Growing your email contact list is one of the most critical components of building your online brand. Sounds easy, but exactly how do you get people to join your list?
Number one, you MUST offer the all important “Freebie” on your website (I like to call it the ethical bribe) in exchange for your visitor’s email. For example, offer a free report, audio or video about the main problem you solve for your clients as a free download.
In addition to the mandatory ethical bribe, here are my top 3 suggestions for quick and easy list building:
- JV and Affiliate Partners: When you are promoting a specific event or product launch, one of the best ways to build your list is to utilize your connections and develop partnerships with others who share the same target market. You can then tap into their lists, as they recommend your product or service to their email subscribers. Of course, this works best if your partners have large email lists, but don’t discount those with smaller lists. It’s more about the quality of the subscribers than the size of the list (i.e. do they fit your target market profile?)
- Host a free Webinar or live training. Host a free webinar or live training on Facebook Live or LinkedIn Live on a hot topic for your target audience. If you’re searching for a good topic, think about inviting a guest to join you on your livestream for an interview. It helps to get your guests to send an announcement out to their email list to promote the event. You can increase your email subscribers significantly using this method, especially if your speakers have big lists already.
- Social Media: Social media can be used effectively to grow your following and your list. Actively promote a freebie offer (such as an e-book, workbook, video training, or other lead magnet) to entice people to join your list to get your free offer. You can add an opt-in form for your email list directly into your Facebook page or provide links back to your website or blog with each post (using a link tracker like Bit.ly to track your success).
Growing your email list takes time and consistent effort. Hang in there and don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t grow as quickly as you dream about. Stick with a consistent list-building strategy and your efforts will pay off. Happy list building!