One of the main goals when it comes to digital marketing is to grow your email subscriber list to help increase the potential for more sales. There are many ways we see this done -- newsletter sign-up forms on your website, gated content, coupon or discount offers, etc. 

But once upon a time, one of the most popular channels had no simple way for us to generate leads. What channel are we talking about? Twitter. 

With 126 million daily users on Twitter, if there was no opportunity to turn followers into subscribers, then hopefully into leads and return customers what was the point? 

Well, Twitter caught on and brought marketers a solution before they lost businesses to another social platform that allowed them more opportunity to increase leads. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the progression of the platform in recent years and how you can use social media to improve your email marketing.

Twitter is a very popular platform and many people like to check it for quick and easy notifications. With over 350 million users, there is a lot of opportunity for growth. With business tools, Twitter has made this growth easier and more appealing to marketers. Image courtesy of Quora.


Introducing Lead Generation Cards

In 2013, Twitter announced its new and improved lead generating platform: Lead Generation Cards. Now if you’re new to the social marketing world, you've never known a world where Twitter wasn’t considered a lead generation platform -- but there once was a time it wasn’t quite as easy as it is today. 


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When Twitter’s new lead generation cards were first announced, this is what they looked like. They provided companies with a spot to do their promotions and a space to include a call-to-action to get users to convert. 

At the time, this was a game-changer because users didn’t need to fill out any lengthy forms. That is because their information (name, email, and username) was already pulled into the card. They literally just have to hit “Submit” on the card’s call-to-action (CTA). The only downside at the time was that it was originally only available as a feature in promoted tweets — a paid feature of Twitter Ads. 

Since we’re always looking for new ways to boost our acquisitions, this new feature on Twitter was a great new tool to add to our toolboxes. But what came of the Twitter Lead Generation Cards? 

Advertising on Twitter continued to grow each year after the cards were introduced. More and more companies were seeing the value of using Twitter as a playing ground to attract new users and grow their email lists by reaching new followers on Twitter. Image courtesy of Delhi School of Internet Marketing

The Demise of Lead Generation Cards

Unfortunately, in 2016 lead generation cards saw their last day. The days of a simple CTA allowing followers to submit their form information directly from Twitter were over. When this tool was taken away from marketers around the world, we had to find new ways to build our email lists and still have relevance for Twitter. 

As we always do, we found ways around this obstacle and to continue growing and improving our email strategy.


Even after Twitter sunset Lead Generation Cards, marketers still use the platform and feel that they are generating leads through it. They’ve just had to find new ways to entice followers to fill out their lead generation forms. Image courtesy of Foundation

How Do You Generate Lead on Twitter Today? 

Now that you cannot have users fill out a form directly from your Twitter promotion, how are you supposed to build Twitter into your email acquisition strategy? Luckily, there are still a few different ways you can reach your followers outside of the traditional Lead Generation Cards. 

Let’s take a quick look at a few ways you can increase your email list with the help of Twitter (in today’s world). 

Include a Call to Action in Your Bio

Having a complete Twitter bio is important to let followers know more about your brand. But it also offers an opportunity to help build your subscriber list. If you do it right, adding a CTA in your bio can turn users into leads. 

Keep in mind, these CTAs may not be a direct button or link, but they provide followers with the next steps you want them to take. When developing these CTAs make sure you are clear and make the action simple.

Many companies use this to engage their users around customer service topics. But as they interact with more customers on a one-on-one level they are building relationships that can eventually lead to the user becoming a subscriber. 

Target encourages its followers to talk with them about any questions the customers may have. They provide the customer service handle and can help build more loyal customers by addressing any issues or concerns that arise. 

Bed Bath & Beyond also uses the tactic of having a strong CTA in their bio. They are encouraging users to send them a message for customer service help but also share their finds from the store. Once again building customer loyalty and relationships and encouraging interaction with the brand. 

Both of these examples do a great job of telling the user exactly what the action the brand wants them to take. Clear, concise, and creative enough to get followers to engage and hopefully interact with the brand. 

Having the right CTA in your bio will help increase build brand loyalty and in turn increase your email subscribers. It might not be the most direct way, but it will turn the online relationships through your social media followers into dedicated subscribers. 

Lead Generating Landing Pages

One of the best options when it comes to utilizing Twitter as a lead generation and email acquisition platform is to implement the use of landing pages. Now, you’re likely already using landing pages as part of your digital marketing strategy, so all you need to do is take this tactic and bring it over to your current Twitter practices. 

You can share landing pages with your content and take followers to a relevant web page where they have the opportunity to fill out a form. The catch? You need to make the content or offer worth the users while. People won’t just give up their contact information for any reason anymore, you need to provide them with something equally as valuable. 

Landing pages are much more likely to convert users because they offer them something. You can always link someone to your home page, but often the only option for them to convert right on that page might be a contact us or newsletter subscription option. While some people will opt-in, many will choose to just move on with their lives since they are getting anything out of the transaction. 

Using Target as an example again, here is a good use of linking followers directly to a landing page that allows them to take action. In this case, that action is to make a purchase -- which would also capture the user's email address. 

It starts out with an enticing Tweet. This one uses a video to interest people and promotes the offer -- access to the all-new Taylor Swift CD. Once you click the link, it takes you to the next image, a specialized landing page related to this original Tweet. 

Once at this page, you can learn more about her new album and move forward with purchasing the album in whichever ever version you may choose. 

It Doesn’t Stop Once a Follower Has Filled Out Your Form

Once your follower has become an email subscriber, the work is only just getting started. Now, it’s time to move them into your welcome campaign. 

There are many reasons that a welcome series is highly recommended. To begin, it validates the email address, which protects your sender reputation. It also reminds subscribers about their opt-in and confirms what they may expect as a result of signing up. 

In addition, welcome emails may be used to request more profile information while reinforcing your brand. And finally, a welcome series immediately engages new subscribers and keeps them engaged beginning at the moment they have shown interest in your brand.

So there you have it. Twitter can be a very useful tool when it comes to email acquisition. Although the lead generation cards of the past are gone, by getting creative, you can still use the platform to build your email lists and gain new subscribers. 

Get started turning your followers into leads.  

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