Many financial advisors are consumed by generating leads. They want a pipeline of leads coming in on a regular basis so they can build up their practice and become more successful.

One of the best ways to cultivate leads is through email marketing. Over the past several years, email marketing has averaged a return on investment of about $46 for every dollar spent on it. That’s because people who sign up for email lists are much easier to turn into active clients.

Of course, the first step to running a successful email marketing campaign is to build your list. And you have to build your email list legally. In other words, you can’t just spam people; they have to give you their permission to email them.

So, how can you start building your email list naturally and legally?

1. Place signup links above the fold on every page—Because visitors might enter your website through any page, it’s important that you have signup forms for your email list on every single page. Make sure these forms are placed above the fold so visitors can see them without scrolling down. By placing the form in a position of prominence, you increase the chances of people signing up.
2. Offer a monthly newsletter—Newsletters are a central piece of email marketing campaigns. They allow you to keep in touch with your customers on a regular basis, and subscribers like them because they often include valuable, useful tips and information. Just make sure if you offer a newsletter that you keep up with it and publish it on time each month.
3. Write an eBook to give away—Sometimes, your visitors need an extra incentive to sign up for your email list. In short, they need a freebie. That’s where eBooks come in handy. These can do a great job as bait when you give them away in exchange for signing up for your email list. The eBook also offers you another forum for highlighting your expertise, building your credibility, and attracting more clients.
4. Explain the benefits of signing up—People are selfish. They are only concerned with what’s in it for them. Every action is guided by their self interest. With that in mind, you need to let people know why they should sign up for your email list. What will they gain by doing so? Knowledge? Wealth? Identify the benefit, and focus on that.
5. Make it easy for subscribers to forward to friends—Most email management programs can help you put a “Forward to a friend” link in your messages. This allows your subscribers to easily share your newsletters with their friends, while ensuring the “unsubscribe” link isn’t accidentally clicked. As a result, you can attract more signups by encouraging sharing.
6. Have signup sheets in your office—When building email lists, a lot of people ignore marketing their list offline. But the truth is there are many opportunities to get signups away from the internet. If you have prospects and clients visiting your office, keep a signup sheet for your email list somewhere they’ll see it. You can even mention it to them while they’re in your office to further motivate them to signup.
7. Mention your email list in offline marketing materials—Beyond having a signup sheet in your office, another way to market your list offline is in your sales collateral. Mention your newsletter in your brochures, sales letters, memos, business cards, etc. This can drive traffic to your website, and if you have the signup form placed properly, it can lead to a surge in your subscriber list.
8. Promote your newsletter in other newsletters—Find complementary newsletters that you can promote your email list in. You may be able to enter into an agreement with another company that you’ll promote their newsletter if they do the same for you. This an easy way to raise awareness and attract more signups.

What are some other ways you’ve gotten people to sign up for your email list? Share your best tips by leaving a comment.

Author: David Smith works for conversion rate optimization company Invesp and helps webmasters in creating highly converting landing pages. Feel free to follow them on twitter @invesp. You can email David at: admin@conversionrate.net