Perusing the LinkedIn groups I belong to, I stumbled on this question:
"Here's a standard, oft repeated and elementary question, but one I could really use some answers to about now: What are some of the most effective and ethical ways of building one's mailing list for a relatively new coach?"
I've had conversations with two VIP clients about list building in the last couple of days and offered several ideas. Here's the answer I gave on LinkedIn:
Here's the standard, oft repeated response: give away something of value in exchange for an email address. 🙂
It does work. Here are 8 gifts you can give away to build your email list:
- A report
- an interview
- a series of videos
- a white paper
- a free teleseminar
- a workbook
- an mp3 of a program
- a webinar….
A few years ago I did a series of interviews called Conversations with Experts, every week for over a year. The first one had about 20 people on the call. By the end, hundreds were signing up. And that's before there was Facebook and Twitter. Often the person you interview will invite their list to sign up to hear the interview.
I still offer freebies to build my list: 5 free videos on how to get the best out of your blog; a 7 part eCourse on how to boost your visibility on the web; a free audio on 5 Critical Tactics for Business Blog success.
I put a subscribe form on my FB page, on my website, on my blogs. I send tweets periodically inviting people to get the freebie. My list grows every day.
Hope that gives you some ideas!
Whether you're a coach or service professional or small business owner, the answer applies to you. In order to build a list of folks interested in your business and how you can serve them, you need to have something of value to give away.
You also need a list management system. I have used KickStartCart (1ShoppingCart private label) for a very long time and am happy with it. Others use InfusionSoft which is also a combo shopping cart/database management system.
But what if you're are starting your business and don't need a shopping cart and don't want to spend a lot of money at the outset?
There are many options. There are fees with most systems like Aweber, Constant Contact and iContact. But generally the fees are low when you have a small list and don't send too many email broadcasts.
While scoping out options for a client, I looked at MailChimp and was impressed. They have a lot of social marketing features built in and it's also scalable. Like Aweber, MailChimp offers an RSS to email option which means you can use the service to deliver blog updates as well as handle your other list building activities. KickStartCart does not offer that feature.
If I were starting new today, I would probably go with MailChimp because the service is free for up to 2,000 contacts and 12,000 emails per month.
Let's help out those who are just beginning the list building process. I have two questions for you:
1) What's your most effective list building tactic?
2) What list management system do you use and what do you like about it?
Recommended Reading: When Life Gets Crazy: How to Connect with Your List When You Don't Have Time
Get your Free eCourse with 7 Tips to Boost Your Visibility on the Web – easy to implement right now!
This article was originally published on Biz Tips Blog.
Great blog Denise!
Hi Denise,
I’ve enjoyed reading the post but struggle to see how any of the descriptions in the list will help my readers send me their emails, as my blog, http://www.fashionsewingblog.com is about encouraging people to make their own clothes. As a new blogger, I am struggling to establish what format is best to capture emails from my followers as the advice on my blog is free to view.
Thanks
Colleen G Lea
Colleen the idea is to offer your readers something they cannot get on your blog. Maybe create a workbook or a pattern or tips. The gift has to be compelling so your reader WANTS to give you their email address so they can get the gift you’re offering.
Thanks for your advice Denise, once a week I offer a sewing tip on my twitter page (may be a change of tactic here). The workbook I like the sound of but needs some thought to what information is needed to help my followers think of this as a sewing must have tool.
Colleen G Lea
1) What’s your most effective list building tactic?
Strategically positioning I as an expert mentor and coach in mindset and accountability programs has been the biggest and best foundation for my list building. As I positioned myself it built my list organically. I further position and build my list by writing articles, blogs, reports, eBooks, group coaching, masterminds, guest post on blogs, and have a podcast show to name a few.
2) What list management system do you use and what do you like about it?
I have been using Constant Contact and Aweber together for years. Great products! I am currently switching over to Mailchimp for all of the reasons that you listed above. It is also part of a bigger strategy around my positioning and list building.