Blogging: Your Gateway to Email Marketing

Email marketing is a great way for digital marketers to reach both consumers and businesses. In fact, email marketing continues to be among a leading channel for delivering ROI, according to a recent report from Econsultancy.Fortunately, email marketing is difficult, because if it weren't we’d be out of a job. Starting a campaign is even more difficult to start from scratch. But Marketing Land claims you may already have the infrastructure in place to quickly build your distribution list, which is the foundation of any successful campaign.That’s right! If you have spent valuable time and money developing a company blog, you can use it to grow your email distribution list. Here’s how:Prominently Display Your Email Opt-In FormsYou have significant traffic to your company’s blog pages – that’s great! – but now it’s time to cash in. It’s vital for readers to be able to access your email opt-in forms easily, but avoid being heavy handed in your content. A button or two on the page are easy to access, just avoid spamming readers. Also, link “calls to action” to your opt-in page. Sort of like this! A call to action will intrigue even the most enveloped reader.Hold a Contest and Blog About ItPeople like rewards, so hold a contest that users can enter by filling out your opt-in form. Advertising the contest on your blog and providing daily or weekly updates will drive repeat traffic back to your site and improve interest in your product of service. Display the number of people who have signed up. By promoting a sense of competition, users are more likely to participate.Pro tip: To obtain even more emails, tell participants if they provide the email addresses of others, each one will count as an additional “ticket” for the contest.Keep Providing Valuable ContentA company blog is an excellent forum to display your industry expertise. Readers who view your pieces will start to recognize your brand as a thought leader, and keep coming back for valuable information.Take the time to take your content creation a step further, and create a white paper that is accessible to users who fill out your opt-in form. A white paper is a persuasive and authoritative report on a particular topic, which also presents a problem with a solution – typically revolving around your company.