How do I create an email list?
To begin email list building, first make sure you have the foundational elements together in order to actually build your email list. I call this your Lead Machine. It involves having a lead magnet or a free piece of content offered on a landing page where someone gives their name and email address via a sign up form connected to your backend email platform technology so that you can collect emails and continue communicating with them. This triggers a welcome email series that goes out related to that piece of content.
How do I make an email list for free?
It’s generally free to build your list. The only thing you should be paying for is the backend technology and your time investment in creating the content that draws people onto your list.
Lists can be built through activities like speaking, networking, outreach, joint venture partnerships, blog writing, and social media.
What are email list building services that I can use?
There's a wide variety of email list building services and platforms. The right one for you depends on your needs in both the immediate and next two to three years.
If you only need email list building (e.g. you don't have affiliates or digital courses/products/services), I recommend Active Campaign. It provides a great variety of services and some good bells and whistles for a very reasonable price.
If you need more (e.g. you’re selling services/courses, have memberships, need affiliate programs/shopping cart), I recommend Simplero. It has many built in services in a single platform while being incredibly easy to use and very reasonably priced.
Do I need to take an email list building course?
If you want to do it right – yes. Here's the thing…. of course, you can learn all of this on your own as many people do. But I'm a big believer that you want to shorten the learning curve where you can. You'll want to be conscious of how much time, money and energy you're investing into anything you do in your business. Email is no different than marketing or any other strategies that build your business. So if you want to do it right, if you want to get off on the right foot, and if you want to be efficient with your time, money and energy… yes, take a course.
How do I build an email list using Facebook?
Assuming you have your foundational elements in place (Lead Machine and lead magnet), the best way to build an email list using Facebook is by doing Facebook Lives and making the Call To Action a link to your lead magnet. You can drive some Facebook ads over to the lead magnet to get people to sign up. When people ask questions or need help related to your lead magnet during the broadcast, that’s a natural way to drive them to your landing page and connect them to your content.
How do I build an email list for my blog?
You'll want to make sure that at the end of the blog post (or even throughout the blog), you have prompts that direct the reader to your lead magnet or freebie such as “For more information, get my XYZ, my five tips to XYZ.” Always include an email sign up link.
How do I use email marketing to build or maintain my email list?
To build or maintain your email list through email marketing, the key is to have great content. If you have great content and you’re providing tips that are useful, it's more likely the reader will forward it to others and encourage them to subscribe. The piece ends up selling unto itself.
What's the best way to collect email?
The best way to collect email is to have in place what I call a Lead Machine. This is a freebie or also known as a lead magnet. It's a piece of content that people want to get an exchange for giving up their email address.
Once you create content your target audience will want, set up a landing page or an opt-in page they visit to enter their name and email. Then they're immediately redirected to a thank you/fulfillment page where they can access that freebie piece of content. Their information is collected by email platform, triggering a series of emails sent related to that piece of content. Ultimately, the people join your email list. When you're sending messages to email subscribers regularly, they're receiving those messages and getting to know, like, and trust you, so they'll eventually become a client.
What are lead magnets?
Lead magnets are any type of content that's given in exchange for someone’s name and email address.
Remember – don’t over complicate your lead magnet. Essentially, they’re exchanging content for someone’s name and email to begin building a relationship. Some ideas for lead magnets are below:
- Audio recordings
- Video clips
- Checklists
- Worksheets
- Book excerpts
- Templates
- Quizzes
- Surveys
- Webinars
How do I create content for my email list?
Content is everywhere. Get into the mind of your target audience and subscribers. Think about your ideal avatar that's on your list. What is it that they need?
Here are some additional questions to spur content ideas! Ask yourself what:
- Are your existing subscribers curious about?
- Questions do clients ask you at initial meetings?
- Things do your clients commonly ask for help wth?
- Questions do clients commonly come to you with?
- Questions do people ask you when they find out what you do?
- Did you learn at a conference recently that would be valuable to discuss with your email audience?
- Article have you read recently that you want to share with your subscribers?
Don’t forget you can also include tools, tips, testimonials, and invitations to your own speaking engagements or events.
Who should the target audience be for my email list?
Your target audience for your email list is the same as your target audience/client avatar for your business. When you think about your business, you think about who you want to work with. You think about, “If I had a hundred of clients who were like X, that would be, make me really happy. And that is who your email list should be built for as well.
What is the call to action?
A call to action is a phrase or a short sentence that directs the reader exactly what action you want them to take. It can be as simple as:
Press this button to read more.
Click this link to register for the event.
Click play to watch this video.
What are conversion rates?
Conversion rates speak to follow through. For example, the total number of people who went to your website versus the total number of people who actually entered their name and email to get your freebie/lead magnet. In other words, if 100 people go to the web page and 50 people sign up for your lead magnet, you have a 50% conversion rate, 50% of the people who went there converted into taking the action that you requested.
Why is building and growing an email list important for small businesses?
It’s critical to grow your list for two main reasons.
You OWN your mailing list. It’s YOUR direct connection to your clients and potential clients. It's the easiest, least expensive way to build a relationship with current and prospective clients to grow your business. No one can control the list since you own it. On social media platforms and with other methods, you're at the mercy of the platform as to whether you can actually reach your audience. With email, you own the list and no one can change that. Your email list is a valuable business asset. If at some point you’re looking to sell your business, one of the assets they will ask about is your email list. The larger and more engaged email list you have, the value of your business and the more money you can charge for it when you actually go to sell your business.