How to Build a Killer Email List from Scratch
In my last post, I gave you 6 reasons your business must have an email list.
So, naturally, today we’re going to go over building blocks required to get your list up and collecting leads.
#1: Know your audience
Before launching any marketing initiative, it’s necessary to understand your audience by developing your ideal client profile. Are they male or female? How old are they? What industry are they in? What’s their education level? What do they read? Where do they hang out?
You can answer the above questions by looking at your current, best clients. Don’t just look at the ones that are the most profitable. Which ones have a longer client lifespan? Does the client delay projects or communication? Do they pay on time? Is the work fulfilling? Do you enjoy working with them?
Are you a startup and don’t have a single customer? You can still use many of the above questions to determine what you believe your ideal client will look like.
#2: You need a website (or landing page)
Now that you understand your audience, you need a location to send them to, in order to view your killer offer. So, you need a website or landing page. Don’t let a lack of funds stop you from getting your website launched. In 2021, there are countless ways to get a website up and running for low-cost or no-cost and not having the understanding how to, isn’t an excuse to delay the process — YouTube is filled with videos teaching you the process, step-by-step, or look to easy solutions, such as, SquareSpace or Wix.
I actually discuss this in the following article I wrote: Stop Overthinking the Best Website Platform and Get Your Website Live NOW!
You can even avoid the website creation process completely by looking at landing page building services like LeadPages.net, Unbounce.com, or even ones that are built-in to email marketing services (see next step). They’ll host your website and give you a custom URL for you to share your page(s) with your audience.
#3: You need an email marketing service
Now that you’ve got a website or landing page ready, you need a place to collect and store your leads/users and to deliver the item they’ve requested.
ActiveCampaign is currently my provider of choice (and who I recommend to most), as I feel that it suits my business best and I’m comfortable with some of the advanced campaign options they offer. Aweber and ConvertKit are also great solutions, while I usually steer my clients away from MailChimp and ConstantContact. Whichever service you choose, make sure they’re a reputable, well-known service that has been around for at least 5 years.
#4: You need a killer offer
As my headline suggests, in order to build a killer email list, you need a killer offer.
These offers are often referred to as lead-magnets. So, what makes an effective lead magnet?
- High Perceived Value: How often do you go to a website and see the only lead capture is a subscription to a free newsletter? Now, how often will you enter your email for this? Exactly. Consumers these days are constantly being pressured for their email, and are rightly hesitant to share it. Your goal should be to create a lead magnet with a high perceived value, or better yet, it should actually be high in value.
- Instant Gratification: Consumers are looking for a solution to their problem immediately. If your lead magnet can fulfill that gap, your list will grow rapidly.
- Illustrates Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP): When your user accesses your lead capture, they should be convinced that they should be buying from you, instead of your competitors.
Here are some lead magnet options to consider:
- Workbook
- Quiz
- Ebook
- Case Study
- Webinar
- Cheat Sheet
- Mini-Course
- Checklist
- Spreadsheet
- Training Video / Video Series
- Toolkit
- Planner
- Calculator
- Infographic
- Guide
#5: Drive traffic to your website
At this point, you’ve determined your audience, created your website, selected your email marketing service, and created your killer offer. You can publish it on your website, but will most likely hear crickets unless you currently have an existing traffic source. So, you need to start directing people to your website.
Existing Contacts
The easiest and first step is to focus on your existing contacts — family, friends, co-workers, anyone who you associate with who may benefit from your free offer.
Social Media
Social media is the next natural traffic source. Starting posting regularly on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and anywhere else you can think of. Get creative and use a mix of posts and stories. Remember, your audience should feel grateful that you’ve created this lead magnet and are offering it for free, so don’t feel hesitant about sharing it with them.
Content Marketing
Your audience wants valuable, relevant and consistent content. While you’ve created your killer offer, you’re not tied down to simply using this single lead magnet.
By consistently creating various types of content — blog posts, podcasts, YouTube videos, and also see the lead magnet examples I shared above.
Paid Ads
If you’re just getting started with building a list, you may not be in a financial place where paid ads make sense for you, but if they do, you can certainly shortcut your list building time by leveraging Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads, or Google Adwords.
Conclusion
While you’re focusing on building your list, don’t forget, the goal is not to just grow a large list for the sake of it, but to build a relationship with your subscribers by offering valuable content, exclusive offers, and beneficial information. This will, in turn, allow you to leverage your list for future sales.
Originally published at https://craigmaclean.me.