A Quick Guide to Email List Template
Sending emails to a large pool of subscribers is a daily task for many online marketers.
And when you have to deal with thousands of subscribers, an email list template can be a real lifesaver. In fact, this template works great even if you only have a few subscribers.
There are many free email list templates that can be good for starters. But consider stepping up your game and create a custom template to reflect the needs of your business. It also allows you to have an overview of your customers for easy segmentation.
The following sections cover common tools for creating a great emailing list template. In addition, you’ll get some tips on how to steadily grow your list.
Email List Template Components
The contact information may vary depending on your business or niche, but there are some general guidelines that may help you optimize your marketing efforts.
First, you need the name of your customers. Try to get the customer’s full name. On the other hand, the first name usually works just fine unless you are in finance or legal. After all, most marketing emails are on a first name basis with the recipient.
Next would be the client's location, age, and gender. Unlike age and gender, people are getting increasingly reluctant to share their location. You can use website cookies or geotagging software to get the customer’s location and exclude this step from the sign-up form.
You might also want to get the customers’ occupation. And don’t forget to create a section dedicated to the email address alone. This is crucial when you want to export the list to an email marketing service.
Basic Tools for Email List Templates
Microsoft Excel and Google Spreadsheets are among the most common tools used to create email list templates. Mac users sometimes prefer the Numbers app. If you are one of them, make sure the email marketing service supports list uploads from this app.
You have two options to design a template with Excel and Google Spreadsheets. Build one from scratch or upload a template and tweak it to your preferences. For Excel, there is also a third-party add-on called Kutools, which can expedite the template design process and make things easier.
This add-on is simple to install and features a dedicated Create Mailing List option. A few clicks and you’ll get a basic email template that’s easy to populate and export. On top of that, Kutools offers 300+ advanced features for the further customization and organization of your template.
It’s worth mentioning that this is a paid add-on. But you get a 60-day free trial with no strings attached.
Using an Email Marketing Service
Excel allows you to export a populated list template to Outlook and start sending out emails right away. But Outlook and most other email clients lack the versatility and analytical tools that come with dedicated email marketing services.
For the purpose of this article, we’ll take a closer look at MailChimp’s list creation process and optimization. Everything is readily applicable to other popular emailing services.
MailChimp allows full control in designing an email list template from scratch and you can work on your email list as you go. You can also upload a list via Excel or Google Sheets and proceed to reorganize the template for the most optimal performance.
All the data is laid out in a single template and you have the option to fine-tune the list by adding tags to each of your contacts. MailChimp labels your contacts by subscription status and you can find the open and click rates for each subscriber.
In addition, you can create an enticing sign-up form to attract more subscribers. MailChimp also offers filtration tools to make it easy to analyze and segment your list.
How to Grow Your Email List
A great email list template won’t do your business much good if there are only a handful of contacts. Once you have the template ready, you should focus on attracting more people to sign up. Here are a few tricks for getting more subscribers.
Personalized Calls to Action (CTAs)
According to HubSpot, personalized CTAs outperform the basic CTAs by an amazing 202%. It makes sense because visitors come to your website to find something that meets their specific needs. You should create the CTA accordingly and avoid sounding like a used car salesman at all cost.
The CTA should appear on each landing page or blog post because they have the potential to quickly double the list of subscribers.
Utilize Social Media
A small number of subscribers doesn’t necessarily mean your brand has a poor following. You can try pitching a newsletter across your social media accounts to turn your followers into subscribers.
Remember, these are people that already like your brand so they should be more inclined to subscribe.
Landing Pages Galore
The more landing pages you create, the more subscribers you attract. Each page should reflect the needs of your potential customers, which allows you to cover wider demographics.
Conclusion
Designing a good email list template requires basic skills and a few minutes of your time. However, it’s only the beginning of an email marketing campaign.
The real work is in attracting more people to sign up. Plus, you need to create email campaigns that will resonate with your customers.
In the end, you may find that the effort is well worth your time since email marketing consistently delivers some of the highest returns on investment.