Email marketing has long been one of the most effective ways of building a customer base and increasing sales. But an email marketing campaign will only work if it’s reaching enough of the right people. So, how can you get people to subscribe to your list? You can build an effective opt-in page.
An opt-in page is a page on your website specifically designed to encourage people to sign up for your newsletter. Many websites include something like this:
While a few people who are interested in the brand might sign up for this newsletter, there’s nothing here that’s really working to persuade the more ambivalent visitors to subscribe. Your opt-in page needs to work for you, giving your potential customers a solid reason for signing up to your newsletter.
An effective landing page can be built around this structure:
1. Headline
2. Benefits
3. Call to Action
4. Opt-In
Here are some of the ways you can make each section work for you:
Headline
Your opt-in page needs to have a headline that will immediately grab the attention of the visitors. While many websites opt for the simple ‘Sign Up for Our Newsletter’, that headline isn’t going to do much to convert visitors who aren’t sure about signing up. Your headline doesn’t need to give everything away about what subscribers will get; it just needs to offer enough to get your visitors to stay on your opt-in page and read further.
Take a look at this example from Copyblogger:
This headline immediately grabs the attention. It hints at the benefits subscribers can receive without giving too much away. Also, by including the number of subscribers they have in the headline, they have shown that their newsletter contains things that many people find valuable.
Benefits
What will people get if they subscribe to your newsletter? Nowadays, people’s inboxes are overloaded with information (much of it irrelevant), so they are reluctant to sign up for things unless they get something useful in return. You don’t have to write reams of copy about how great your newsletter is. A few bullet points demonstrating the main benefits will be sufficient, just like in this example from Zooplus:
Just like Zooplus, if you are able to offer a small discount in return for a sign up, it could give uncertain customers the extra push that they need. Moreover, you could also offer a useful ebook, a free sample or priority access to new product ranges. Just offer a benefit something that you think your customer base will respond to.
Call to Action
Once you have explained the benefits of your newsletter to your potential subscriber, you need a clear call to action. The best calls to action are often quite simple; they just need to clearly and succinctly tell your potential subscribers exactly what you want them to do next. This example from Emailmonday illustrates this perfectly:
While this call to action may not contain the most sophisticated language, there’s no mistaking exactly what they want their customers to do.
Opt-In
Your actual opt-in form should come after your headline, benefits and call to action. It doesn’t need to be a complicated form. Create a couple of boxes to capture your customer’s name and email address. You can add more fields if you like, but bear in mind that some people will be reluctant to sign up if they think it will take them too much time.
You can also include some tick boxes so your subscribers can choose what information they want to receive, like in this example for Clarks:
This can help to reassure customers they they won’t receive things that are irrelevant to them.
As you can see, creating an effective opt-in page is relatively simple. By following these steps and, with a little trial and error, you’ll soon begin to see your subscriber list grow.
