Understanding your online marketplace and meeting the needs of online researchers by monitoring their activity is about to get more difficult. Privacy is a major issue in digital marketing as US lawmakers and governments around the world attempt to contain privacy intrusions and monopolistic activities from large tech companies.
These changes will make it more difficult to track the activity of internet users and website visitors. The trend in digital marketing is towards more privacy and digital marketers must prepare for the coming changes.
One of the best ways to prepare is by capturing email addresses and building a robust list of contacts who want to hear from you and stay connected. These contacts will provide their emails because they want ongoing value from your company. The changes coming in online privacy may soon result in losing the ability to track website visitors activity without having their emails in your marketing automation database.
Here are five simple and easy ways to capture email addresses to stay in touch with customers and prospects as the new privacy changes roll out in the coming months.
Do These Five Things Today to Improve Your Lead Generation Efforts and Better Stay In Touch With Your Target Market
1. Email Newsletter Sign-Ups
Email newsletters are at the core of your email marketing and website marketing strategy as a regular email newsletter with great content will move people to research your products and services and buy. The email newsletter can also be the starting point for ongoing marketing automation and email follow-ups, which happens best when you have the contact’s email in your database. The email newsletter signup should be in the footer on all your web pages and featured in your resources section, such as your blog category and landing pages.
2. Website Pop-Up on Intent to Leave
This is a pop-up window in the web browser encouraging people to provide their email in exchange for a discount or some value or benefit on their next purchase. These work best when they display as the user is leaving the website. This is so commonplace on ecommerce websites that users are now waiting for pop-ups before their first purchase so they can get the discount. This strategy also works for lead generation content websites because people will provide an email address in exchange for something of value. Middle of funnel content works great here too, like an eBook, webinar or event.
3. Middle of Funnel Content As a Conversion Point
Content is critical to lead generation and online sales. Some content should come in exchange for an email address. This is a solid approach to list building as users understand something of value may require a higher level of commitment from them. Now you might get their personal gmail email address and not their company or work email, but this is fine. Continue to email high quality content and they will reach out when ready.
Middle of funnel content is hard work. Most companies do well at the top of the sales funnel and the bottom, but struggle to keep up with quality content in the middle of the funnel. However, this is where sales progress is made by online researchers evaluating your products and services. The goal is to nurture the relationship and guide prospective buyers to realize your product and service solutions are the best fit. This also builds trust and is an important method for capturing email addresses.
4. Email Contacts from Social Media
Reach out to your social media followers and make sure they are also in your email contact list. Include email sign-ups as part of regular posts for both written content and videos on social platforms. This works best using content topics driving the highest levels of engagement. Contact points in videos posted in social are also excellent as conversion points to gather emails, especially for subscribing to YouTube. Quality videos in your market space will attract buyers and result in the collection of email addresses. Reach out to our social team at Intuitive Websites and we will show you a few ways to capture leads directly from the main banner on your social web page.
5. Website Usability, Content and Resources
An easy to use website with great benefit statements will get more email subscribers than a busy and cluttered website boasting about how great the company is. Valuable content on your website will increase email subscriber rates. People won’t even think as they subscribe to get more value.
Websites with interactive resources are also great at converting email subscribers. They want access to the resource! This includes calculators, quizzes, surveys and tests. Improving your website will result in a higher percentage of email subscribers.
Bonus Tip: Get Started with HubSpot
If you have not yet tried HubSpot, get in touch with us for a free demo and trial run. It will take your email marketing efforts to the next level.
Once you have the contact’s information and email address, HubSpot will provide the marketing intelligence needed to meet the needs for your prospective customers and effectively communicate with your target market. Hubspot is an excellent website marketing tool for gathering data on website users to meet them where they are in their buyer’s journey or sales funnel.
We are big fans of HubSpot and highly recommend you check it out for email marketing, your CRM, marketing automation and more.
Summary – Capture Email Addresses and Improve Your Website Marketing
Email marketing is important because people now use their email inboxes to research solutions. Your email content must be in their inbox as they research solutions.
As marketers, think of delivering content directly to someone’s email inbox as a privilege. You must take responsibility to provide regular value-added content that nurtures the buyer’s journey. This is very important to avoid unsubscribes and to keep people engaged.
Will your email be found when your prospective customer is ready to buy? Put these five areas into action there is a better chance it will.
Think of it this way, people research solutions when they are ready to start the buying process. They use Google search results, social media, and other websites to find a solution to a problem or gain value, but they also research directly in their email inbox.
