In this article, I will walk you through the different methods you can try to expand your email list using Instagram. But first, let’s look at what’s so special about email that makes it one of the strongest and most effective marketing strategies. So, here we go:
Why Should You Use new zealand phone number library Instagram to Grow Your Email List?
Source: Unsplash
Source: Unsplash
Different digital marketing strategies come and go over the years, but email never goes out of style. How many times a day do you check your inbox? How many emails do you receive from brands? Even Gen Zers, despite their bad reputation for not caring much about email, use it to interact with brands and make purchases.
Below, I'll outline some of the most important reasons why you should invest your time and energy into email marketing, especially when it comes to gaining subscribers on Instagram.
1 – Emails have no expiration date
If you publish a post on Instagram, its effective life would be around 24 hours. Your post doesn't go anywhere, but the problem is that after this period, people won't interact with it much anymore.
What if that post contains something important about your brand and you want all your followers to see it?
Luckily, this isn’t the case with email. When you use email to communicate with your audience, you can be 100% sure that they will at least receive it. Depending on your niche, the email open rate can be different, but it can go as high as 36.15%, which is great considering that the average email open rate for all industries is 22.15% (GetResponse). And if they do see your email, they can always check back in their inboxes.
2 – Instagram email addresses are valuable
Your Instagram followers have already shown interest in your business by clicking the “follow” button, right? So they might be interested in learning more about you, too.
The beauty of Instagram is that it has one of the highest engagement rates among social networks. So if you're doing a good job of interacting with your followers, there's a higher chance they'll take you up on your offer to subscribe to your email list.
When there are over 1 billion monthly active users on Instagram who are mostly engaged, why not invite them to your email list?
3 – Email is worth every penny!
Did you know that for every dollar you spend on email marketing, you can expect an average return of $1? Isn’t that just amazing?
Credit: DMA, 2019
Credits: DMA, 2019
On the other hand, sending mass emails is not that expensive. For example, you can send 2,000 emails daily from your Gmail. But if that is not enough for you, try mass email services.
4 – Everyone uses email
In this digital world, it's pretty rare to find someone who doesn't use email; well, maybe except for grandmas. People may prefer social media over others, but they all use email. Plus, it doesn't matter what email service they use; you can contact all of them.
Now that you know how much email marketing can help your brand, let’s look at how you can expand it using Instagram.
5 Tips to Grow Your Email Marketing Campaign with Instagram
Even though Instagram seems a bit limited when it comes to email, there are still ways to find and get your followers' email addresses . Let's check them out:
1- Use calls to action in your bio
The Instagram bio is a perfect place to invite your followers to join your email list. Instagram allows you to add a clickable link to your bio. You can use that link to take your followers to an email landing page or just your website where they can subscribe to your email list by filling out a signup form.
But you can't just add that link to your bio and expect your followers to click on it. You need to use call-to-action phrases to persuade them.
For example, if they can download eBooks, templates, or any kind of freebie on your website, make sure to mention it in your bio.
Credit: BBC News Instagram page
Credit: BBC News Instagram page
Additionally, if you have a business account, Instagram allows you to add an “Email” button to your bio, which takes followers directly to the composing part of your email app. But this method isn’t as effective since they have to email you instead of just adding it.
Screenshot_2020-09-07-19-05-40
2 – Invite them to subscribe using videos
Did you know that videos generate twice as much engagement as photos on Instagram? Videos can really grab your followers' attention. If you have a YouTube channel, you'll know that the best way to invite your viewers to subscribe to the channel or your newsletter is through video.
This method is great for those who have a Youtube channel and want to use this method. If that is the case, you can invite your followers to subscribe by sharing that Youtube video on Instagram story or even your IGTV.
Even if you don't have a YouTube channel, simply record a video using your Instagram Stories, feed, or Reels and invite your followers to join your email list.
3 – Swipe up on Instagram stories
If you have more than 10 followers, you can use the Instagram Story “Swipe Up” feature. Just like the bio link, it directs your followers directly to your website or any other external link you like.
Credit: Courage and Clarity Instagram Page
Credit: Courage and Clarity Instagram Page
This is a great opportunity as Instagram Stories have a higher engagement rate compared to feed posts.
Additionally, Stories offer many other tools such as quiz stickers, question stickers, emoji sliders, and mentions that will grab any visitor's attention. Use these tools to persuade your followers to subscribe to your email list.
4 – Conduct a contest
Instagrammers love competition and getting free stuff! So, make sure there are contests and giveaways on your Instagram Marketing Checklist .
You can tell your followers that you are giving away one of your products or services and select the winner from those who subscribe to your email list.
Credit: Scilynk Instagram page
Credit: Scilynk Instagram page
Additionally, you can offer a special discount on one of your items and then tell your followers to use the email button on your Instagram to send an email and in return, they will receive the discount coupon.
It is worth mentioning that there are some Instagram Management services that act as virtual assistants and allow you to add coupon buttons to your bio.
5 – Offer free webinars
Another way to get your followers really excited about signing up for your email list is to offer them a free webinar. This is a very popular approach among business and sales consultants, but you can run a webinar on any topic related to your business.
For example, if you have a pottery business, you could host a webinar and talk about the tips and tricks of making pottery or maybe invite people to sign up for your workshop.
The important thing here is to find out what takeaways your followers really want to learn from your business. Your webinar should be about something they are really eager to learn. If you are unsure about that, you can always ask them what they prefer. Use Story polls or even ask them to leave you a comment.
Once you decide which topic is best for your webinar, ask your followers to reserve a seat. You can choose which software to run your webinar from this list made by Content Mavericks .
Below is an example of a post from Amy Porterfield where she promotes her latest webinar on launching a digital course. Notice how she encouraged her followers to join her by adding a nice call to action at the end of her title.
