Building a strong email list is crucial for any website. It allows you to stay in touch with your audience, promote products, and share valuable content. If you're using Squarespace, you have several tools at your disposal to effectively collect emails. This guide will walk you through the process, from basic signup forms to advanced email marketing integrations.
Understanding the Basics: Why Collect Emails?
Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to reach your audience. It provides a direct line of communication, allowing you to nurture relationships and drive engagement. Before diving into the technical aspects, it's vital to understand the best ways to collect emails from a website.
Build trust with your audience
People are more likely to share their email when they trust your brand. Offering transparent policies, valuable content, and a strong online presence can encourage sign-ups.
Increase website conversions
Capturing emails allows you to bring visitors back to your website. Whether through promotions, new blog posts, or personalized offers, a strong mailing list supports long-term growth.
Own your contact list
Unlike social media, where algorithms control visibility, your email list is entirely yours. This ensures direct communication with your audience, unaffected by external platform changes.
Adding a Simple Signup Form: The Foundation
The easiest way to start collecting emails is by adding a signup form to your Squarespace website. Squarespace offers built-in blocks that make this process straightforward.
- Form Blocks: These blocks allow you to create custom forms, including email fields. You can place them on any page or in your website’s footer.
- Newsletter Blocks: Specifically designed for email collection, these blocks often come with pre-designed templates.
Creating a Mailing List: Organizing Your Contacts
Once you start collecting emails, you'll need a way to organize them. Squarespace allows you to store collected emails directly within its platform or integrate with external email marketing services.
Use Squarespace email campaigns
If you're using Squarespace’s built-in email marketing tools, collected emails will automatically be added to your contact lists.
Connect to third-party services
For more advanced features, you can integrate with Mailchimp, ConvertKit, or other email marketing platforms to manage and segment your subscribers.
How to Create a Mailing List on Squarespace (using Squarespace Campaigns):
- Go to the "Marketing" section.
- Click on "Email Campaigns".
- Navigate to "Mailing Lists".
- Click "Create Mailing List".
- Give your list a name and save.
Optimizing for Lead Generation: Beyond Basic Forms
To maximize your email collection efforts, consider these strategies:
| Strategy | Benefit |
|---|---|
| Pop-up forms | Grabs visitor attention but should be timed well to avoid annoyance. |
| Lead magnets | Offering ebooks, checklists, or exclusive content encourages sign-ups. |
| Embedded forms | Placed in blog posts or landing pages, these can capture interested visitors. |
| Exit intent forms | Appear when a visitor is about to leave, offering one last chance to sign up. |
Squarespace Email Marketing: Integrating with Your Strategy
Squarespace offers its own email marketing tools, allowing you to create and send newsletters and automated campaigns.
Automate your email sequences
Set up automated welcome emails or follow-up sequences to keep your audience engaged.
Customize your signup forms
Ensure your email forms align with your branding by adjusting colors, fonts, and layouts.
Best Squarespace Plugins for Email Collection
While Squarespace has built-in features, some plugins can enhance your email collection efforts. Consider plugins that:
- Offer advanced form customization.
- Provide detailed analytics.
- Integrate with specific email marketing platforms.
Alternative Solution: Collect Emails with Elfsight’s Contact Form
While Squarespace provides built-in tools for collecting emails, an alternative solution is using the Elfsight Contact Form. This highly customizable plugin allows you to embed a professional contact form anywhere on your website, making it easy to capture visitor emails.
With seamless integrations such as Mailchimp, you can automatically store and manage collected emails in your preferred email marketing platform. The form’s design, fields, and behavior can be tailored to match your brand, ensuring a smooth user experience.
Learn more and try it for free: Elfsight Contact Form for Squarespace.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Here are common problems users face and how to fix them:
Forms not submitting
Ensure your form is correctly connected to your email storage and that there are no validation errors.
Email confirmation issues
Check your email service provider's settings to ensure confirmation emails are being sent properly.
Low conversion rates
Experiment with different form designs, placement, and call-to-action text to improve engagement.
Useful Links
Collecting Email Addresses – Learn how to use Form and Newsletter Blocks to gather email addresses from visitors on your Squarespace website.
Using Squarespace Email Campaigns – This guide provides an overview of setting up and managing email campaigns directly within Squarespace.
Connecting Your Form to Mailchimp – Step-by-step instructions on integrating Mailchimp with your Squarespace forms to enhance email marketing efforts.
Creating and Adding Forms – Detailed instructions on how to create and add various forms to your Squarespace website to collect visitor information.
Enhance Your Squarespace with Powerful Plugins!
Elfsight created dozens of useful plugins to make your website more attractive and boost its performance in so many ways. Try these no-code solutions for free on Squarespace!
Conclusion
Collecting emails on your Squarespace website is essential for building a loyal audience. By implementing the strategies outlined in this guide, you can effectively grow your email list and leverage the power of email marketing.