Marketers spend hours brainstorming ways to grow their email lists. No matter what industry you\u2019re in, email capture is a powerful and high-impact marketing activity.<\/p>\n
<\/a> <\/p>\n Now, there are many ways to grow your subscriber base \u2014 beyond the simple sidebar lead magnet and pop-up forms. This blog will cover:<\/p>\n What Is Email Capture?<\/a> <\/a> <\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n While every company in every industry may have a different tactical implementation to capture email leads, at the core of every strategy is this formula:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s in it for me?\u201d is such an underrated question in marketing. In other words, you need to ensure that whatever information you\u2019re asking for is worth giving up in exchange for your offer.<\/p>\n In some cases, the value exchange is extremely straightforward.<\/p>\n Take, for example, WaitButWhy. The blog\u2019s author, Tim Urban, writes incredibly comprehensive and interesting articles (more like books). The posts are amazing. The quality is unquestionable. So it\u2019s enough of a benefit to simply be notified when these works of art are published.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n However, most business blogs can\u2019t compete on that standard. Therefore, most of us rely on <\/a>\u201clead magnets\u201d<\/a> \u2014 exchanges of value for information. These are things like ebooks, free email courses, discounts, webinars, etc.<\/p>\n Essentially, it\u2019s a piece of premium content you can use to entice someone to sign up for your list.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s an excellent example of a lead magnet from <\/a>ConversionXL<\/a>:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n Or here\u2019s an eCommerce-focused example from <\/a>J.Crew<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n Both of these examples are great for their appropriate contexts. The value alignment is obvious.<\/p>\n When starting out, you\u2019ll likely have one universal lead magnet or <\/a>email subscription form<\/a> for all of your visitors. This is particularly true if your traffic numbers are small and your visitors are relatively homogenous.<\/p>\n However, when you scale your content program, you\u2019ll need different lead magnets for different types of visitors.<\/p>\n In 2021, McKinsey found that 76% of consumers are frustrated<\/a> by generic marketing. The takeaway?<\/a> It\u2019s essential to tailor your lead capture messaging and interactions to each segment of your audience.<\/p>\n For instance, our J.Crew example above targets first-time visitors. This makes more sense than giving a 15% discount to a repeat buyer who was going to purchase something anyway.<\/p>\n Even simpler, you can target visitors based on whichever blog post they\u2019re reading. If someone views a post on writing case studies, a good offer might be \u201ccase study templates.\u201d<\/p>\n Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n You should also consider the device someone is using. One of the biggest mistakes with lead capture is using the exact same tactics on mobile and desktop.<\/p>\n However, in 2022, 90% of people <\/a>used the internet via smartphones, compared to 66% who browsed the web on a laptop or desktop. You might be losing conversions if your email capture method is not optimized for mobile.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> Think about which portion of your audience sees which CTA. As your content production capacity grows, a one-size-fits-all approach becomes less effective.<\/p>\n Who<\/em> you target is very important, but when<\/em> you target your audience is also vital. For example, first-time site visitors should receive a discount on arrival.<\/p>\n This person is probably comparison shopping, so you\u2019re fighting for attention and want to hook them quickly. This is the case with many ecommerce lead capture messages, including the lead magnet from <\/a>Ralph Lauren<\/a> below.<\/p>\n Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n Meanwhile, if you\u2019re capturing emails on a blog post, you don\u2019t want to interrupt the user experience before the reader even gets past the first paragraph. That\u2019s a good way to skyrocket your bounce rate. \u201cWelcome mat\u201d pop-ups \u2014 those giant messages that completely take over your screen \u2014 are another mistake.<\/p>\n A better trigger for those pieces would be a <\/a>scroll-triggered pop-up<\/a> or an <\/a>exit intent pop-up<\/a>. These are behaviorally triggered. The former shows up when someone scrolls past a certain point in the article.<\/p>\n The latter appears when someone moves their mouse toward the corner of the screen, as if they were going to exit the window. When used properly, exit intent pop-ups can deliver results. One OptinMonster customer re-engaged 53% of visitors who were leaving<\/a> by offering a discount via an exit intent pop-up.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a great example of an exit intent pop-up from Sprout Social.<\/p>\n Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n You can get creative with your time-based or behavior-based targeting as well. Does a behavioral event on your website imply intent or a high interest in an offer? That\u2019s a great time to trigger a CTA.<\/p>\n For example, if you see someone copying and pasting your templates, you can trigger a message that they\u2019re also all available for download.<\/p>\n At a simpler level, you can leave a text link in your copy and use that as a signal of intent to trigger a form.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n We\u2019ve already discussed the need to answer the question \u201cwhat\u2019s in it for me.\u201d Here, we\u2019ll dive deeper into the idea of a \u201clead magnet.\u201d<\/p>\n A lead magnet is a free offer you deliver in exchange for a visitor\u2019s information. This could be many things, but it usually looks like a long-form piece of content. Get inspired with these common lead magnet formats<\/a>.<\/p>\n The ebook is probably the most common form of a lead magnet. You can relatively easily repurpose multiple blog posts into a giant ebook and get someone on Upwork to design it.<\/p>\n Ebooks are best suited for:<\/p>\n Complex topics that require deep exploration. Conversion rate optimization, user experience, or search engine optimization are all topics that make great ebooks. Take, for example, this ebook from UserTesting on building customer-centric products.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n Here are some free ebook templates<\/a> to get you started with your own.<\/p>\n Webinars are probably the second most common lead magnet seen in the wild. They\u2019re largely used by B2B businesses and are a popular marketing tactic for SaaS companies.<\/p>\n Webinars tend to work well when:<\/p>\n The topic is technical or needs to get quite granular. Looking for an example? Check out Instapage\u2019s webinar on improving landing page conversions.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n Research from GetResponse found video-based lead magnets have among the highest conversion rates<\/a> at 24.2%.<\/p>\n Remember:<\/strong> With webinars, execution matters. Getting people to sign up for a webinar is just the tip of the iceberg. The webinar needs to then be entertaining as well as useful.<\/p>\n If you can do this at scale, you\u2019ll be able to build an inbound lead generation machine.<\/p>\n The email course is one of my favorite underutilized tactics. It\u2019s essentially an ebook, but split into chapters and delivered via email.<\/p>\n The best part is that you can normally get experts to write individual chapters. This not only distributes the effort required to produce the content, but if you choose your experts correctly, it also adds to the value for the subscriber.<\/p>\n Marketing training company Conversion XL<\/a> attracts prospects with this free email course on building an optimization program.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n Another great example is Growth Machine\u2019s free, seven-part SEO course.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n With these lead magnets, you\u2019re promising informational value in exchange for an email address. The difference here is that you\u2019re using email to deliver the core value, which leads to an increase in open rates.<\/p>\n Email courses go to your subscribers like a drip campaign<\/a>. This tactic is extremely effective. Email drips are said to boast a 3x average click-through rate<\/a> <\/a>when compared to individual emails.<\/p>\n Free tools are a more challenging lead magnet to create. You need to think of a compelling idea and find the right back-end team to build it. However, if done right, free tools can really break through the noise.<\/p>\n HubSpot\u2019s Website Grader<\/a> is one free tool that generates traction. By putting in your website URL you\u2019ll be able to see your site\u2019s performance \u2014 a benefit worth your email address.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n If your topic interests someone, helping them accomplish what you talk about in the article can be a tremendously powerful hook.<\/p>\n Typically, this is done with additional resources, templates, or tools designed to help the visitor implement whatever you\u2019re talking about. For example, this HubSpot Blog on feedback surveys <\/a>offers a feedback survey template.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n Checklists are best for topics that are technically complex or require a lot of time and organization to accomplish. Make sure your document can be easily edited, so recipients can check off tasks easily as they are completed.<\/p>\n A\/B testing is one subject that benefits from a checklist. This blog post from Alex Birkett, a content agency founder, offers the checklist as a Google Doc for easy access.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Image Source<\/a><\/p>\n If a visitor wants to sign up for your list, make it as easy as possible for them to do so. When designing forms, ask yourself the following questions.<\/p>\n Do I need this piece of information I\u2019m asking for? If so, can I ask for it later via progressive profiling<\/a>? You\u2019d be surprised how many simple changes you\u2019ll make after a quick audit of your forms.<\/p>\n If your blog post is about \u201ctop marketing books of 2022,\u201d it may not be prudent to offer an ebook on \u201cThe Ultimate Guide to Digital Analytics.\u201d There\u2019s a mismatch there. Some visitors may still convert, but it\u2019s certainly not fully optimized.<\/p>\n Align the messaging on your lead magnet offer with the blog post it appears on.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a quick trick to ensure the message aligns properly. Go into Ahrefs and plug your blog post URL in the site explorer feature. Look at all the keywords it ranks for.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n 7 Email Lead Capture Strategies to Use in 2022<\/a>
\n 7 Email Lead Capture Tools to Use in 2022<\/a> <\/p>\n1. Ask, \u201cWhat\u2019s in it for me?\u201d<\/h3>\n
2. Target the right segments of your audience.<\/h3>\n
3. Target your audience at the correct time.<\/h3>\n
4. Build the right lead magnets.<\/h3>\n
The Ebook<\/h4>\n
\n Inquisitive buyers that love doing their own research into a topic.
\n Topics that can be described largely through texts or diagrams. <\/p>\nThe Webinar<\/h4>\n
\n You or your guest are charismatic on camera or well-known.
\n Your webinar topics can still be useful for those not using your product. <\/p>\nThe Email Course<\/h4>\n
The Free Tool<\/h4>\n
The Resource Bundle<\/h4>\n
The Checklist<\/h4>\n
5. Reduce friction where possible.<\/h3>\n
\n What form fields are causing the highest drop-off?
\n Can we run user tests<\/a> to see where people are struggling with our forms?
\n Do we have any basic usability or accessibility<\/a> problems with our forms?
\n Do our forms work on all browsers and devices? <\/p>\n6. Match the intent of a blog post with the right offer.<\/h3>\n