To pop-up or not? That is a common question people ask.
What people mostly ask is “Do pop-ups really work, because I hate them when I see them.”
My answer is yes they really do work. Pop-ups might seem like a nuisance, but the best results in email growth usually come from pop-ups.
Providing a really great offer that people want to exchange for their email is key to maximize pop-up results. It’s got to be a good offer though.
Think about when you go to a website and see “Get our Newsletter,” what is your initial reaction?
“No thanks, I don’t need another newsletter.”
“Listen, buddy, I don’t even know you yet.”
“What is in your newsletter? Is it something I even want?”
“How do I know I’ll like you or your newsletter?”
There can be a plethora of things that go through someone’s head, but does a newsletter sound exciting? Enticing? Does it make you scream YES I NEED that in my life?
Probably not.
Very few clients I work with can get away with just offering a newsletter.
Even those clients would experience much better results with a fantastic offer to get people hooked.
So, what do people want?
What can I offer that people want? What generally works?
Some concrete examples for how to use pop-ups to grow your email:
10% off next purchase coupon
$10 off $50 purchase (any retail or restaurant)
Free item on your next purchase (food shops)
Top 10 Fat Busting Recipes (nutritionist, health or fitness)
10 Things You Should Clean in Your House Monthly checklist (real estate agent, carpet/window cleaner, HVAC)
Offer free promotional products (non-profits)
Get your ideal customer’s attention. Do they need your services, but they think they can do it on their own?
Share with them how to do those things and let them do it themselves. Some people will go it alone, while others will simply need or want to get it off their plate.
You will get their business because you positioned yourself as the expert and showed you know what you’re talking about, and they can trust to get the job done.
So the next time you are thinking of a pop-up, don’t think about how annoying it is, think about how it can help make someone’s life easier.
How it can be of service to that web visitor looking for answers to their pain points.
A pop-up is just your opportunity to say “hey I have this really great thing that is going to help you, all I need is your email to send it to you.”
Another great gem that helps grow your email list is the opt-in form. Forms placed in various places on your website that give people another opportunity to sign up for your free offer. If they didn’t take you up on the pop-up, once they read a little more about you the form helps them take you up on your really great freebie.
How to set it up
Most email marketing systems have pop-up capabilities and these are great because they’ll send sign-ups to a list you determine and will track analytics.
If you want more than your email service offers or your service doesn’t offer pop-ups, you can use simple tools like SumoMe and Bloom (If you use the Divi WordPress Theme).
These are ones I use, but there are many options out there. Do your research and be sure you pick one that has many downloads (for WordPress users), good reviews and is not out of date.
If you use Squarespace or Wix pop-ups should be an option for your website.
Need more help? Check out all of the FREE marketing tools to help grow your business online.
Next Up: Create a monthly marketing campaign that ties your email list building and social media together for a powerful marketing strategy.
