Love is in the air 💘

Happy Valentine’s Day! This year, the average American is going to shell out a whopping $192.80 on the holiday. All told, that’s more than $25.9 billion spent today according to the National Retail Federation.

So it’s not just love that’s in the air, it’s money too.

Here’s your full rundown for Tuesday, February 14th…

• IG Memories - New Prompts Coming To Your Account

• YouTube Ads - Masthead Ads Now Available by the Hour

• Super Bowl - All the Best Ads From Super Sunday

• Email Marketing - Start Your Own List From Scratch

• Websites - Your 8-Point Design Checklist

Lurn Bytes: Entrepreneurship Around The Web

Instagram Tests New Memory Prompts - The social media platform is testing out a new way to create even more engagement with new “Memories” story prompts. Basically, they’ll show you old stories you posted, and allow you to reshare them with your followers. Here’s what it looks like…

YouTube’s Huge New Ad Placement - YouTube is trying something BIG. Marketers can now pay to advertise on the homepage’s masthead in hourly allotments. Of course, this is going to come with a HUGE price tag. For big companies, it could be worth the price. Here’s how many impressions they estimate it’ll total…

Recap All The Best Ads From Super Sunday - Not only was the game one of the best in recent memory, there were quite a few memorable ads this year as well. Miss that ad everyone’s been talking about? Here’s a full recap of all this year’s biggest ad highlights…

How to Create Your Own Email List From Scratch 

One of the best ways to create a lasting relationship with your audience is through email marketing.

It allows you to always stay in front of your audience and communicate with them directly. And because they’ve GIVEN you their email addresses, they WANT to hear from you!

Unlike social media, where your posts are at the mercy of algorithms, email provides you with a direct line of communication to your subscribers. Plus, email marketing often has a higher conversion rate than any other forms of digital marketing, because those users opted in.

Sound good? You’re in?

Now it’s time to get started building your own email list. Today, we’re giving you a 9-point checklist you can use to get started.

Let’s jump right in!

#1: Define your target audience - Who are you trying to reach with your email marketing? Knowing your target audience will help you create content that resonates with them and encourages them to sign up for your list. Make sure you nail this before you start anything else.

#2: Offer a valuable incentive - In exchange for their email address, offer your subscribers something of value, like an ebook, discount, or exclusive content. This will encourage them to sign up for your list.

#3: Add sign-up forms to your website - Make it easy for visitors to sign up for your email list by adding sign-up forms to your website in prominent places, such as the header, footer, and sidebar. Make it a simple form too. Lower the barrier to entry as much as possible.

#4: Leverage social media - Promote your email list on your social media channels, and include a call to action in your posts encouraging your followers to sign up.

#5: Make it easy to opt-in - Make sure that the process of signing up for your email list is quick, easy, and frictionless. The less steps involved, the more likely people are to sign up.

#6: Segment your list - As you build your email list, it's important to segment it based on subscriber preferences and behavior. This allows you to send targeted, relevant content to each segment of your list.

#7: Grow your list organically - Encourage word of mouth by offering a referral program, asking happy customers to spread the word, and including a "forward to a friend" option in your emails.

#8: Keep testing - Continuously test and optimize your email sign-up process to ensure that it's as effective as possible. Test different lead magnets, sign-up forms, and calls to action to see what resonates best with your audience.

#9: Keep your list engaged - Once someone has signed up for your email list, it's important to keep them engaged by sending regular, valuable content. This will help to build a relationship with your subscribers and keep them interested in your brand.

Building an email list from scratch can seem daunting, but by following these 9 steps, you'll be well on your way to growing a list of loyal subscribers.

Entrepreneur Stat Of The Day

99%

That’s the percentage of email users who check their email at least once a day, according to OptinMonster.

Your 8-Point Web Design Checklist

Designing your own site is easier said than done. Not only does it need to “look nice” it needs to be designed so it’s easy for your audience to navigate.

It also needs to be designed with conversion and sales in mind.

The earlier you take all of that into account the better. It’s easier to design a site with all that in mind from the beginning, instead of editing pages that are already live. That said, it is better to fix it later than not at all.

With that in mind, we’re sharing this guide today. It’s an 8-point checklist any entrepreneur or marketer can use when designing their site.

It covers…

• User experience

• Content presentation

• Gaining trust with users

• Site navigation

• Content quality

• Conversions

• Sales

• And traffic

If your site needs a new design, or you’re starting from scratch, be sure to check this guide out ASAP! 

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