The Secret To Growing Your CRM List

Retention marketers spend so long talking about end goal metrics (CTR, revenue etc.) the starting points for success are often glossed over. It makes sense. When people get rewarded for results it's easy to lose sight of what got you there.

But list growth is absolutely vital to scaling your retention program. There's a ceiling to how much each customer will spend on your brand and you need to always be finding ways to add more people into the equation.

And there's one (seemingly banal) way of getting there: upgrading your opt-in forms.

Way too many brands don’t realise how much room for improvement their opt-in forms have. Generic discounts, bland copy, unengaging images... you see them on pretty much every website. All too often it's created at the last minute with little thought for how everything fits together.

Here are 4 ways to change that.

1. Test Your Offer

We’ve worked with lots of brands who’ve kept the same offer for months (even years), apart from changing it for the odd holiday promo. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this. If something works, why change it? The smallest % lift in conversions can have a big effect on CLV. Unlike conversions on third party sites, once these people enter their info they can remain on your CRM for years to come. And your offer is the biggest needle mover.

The aim is to find the maximum return (signs ups) for minimum cost (margins). Most likely, the offer you decide on will depend on what you want your CAC:CLV ratio to look like. If you’ve got a high CLV and are happy to only break even on the first purchase, then increase the incentives, but if you want to remain profitable with acquisitions, decrease it.

Once you have a good idea of what you’re prepared to offer, you need to decide how to format it. Other than the classic % off, here are 5 others we’ve tried and tested:

- Free gift

- Free shipping

- Bundle offer

- Monthly competitions

- $x off when you buy over $x

2. Test Your Creatives

Next up are your creatives. Everything from your copy to your images to the button should be optimised for. Here are a few ideas for you to try.

Copy - size, font type,

Images - Placement, size, color scheme

Button - color, size, font type

3. Collect Data (& Hook People In)

We’ve come across a fair few brands who are scared to implement this. They think asking for more info will reduce conversions and increase bounces. And it makes sense: more requests = more friction = a higher drop off rate… right?

Well, yes, if you don’t know who your visitors are and the problems they’re facing. But if you do, it works as an amazing hook, and instantly builds a relationship and attachment with a new visitor.

4. Test The Number of Stages

Most brands will have one step for emails and another for SMS. It’s classic and works well. But you should experiment with adding additional steps.

If you want to use the data collection approach above, setting up a series of on point, relevant questions can work amazingly. You’ll be surprised how many you can add before you see a drop off conversions.

Another option is to add a micro-question before asking for details e.g. Do you want 10% off our skincare? Yes/No. We’ve seen big jumps in conversion rates by adding this stage. (The theory goes that asking a no-brainer question before asking for a commitment is enough to hook people in).

Ultimately, you need to see your opt-in forms as a work in process. Too many brands create it and never edit it again. Don’t be like them.