When building an email list we tend to think the bigger the list, the better. “How can we increase the conversions on this squeeze page?” is an ultra-common question, and surprising, the WRONG question to be asking. What’s the right question? How about, “How do I build the most RESPONSIVE mailing list?”
Please note: I invite you to test what I’m about to tell you for yourself. In fact, I always invite you to test EVERYTHING I share with you, because that way you’ll know for a fact that it applies in your own unique situation.
And if what I’m about to share stretches the bounds of credibility, it’s all the more reason why you should test, test, test.
To get higher converting opt-ins, let’s first talk about what gets people to sign up for your mailing list in the first place. After that, I’ll reveal the biggest secret I know to getting a HIGH CONVERTING mailing list that will make you more money than many lists twice and three times the size.
What gets people to sign up for your mailing list?
1. Credibility and trust. Have you proven your credibility? Have you won their trust? More to the point, do they trust you, your information, your website, and your offer? If not then they’re probably going to leave without joining your list.
2. Continuity. Whatever brought them to the site – an email, an ad, an endorsement, etc. – must be what they find on the site. If they get an email saying there’s a free video on “Why men lie,” and they get to the website and they’re being offered an ebook on how to get more dates, then you’ve lost continuity, which causes confusion and casts doubt.
3. A great offer, or what we call a no-brainer. This needs to be something of high perceived value to them, something that feeds their need to know and offers them answers they’re looking for.
4. Simplicity. The easier it is to sign up for the freebie and join your list, the more likely they are to do so. Asking for only an email will get you a higher response than asking for email and first name. Every time you add another box to be filled out, you reduce the number of people who will sign-up
Now here comes the surprising part. Again, test this on your own websites.
I’ve used squeeze pages for years to build mailing lists. I’ve also placed opt-in boxes on content rich websites.
Then I started paying attention to the results and noticed something funny, so I did some split testing.
Not believing the results, I did more split testing. And this is what I discovered:
Using a squeeze page will result in more people joining your list EVERY TIME, compared with skipping the squeeze page and sending your traffic straight to the content rich site with the opt-in box.
BUT – I make MORE money from the lists built from the content rich pages than from the squeeze pages.
That’s right – fewer sign-ups and more money. At first I didn’t understand this, because I just assumed that the squeeze page was capturing the same people the content rich pages captured, plus more.
But obviously it’s NOT the same people, as the split testing bears out. The people who make good customers are the ones who read some of your content, like what they’re reading and want more.
These are the people who will REMEMBER you when you email them. They’re also the ones you’ve already established some credibility with, and because of this they trust you and are more likely to buy from you.
Surprised? I know I was. If you want to test this yourself, be sure to use the same free offer in both cases. Then email both lists for at least two months, and see which one earns you more money.
