products) are powerful incentives to encourage sign-ups. People love getting access to something others don’t. Ensure you’ve created an enticing opt-in page to clearly display the benefits they’ll receive when they join your email list.
Webinars/Events
Host a webinar or a virtual event and require attendees to sign up. This not only helps you capture leads but also positions you as an authority in your field. Use a sign-up form on your landing page to gather the necessary contact information.
Discounts and Coupons
For eCommerce sites, offering a discount or coupon in exchange for an email address can significantly boost your subscriber numbers. Add a simple opt-in form to your website that’s clear and easy for visitors to use, perhaps as a pop-up or inline form.
Contests and Giveaways
Running a contest or giveaway is another effective strategy to quickly grow your list. Just make sure the prize is something that will attract your target audience. You’ll find that creating an opt-in for contests can be a fun and engaging way to encourage website visitors to subscribe.
3. Where to Place Your Opt-Ins for Maximum Impact
Where you place your opt-in forms on your website can make all the difference. Here are some strategic locations to consider:
Homepage
Your homepage is often the first impression visitors have of your site, making it a prime spot for an opt-in form. Consider placing it above the fold so visitors see it straight away without having to scroll.
Header or Navigation Bar
Adding an opt-in form or a link to your opt-in page in the header or navigation bar ensures it’s visible on every page of your site. This makes it easy for visitors to subscribe no matter where they land.
Sidebar
Sidebars are common places for opt-in forms, especially on blog pages. They’re visible without being intrusive, allowing visitors to subscribe while reading your content. A form on your website's sidebar can be a subtle yet effective way to capture leads.
Footer
The footer is another consistent area across your site where an opt-in form can be placed. While it’s not as prominent as other locations, it’s a great way to capture leads from visitors who have scrolled through your content.
Pop-Ups
Love them or loathe them, pop-up forms are highly effective when used correctly. Create a popup that appears after a visitor has spent a certain amount of time on the site or when they’re about to leave (exit-intent pop-ups) to maximise conversions without annoying your visitors. See also:
How to create an exit-intent pop-up in ConvertKit
In-Line Within Content
For blog posts and articles, embedding an opt-in form directly within the content can be very effective. Place it midway through or at the end of the content, where readers are most engaged. An inline form in your content is a natural way to invite readers to subscribe.
4. What to Do After a Subscriber Opts-In
So, you’ve successfully captured a lead—what’s next? Here’s how to nurture that relationship and turn your new subscribers into loyal fans:
Welcome Email Sequence
First impressions count. Set up an automated welcome email or a series of follow-up emails to engage new subscribers – this is sent to your new subscribers after opt-in. This is your opportunity to deliver any promised lead magnet and introduce them to your brand. A well-crafted welcome series can increase engagement and lay the foundation for a long-term relationship. See also:
How to set up a welcome sequence in ConvertKit
Watch me write my welcome sequence
4 reasons why you need a welcome sequence
Segmentation and Personalisation
Not all subscribers are the same, so don’t treat them that way. Segment your list based on factors like interests, behaviours, or demographics. Personalising your emails—whether by name or by tailoring the content—can significantly boost open rates and conversions. See also:
How to segment your email list
How to create and use segments in ConvertKit
Ongoing Engagement
Don’t let your subscribers forget about you. Send regular emails that provide value, whether that’s through informative content, special offers, or updates. Consistency is key to maintaining a relationship and reducing churn.
For a deeper dive into these strategies, check out our detailed tutorial on What to Do After a Subscriber Opts-In. See also:
5. Ready to Create your Opt-in and Lead Magnet?
See these following tutorials as step-by-step, best practice guides to creating your opt-in and getting it connected to your website today.
1. How to create an opt-in in 4 easy steps
Learn how to create an opt-in to help build your email list. This post will teach you the 4 things you need to do to create your opt-in or lead magnet.
2. Opt-in systems – the only 2 things you need
There are truly only 2 things you need to create an email opt-in. This guides shows you what these are
3. How to implement your opt-in to make sure it’s delivered correctly
To make sure you can grow your email list effectively, you need to check you've implemented your opt-in correctly. This guide will help you check everything is working as it should!
6. Avoid These Common Mistakes
Even with the best intentions, it’s easy to slip up when connecting your ESP. Here are a few mistakes to watch out for:
Not Testing the Connection
Before launching, always test your opt-in forms to ensure they’re correctly linked to your ESP and that subscribers are added to the appropriate list. There’s nothing worse than realising too late that your forms aren’t working properly.
Overcomplicating the Opt-In Process
Keep it simple. If you ask for too much information upfront, you might scare off potential subscribers. A name and email address are often enough to start with. Remember, it’s about making it easy for your audience to subscribe.
Ignoring the Numbers
Once your forms are live, use your ESP’s analytics to track performance. Monitor conversion rates, bounce rates, and other metrics to identify what’s working and what needs improvement. Understanding these numbers is key to refining your approach and ensuring success. See also:
The metrics you need to track for a successful email strategy
7. My Personal Recommendations
Here's what I recommend for connecting your ESP to your website:
Create TWO types of opt-in.
A lead magnet (a free gift, download or incentive to subscribe)
A way for people to simply subscribe for emails
This takes the overwhelm out of the process of having too many choices of what to offer and where to put your opt-in.
Add your lead magnet to:
Your homepage as a nice BIG Call to Action
Your navigation bar or announcement bar at the top of your website
Your blog posts as a content upgrade – embed in relevant blog posts
Your 404 page (the page people are automatically redirected to if they go to a non-existent URL on your website) so that if anyone lands on a broken link they have the option to opt-in
An exit intent pop-up – this can be your last attempt to capture your readers email address before they leave your site. I find this option accounts for a big percentage of my organic opt-ins!
Add your "subscribe for emails" call to action in the footer of your website so that it appears on every page.
Make sure you also create a separate opt-in page for both of these options (lead magnet and subscribe for emails), this way you can link to these pages from other sources outside of your website.
8. Moving Forward: Master Your Email Strategy
Building an email list is one of the most effective ways to take control of your audience and ensure your message reaches them. By following the steps outlined in this post, you’ll be well on your way to connecting your email service provider to your website, capturing valuable leads, and nurturing those relationships for long-term success.
Ready to dive deeper? Check out our tutorials and additional resources linked throughout this post to start seeing your email list grow!