How to Build Your Email List with Facebook Offers

Two marketing challenges frequently face online entrepreneurs:

1. How to convert social media followers into quality leads
2. How to get content on their Facebook business page seen by more followers in the newsfeed

I’ve been experimenting with a strategy to conquer both challenges after I received a quick Facebook page “makeover” from Erin Tillotson.

 I was whining mentioning to Erin that I was tired of having to “pay to play” on Facebook. I want the people who voluntarily liked my page to be able to see my content without having to buy ads. Sounds reasonable, right?

So, Erin showed me how to create an Offer (which is considered an ad) without having to pay for it. This is legitimate, no black hat funny stuff.

In the video, you can watch as I show where to create an offer (starts at 07:44 min).

I decided to experiment with a Facebook offer and promote my free Visibility Boost! eCourse. My goal was to make an offer to get the free eCourse which  would direct my followers to provide their email address in order to get the seven free visibility tips delivered over seven days.  You can see the offer embedded below:

You can see some of the results on the offer (at the time of this post’s publication):

• The offer has been shared 12 times
• 101 people have claimed the offer
• 4 comments on the offer

What you can’t see:

• 13,848 saw the post in the newsfeed
• 51 people actually opted in to get the free tips in the first 5 days the offer was live
• 50% conversion from offer claims to eCourse optins
• 32 new Likes on my Page

While these numbers may not be earth shattering, they do bear mention because my experiment has introduced 51 new people into my world. Over time, some of these new people may become customers when I introduce a new Visibility program, and a few may become mentoring clients. And I did not have to spend a dime on ads to get my offer in front of them.    

What you need to prepare before you create an offer

Before you dive in to the ad tool to create an offer, it will go more smoothly if you prepare a few things first. If you’re making an offer with the intention to build your email list, then of course, you need to have something to give away. I suggest you consider an ebook, video course, checklist, webinar, etc. Offering a subscription to a newsletter may not be compelling enough unless you’re really well known and can make a strong case to subscribe.  Here’s what else to prepare:

1. You offer should be on a dedicated page with it’s own URL. Don’t send people to your home page or a blog post and make them work to find your freebie. Send them to a landing page for your gift.
2. Attention-grabbing headline for your offer – 25 characters
3. Description – 90 characters
4. An image that reflects your offer – 560 x 292 pixels
5. URL for the landing page
6. Use the “terms and conditions” to add info about what your prospect will get when they claim your offer

This is what your prospect receives via email when they claim your offer:

The part outlined in red and highlighted in yellow is the copy you can add under Terms and Conditions. Many people don’t include any additional information which I consider a wasted opportunity.

Bonus Tip: After you create your Facebook offer and it’s live on your Page, pin it to the top so it stays visible when new people click through to your page.

There you have it. I’d love to know how you’ve used offers to build your email list. Post your comments below and share your results and experience with Facebook offers.