An effective email marketing strategy is critical to the success of any business today.

A company’s website is one of the best channels to build an email list of prospects. A majority of businesses today already utilize an email newsletter or another relevant service to help build their email database.

Although most businesses provide an opt-in form on the website where customers can sign-up, they often overlook basic strategies that could boost conversion rates and make the most of the traffic received on the website.

This article identifies effective conversion optimisation strategies that, if implemented correctly, will boost conversion rates and help grow your email list fast.

Here are five conversion optimisation strategies that small businesses can use to increase conversions and boost sign-ups.

1. Display Your Email Sign-up Inline On All Pages

Email sign-ups remain one of the most effective and simplest ways to generate leads. If you are serious about building your email list, it is important to display your sign-up form on every page of your website. Displaying your opt-in form inline on the page also reduces the  number of clicks required to join your list. Users can sign-up to your list with ease without leaving the page, and with a single click.

The side-bar of your website is a great place to include your form. It is also important to place your form towards the top above the fold so customers can see it without having to scroll down. This is one of the simplest ways to boost sign-ups and increase conversions.

Here are some tips:

• Keep your sidebar free of clutter and put your email sign-up form there for all users to see.
• Place your form towards the top
• Use bold sign-up button
• Follow good form design practices

2. Leverage Your Homepage

On many websites, lead capture forms get buried on a sub-section or in a less prominent part of  the homepage.  To get the desired results, businesses must ensure your sign-up form gets the right attention, particularly on the homepage which is often the most visited page on a website.

An increasing number of businesses and other professional websites are now leveraging their homepage for lead generation. Although this may seem obvious, a majority of the websites are still not making full use of the homepage to drive leads.

You can increase sign-ups manifold by making lead generation the key objective your homepage and factoring this into your design.

The two most common approaches are listed below:

a) Display Sign-Up Form at The Top Of Homepage

Dedicating a large chunk of the area  above the fold on your homepage to boost sign-ups is proving to be a very popular and effective strategy to drive conversions.

See example below.

b) Use Billboard Graphic as Call to Action

Many websites use a large billboard graphic as part of the homepage layout. Another popular technique is to devote your entire billboard graphic to a call to action that leads to users to sign-up. If you are using a slideshow as your billboard graphic, you can just as easily use your slides as your call to action. Make sure to use a bold button if you are using this approach.

See example below.

3. Create a Free Product and Use it To Boost Sign-Ups

This is a very effective strategy that is used effectively by most businesses that are successful online. The perfect example of this is eBook, Whitepapers or another downloadable product that requires users to sign-up.

If you have the resources, you can also consider developing a tool or App that solves a common problem faced by your targeted audience. Ebooks are particularly helpful as anyone can create them, making it a viable option for even small businesses and entrepreneurs.

Do some research to find out what product will be of most interest to users. Come up with topics and ideas that will have a higher tendency to become popular in your market.

Once you have your product ready, offer it on your website for free in return for users filling out a simple form providing you with their email. This is a great way to build your email database and can prove to be a very valuable asset for any business.

4. Be Brave to Experiments With Pop-Ups

Email-sign-ups is one area where pop-ups can help without compromising on general usability best practices.

Studies have shown that displaying your email sign-up form in a pop-up can boost conversion rates manifold. You may have already come across this technique on many popular blogs.

Pop-up technology has changed in recent years. Advancements in web design offer much more control over how pop-ups appear and behave. Today it is possible to use light-box or modal windows that behave like pop-ups but do not suffer from the usual annoying habits of a regular pop-up. Modern pop-ups created with the help of advanced JavaScript or Ajax libraries offer improved usability and are not blocked by anti-virus software on desktops.

Here are some tips:

• Use advanced JavaScript or Ajax libraries to create pop-ups instead of regular HTML pop-ups
•  Show the pop-up on the page of arrival only rather than on every page.
• Do not display pop-up to user’s who have already sign-up.
• Remember user preferences. Do not display pop-up to the same user again and again. Only display on first visit.
• Make your pop-up’s attractive
• Display benefits and provide reasons to join next to the form

All of the above can be achieved easily with the help of cookies.

5. Leverage the Power of Landing Pages

Landing pages are sales pages that are designed specifically for one purpose – to convert the casual website visitor into leads for your business.

Experiment with dedicated landing pages for your email sign-up form, particularly when you are promoting your list on external websites and sources. Instead of directing users to your homepage, direct them to your dedicated landing page. This can be your sign-up link in your email signature, social media profiles, author byline or any other place you advertise your sign-up form via a link. A custom landing page that is professionally designed and highlights the benefits of joining your email list, is likely to produce much better results.

Conclusion

Every business, however large or small, can benefit from growing their email list. Although most business websites include an opt-in form to get customers to sign-up, very few get the desired conversions.  You can take advantage of the strategies above to boost your conversion rate and get more sign-ups on your website.

What About You?

Do you use your website to build your email list? Are you satisfied with your conversion rate? What strategies do you use to boost conversions? We would like to hear from you. Please add your responses by leaving a comment below.