If you’re just starting your e-commerce business, one of the easiest (and free) ways to get the first sales is by building an email list and sending through cool and creative promotional emails. But how can you convince someone to give you their email address?

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Let’s go through some popular strategies that can help you do that!

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1. Offer A Discount Code In Exchange For Email Address

One of the fastest ways to build your email list is to send your target audience to a landing page on your website, and the best way to reach your target audience is using social media ads. Once you have the people you want right where you want them, offer them something valuable in return for their valuable email address!

Shinesty came up with some great answers to the question why should you sign up to receive our emails - because you will confirm that you are a genius and you will start getting award-winning product updates.

Source: Shinesty

But they didn’t stop there. They also made sure to provide value in exchange for value by giving $10 off the next purchase when you sign up for their newsletters.

These offers used to incentivize people to sign up for your email list are called lead magnets, and good lead magnets should always be something people really want or need. This means that whatever you offer needs to solve some problem, whether that’s teaching people something they want to learn or giving them something they didn’t have before they signed up.

2. Hold A Contest On Facebook

When we say to hold a contest on Facebook, we don't mean the "write in comments" or "post a photo in comments" one. We mean that you should create an actual app, and when the contest is finished, you will have a base with customers and their info.

Giving away something for free to someone who enters a contest on your Facebook page will build your email list and social media following as a bonus.

For Sephora’s Sweet 15, Sephora ran a contest on their Facebook page. To enter the contest, participants had to complete an entry form that included their name, date of birth and email. The prize was a five day trip to Costa Rica and a year’s supply of their Surf products. Who wouldn’t give the info in exchange to maybe win something like that?

You don’t have to compete with Sephora and offer a trip to an exotic destination (yet), you can just offer some of the products from your website. Our suggestion is checking out in your website analytics which products are the most popular and giving away some of them.

Source: Wishpond

4. Have An Email Sign-up Box and Pop-ups On Your Website

Having an email sign-up box on your website may not get you as many followers as the previous two strategies, but people who want to sign up without being pushed to do so are probably your most valuable customers. Allow those people to subscribe!

This is especially effective if you run a blog with high-quality content, so people who read it will be very likely to subscribe to get an update when you have some fresh content. Alexander Wang is doing this really good - they have a visible sign up box, so if you like the products (and if you can afford them), you will probably give your email in order to receive the updates about new arrivals or sales.

Source: Alexander Wang

E-commerce pop-ups are also gaining in popularity every day, so make sure to embed your subscription forms. When a customer comes to your website, or when they try to leave, show your pop-up and ask them for an email. There are a few reasons why you should include these pop-ups on your website:

• They feature a clear call-to-action - When a pop-up shows up, the rest of the screen becomes darker. This will help the user focus on your message and what he should do next.

• They trigger at the right moment - You can decide when you want your pop-up to show. If you run an e-commerce store, you can have the “great offer” pop-ups as soon as the visitors come to your site.

• They capture abandoning visitors - The pop-up might not stop a visitor from leaving your website, but it will maybe give him a reason to stay and finish the purchase.

Source: Kate Spade

Good luck with building your list of subscribers, and make sure to nurture those leads and move them towards a purchase with your amazing newsletters!