From Zero to Hero: A Complete Guide to Building Your Email List

If you're just getting ready to launch your e-commerce store, or you're new to email marketing, building your email list is an important first step. Your email list is one of the most valuable assets your brand can have to nurture, convert & retain customers to grow your brand.

‍Most e-commerce brands acquire 50-75%+ of their email list through website pop-ups and checkout processes, but we'll also share a few other advanced strategies to building your email list. One of the most important things to remember when it comes to building your email list is this:

Quality > quantity.

You don't just want a list of emails, you want a list of potential customers.

This means you want a list of leads who are genuinely interested in your products & brand, and will likely become customers if they haven't made a purchase already. Keep reading to learn how to build your email list for your e-commerce brand from scratch!

Basics of Email List Growth

If you're just getting started, these are basic essentials that your brand needs to grow your email list and it'll take you less than an hour to set up! These strategies will help you collect email addresses on auto-pilot.

Welcome pop-up form

Set up a welcome pop-up form on your website that captures website visitors to your site. It should appear 5-7 seconds after visitors land on your website and it should offer a welcome incentive, such as 10-20% discount on their first order, in exchange for their email address

A typical opt in rate on their welcome pop up forms for e-commerce brands is 7-8%. For most e-commerce brands, this welcome pop up form is the most significant contributor to their email list growth.

Once visitors enter their email address, they should be directed to the Welcome Flow, which are a series of automated emails that nurture and engage new subscribers.

Website footer

Another basic method on how to grow your email list is to include a signup form in the footer of your website. While the opt-in rate for a website footer signup form is significantly lower, it often still captures some valuable email subscribers.

Similar to the previous forms, provide a welcome offer of 10-20% off their first order to incentivize visitors to enter their email addresses. Once submitted, they should enter the Welcome Flow to be nurtured into customers.

Checkout opt-in

Another essential opportunity to collecting email addresses is at checkout when customers are making a purchase. Integrate a checkbox in your checkout process that automatically opts customers into your email list when they make a purchase.

‍Platforms like Shopify usually have this feature built-in as part of the check out form. Once customers provide their email addresses during the checkout process, they should be directed to the Post-Purchase Nurture flow which is series of emails focused on enhancing their post-purchase experience, cross-selling customers and increasing your repeat purchase rate.‍

Exit intent pop-up form

Lastly, include an exit intent pop-up which appears when visitors are about to leave your website. This form should also provide an attractive offer, such as a 10-20% discount on their first order, in exchange for their email address. If you can provide a more compelling offer than the welcome pop-up, that's even better!

Similar to the welcome pop-up, once visitors enter their email address, they should enter the Welcome Flow to receive follow-up emails and build a relationship with your brand.

Advanced Email Growth Strategies

To take your email list growth to the next level, there are a few other advanced strategies that go beyond the basics. These strategies will help you collect email addresses, convert more website visitors into leads, and convert more customers.

Lead magnets

Lead magnets are valuable content that is gated behind an email sign up form. These can include lists, checklists, or other informational resources that address specific pain points or provide valuable insights. A few examples of this are packing lists (for a company selling travel equipment) or a workout plan (for a fitness or supplement company).

The content should be written for your target audience and provided for free, in exchange for an email address. You can then promote these lead magnets through paid ads, social media posts, or by linking to them within blog posts. For high-performing lead magnets, you can even incorporate it as the offer in your welcome pop-up.

Quizzes

Quizzes are a powerful, but under-utilized strategy for e-commerce brands. Quizzes not only help build an email list of interested customers but also increase conversion rates by providing personalized product recommendations. This strategy is particularly effective for e-commerce stores with a wide range of products or ones were customers may need guidance in selecting the best products for them. Common industries with quizzes include apparel, fashion, jewelry, and tech.

Create a quiz where customers enter information about themselves through a series of questions, then receive a targeted product recommendation in exchange for their email address. Platforms like Octane.ai and Jebbit can assist in building interactive quizzes. Another powerful upside of quizzes is that you collect more information about your customers that can inform your marketing strategy, content, segmentation or even product development.

Lead Campaigns

Leverage Meta ads and paid advertising campaigns on other platforms optimized for email signups. Set the campaign objective as "Leads" to specifically target email signups. You can direct traffic to a dedicated landing page offering a lead magnet, early access to promotions or product launches. Utilize compelling ad creatives and clear calls-to-action to encourage visitors to enter their email addresses.

Product Giveaways

Product giveaways are a great way to drive brand awareness, promote your brand on social media platforms & collect email addresses. You can also collaborate with other brands to conduct joint giveaways, which can help reach a larger audience.

‍The key to successful partnerships and giveaways is to select products and partners that align with your target audience's interests and preferences. For example, you don't want to run a giveaway for an iPad if you sell clothes. You may get be successful in collecting email addresses, but most of those people aren't your target audience and won't convert into paying customers.

Also keep in mind that giveaways often attract a lower quality email list consisting of individuals primarily interested in free products. These subscribers may not convert into customers, so it's important to balance the benefits and risks associated with this strategy.

Other Email List Growth Tips

Building a successful email list starts with implementing the basics to capture the email addresses of your website visitors and customers automatically. Once you have your welcome pop-up forms, exit intent pop-ups, website footers, and checkout opt-ins, you have a strong foundation for list growth.

However, to truly grow your email list & attract new subscribers, incorporating advanced strategies like lead magnets, quizzes, social media and paid ads, as well as partnerships and giveaways is important.

Lastly, don't forget to regularly clean out your list, especially for leads acquired through giveaways, to maintain list quality. Key metrics to measure your success include email list growth percentage, unsubscribe percentage, and engagement percentage.

By consistently monitoring and optimizing these metrics, you can continue to refine and improve your email list growth strategies, ultimately building a valuable asset that drives business growth and convert more customers.