What’s the easiest way to get more email newsletter subscribers? The answer may not be what you expect.  In fact, it’s dead simple, but it’s something people often forget to do.

The answer is just to ask them.  Once you do that, there are a few more steps you should take to improve the rate of sign-ups and get more  conversions.

Keep it simple

The more complicated the signup form is, the less likely people are to complete it. Limit the questions and form fill-in fields to the information you absolutely must have. If you’re going to send emails, you’ll need name, email address, and possibly industry or title (to qualify people).

Why is this important?  Here’s a real-life example of what happens when you make it hard to sign up, fill out a form, or even comment on your blog.

I just went to leave a comment on a marketing blog. They wanted my name (OK), email address, (still OK), URL (also good), and then… my occupation, my title, my state, my country, and a captcha. Needless to say, I didn’t leave the comment.

I guess they don’t really want my input if they’re going to make it that difficult for me to give it.

Make it easy to find

If you want people to sign up for your newsletter, or your offer, put the sign-up box at the top of the page (right under the header).  Heat-mapping studies show that viewers’ attention is concentrated mostly above the fold, and then in roughly an “F”-shaped pattern on your page: First, along the top, then down on the left, and into the center.

Put your sign up boxes and offers in the three places people look the most: under the header, then after the post (but before the comments section), and along the left side of your website or blog post.

Demonstrate value and use benefits

Tell people why they should sign up for your newsletter.  There’s a lot of spam out there, and people are increasingly wary of what (and who) they admit to their inboxes.  Spell out the topics you cover, the frequency of your emails, and what people will gain by signing up.

Frame your copy in terms of what your reader will get by signing up. Stress why you’re different (and how that helps your customers). Describe the headaches they have, and how you cure their pain.

Don’t forget to ask for action. Stay away from words like “subscribe” (it sounds like you want money. Use words like ‘claim’ or ‘get started’ instead. Clearly state that you respect your customers’ privacy and won’t sell, rent, or exchange their personal data.

Offer a special incentive

Give potential subscribers an extra reason to sign up.   Offer a special download or report that only subscribers have access to.  Or give them an exclusive discount offer or inside deal that is only available to subscribers.

Add an extra bonus on your thank you confirmation page. Give them a checklist or access to a short video with useful tips.

Use a landing page

Some people will be happy to sign up right away. Others may require more persuading. Add a dedicated landing page with more information about what your readers receive.  You can also use that page for your promotional efforts on social media or in advertising.

Make sharing easy

Add signup and forwarding buttons to your newsletter.  Encourage people on social networks to sign up and send your message to their colleagues and friends. Post links on your Facebook page and add signup calls to your tweets (just don’t overdo it!).

Don’t abuse the relationship

If you already have subscribers, it’s very tempting to sign them up for a new product or service. It’s soo easy to do.  But it’s not a good idea.

A few days ago, I got an unwanted email from a new marketing magazine. I was pretty annoyed. I hadn’t subscribed to a new magazine, and had no idea why I was getting the e-mail.

This was, after all, a marketing magazine. Haven’t they heard of permission marketing?

I emailed the publisher, and she told me that I had gotten the issue because I subscribed to something else they publish. They took my permission to send X as permission to send an introductory copy of Y.

Nope.

A better way to grow your subscribers

It’s perfectly OK to offer readers of one publication the opportunity to subscribe to something else. But, tell them what you’re doing. Ask specifically for the opt-in, or at least make it very clear why you’re sending the email. “For readers of X, here’s a new magazine called Y. This is a single introductory issue. If you enjoy this, please click here to subscribe.”

An email like that would have gotten my attention, reduced my irritation, and might have induced me to sign up for the magazine.

Better yet, call it a “sneak preview”. Tell your readers they’re getting an exclusive, early look at the magazine, before it’s released to the general public. Focus on limited (for a time) access and exclusivity. The offer of the magazine will seem more appealing, and you’ll get more sign-ups.

Give them control

Allow subscribers to choose preferences. Sometimes people unsubscribe not because they don’t want your content, but because they only want some of it (the X newsletter, but not the Y), or they would prefer to receive it less often.

Let them choose how often they want to hear from you and which publications they want to get. If appropriate, ask if they want reminders (about holidays or birthdays or other special occasions). By doing so, you’re getting permission to send additional, personal, relevant messages at exactly the time your customer wants to buy something!

Photo:laffy4k

With the economy in trouble, more and more marketers are shifting their advertising dollars online. According to a recent report by Forrester Research (New York Times, May 5, 2009), many merchants think that online businesses can withstand the downturn better than bricks and mortar retailers. In fact, 90% said that e-mail marketing was a top priority.

Since email is relatively inexpensive, and can be produced quickly, it’s an attractive way to sell your products.  But, how do you do it correctly?

Here are 15 tips for writing emails that make money:

1. Start with the “From” Line. This, obviously, shows people who the email comes from. Use a real person’s name or the name of your product/store (Jodi Kaplan, The Gap). If it looks legitimate or familiar, people are more likely to open it.

2. Writing great “Subject Lines”

Subject lines are essentially headlines; they have to:

• Get readers’ attention
•  Not be too long (under 45 characters) so it doesn’t get cut off in the email window
• Arouse interest so that people will open the email instead of trashing it

3. Lead off with a great headline. You have to keep their attention, or they’ll stop reading. Get them interested, and deliver a mini-version of your message. List what you’re offering, the benefits it delivers, and provide a way to respond (a link to a Web page, a phone number).

4. Give expanded information that covers benefits, information needed to make a decision, features, in greater detail. List what they will gain and build up the desire to get it.

5. Use a conversational tone of voice. Talk to your audience in plain English (use the mom test — if your mom can understand it, your readers will too). Don’t use lots of jargon, or sound hard sell or overly promotional. Talk or write as if you are talking to a friend.

6. Be specific about why they should buy your product or service Don’t say your quality is the “highest” or you take care of your customers. It’s meaningless. Be specific about why your quality is so good or the lengths you’ll go to help your customers. If you sell shoes, describe how your shoes are handmade by Italian craftsman, that it takes 25 hours to make each pair, that they’re custom-fit to each customer’s foot. And, you offer a no-questions asked, money-back guarantee (good at any time).

7. Engage your readers’ emotions.  The six best ones to use: greed, fear, guilt, exclusivity, anger, and deliverance (from problems).

Here’s why.

• Greed: humans are greedy, we nearly always want more, which is why getting something for free works so well (especially if we think it’s valuable)
• Fear: we’re afraid of things, such as losing our jobs, or not having enough money to retire
• Guilt: we’re worried about working too hard, and not spending enough time with our families
• Exclusivity: we like to have things that other people don’t have
• Anger: seeing something we think is wrong makes us mad; fire people up about something that they don’t like. My taxes are how high? The politician did what and got away with it?
• Deliverance: solutions to problems, no matter how large or small, are welcome.  We want fixes  – whether it’s losing weight, saving money, or organizing our closets

8. Repeat what people will get and how to get it, more than once. Put one link at the beginning, after that opening mini-paragraph, and another at the end. 95% of the clicks come from the first two links, so don’t use more than three.

9. Sign off with a real person’s name. Include your mail address and an opt-out statement with a link so that it is easy for people to remove themselves from your list if they want to.

10. Include a forward to a friend link to pass on your message to other people. And specifically ask your readers to share it.

11.  Add a P.S. after the closing. Offer more information, repeat a benefit, or just offer to answer any questions. Give a real contact (rather than customer service). This is an old snail mail trick that still works online.

12. Don’t use caps or bold or other formatting, in a plain text email. It won’t show. Instead put asterisks around headlines, and use dashes for bullet points.

13. Keep the lines short. Long sentences will get cut off or run too far down the page on a smart phone or tablet.  Keep the lines at about 60 characters to avoid strange line breaks.

14.  Write your email in Notepad or a plain text editor, rather than Word. Copying and pasting from Word into your email client can lead to strange text breaks, uneven alignment and odd formatting. I forgot this once, and spent an hour cleaning it up!

15. Keep it short. Your readers are buried under an avalanche of email every day, and attention spans are limited. Keep it under two pages of text.

Photo:a magill