Top Lead Magnets to grow your eCommerce business’ email list
Building an engaged and expansive email list is crucial for any eCommerce business. It allows you to connect with your audience, nurture leads, and increase sales. But how do you entice potential customers to share their email addresses with you?
The answer lies in irresistible lead magnets! These valuable resources or incentives act as magnets, attracting leads and converting them into subscribers.
We understand the challenges of building a thriving online business, and that's why we're here to help you unlock the power of enticing lead magnets that will not only educate your audience but also set the stage for your business to thrive .
In this listicle, we'll explore the top lead magnets that can help you grow your eCommerce business' email list. So, let's dive in and explore these 7 enticing lead magnets that will help grow your email list.
1. Exclusivity Messaging
Everyone loves feeling special, right? Create the atmosphere of exclusivity for your subscribers by offering early access to sales, product how-to’s, or expert tips and advice. The copy on your sign-up form could be as simple as “sign up to be the first to hear about our sales & promos.”
I’m starting off with this one as a reminder that there’s nothing wrong with keeping it simple! I keep this one in my email marketer’s toolkit for rotation during site-wide promotions, where you don’t want a (lower) evergreen discount on your email/sms sign-up unit. I’ve been pleased to find it performs nearly as well as a discount offer in some scenarios. By emphasizing the exclusivity of your email list, you’ll make potential subscribers feel like VIPs, enticing them to join your community.
2. PDF /mini ebook download
Offer valuable resources in the form of ebooks or downloadable PDFs.
To decide what to use as the lead magnet, think about any longform content you could repurpose – a podcast transcript, livestream video recording/transcript, a series of Instagram posts, etc. Look for something that provides high-value educational content, is something your followers or customers are constantly asking for (or asking for more of), and is too long or not a good format for a standalone email. Repurpose this existing content to provide high-value educational content that your audience craves (and is willing to exchange their email address for).
3. Chat (SMS)
This one is for the SMS channel fans. Engage with your audience through chat-based lead magnets, providing personalized recommendations, exclusive offers, or quick customer support via text messages. The convenience and immediacy of this lead magnet make it an attractive option for engaging your mobile-first shoppers.
A few of the leading SMS platforms offer some variation of this – something that appears like a chat window, but once someone enters their phone number, the communication happens via text. If most of your traffic is coming from mobile, this can be a fairly frictionless experience. The customer gets quicker customer service, you get to ease their path to purchase AND get their phone number (and maybe email) for marketing messages in the future. Win-win!
4. Survey
Surveys and quizzes are great when done well. You’ll not only capture their email addresses in the process, but you’ll also gather valuable data you can use to segment and personalize your emails in the future.
Make sure the survey offers added value to the consumer in two ways:
Providing personalized product recommendations upon completion (preferably both on-screen and in an email sent as soon as they complete the survey)Any follow-up emails they receive are also segmented or personalized based on their survey/quiz data
5. Discounts
Who can resist a good deal? Offer exclusive discounts or coupon codes to email subscribers, tempting them to join your list with enticing offers such as percentage off, free shipping, or free-gift-with-purchase deals.Highlight the immediate savings they can enjoy by joining, creating a win-win situation for both your business and the subscriber.
An extra word of advice: make sure it is a) more than any auto-applied evergreen offer and b) isn’t so high that you can’t offer influencers & brand partners a higher offer. You’ll want to preserve for attribution purposes, so it’s worth it to the customer to manually enter the partner coupon code rather than just skipping past with the evergreen coupon.
6. Email Course/Series
Get people’s email addresses by promising to send… emails! Deliver a series of informative and engaging emails over a specific period, focusing on a specific topic or theme.
This is an alternative to the ebook/pdf freebie option, where you set up a series of emails on a specific topic, sent over a 5-10 day period, triggered by someone signing up via this particular sign-up form. These are best for scenarios where you have a lot of popular blog posts or content you’ve already created around the same topic. Link these together by theme or timeline and this can be a great way to educate your audience and showcase your expertise.
An email series keeps subscribers engaged and eager to receive your valuable content regularly, which is great for priming them for engaging with your email newsletters going forward. As long as your general newsletter content is as relevant to them as the series they signed up for, the engagement outlook for these subscribers is particularly good.
7. Giveaways
Organize exciting giveaways, where participants have to provide their email addresses to enter. Offer desirable prizes related to your eCommerce business, or collaborate with other brands for a high-value prize package. The anticipation of winning and the value of the prize will encourage website visitors and Instagram followers to become subscribers, boosting your email list significantly.
A word of caution: Do your groundwork and only partner with brands that have similar target audiences, otherwise you could end up with a lot of unqualified emails. It’s also always a good idea to run emails obtained via giveaway entries through a verification platform to flag suspicious addresses (such as ones that are a string of gibberish or are likely to bounce). This is worth it to protect your deliverability and sender reputation.
A word of encouragement
Growing your eCommerce business' email list doesn't have to be a daunting task. By implementing these top lead magnets, you can attract and convert more visitors into subscribers. Remember, it's not just about the quantity of email addresses you collect; it's about building a quality email list filled with engaged and interested leads. So, get creative, offer value, and watch your email list thrive!
As you embark on this email marketing journey, don't hesitate to seek expert assistance to maximize the potential of these lead magnets and supercharge your email list growth.