If you don’t have an audience to share your business with, you’re missing out on sales.
Promoting your business is vital and marketing can be expensive. Growing an email list keeps you connected to the people who are interested and purchasing from you. It’s also a cheap way to market yourself.
If you have a new business, you have probably heard (over and over) that you need an email list. If you’re promoting online, a newsletter list is like gold to keep connected to your audience, grow a relationship with them so you build the “know, like and trust factor” with potential consumers.
Building your email list is the most cost effective way to connect with your ideal audience – consistently.
Marketing is all about building relationships and it can be a struggle to build a list when you don’t know where to acquire new emails to add to your list. So how on earth do you begin growing your list?
Here’s a few great ways to begin growing your list without the additional cost.
1. If you’re participating at an Event, be sure to walk away with emails – no matter what!
If you get involved in events where you can share your business, such as a vendor event, put out a jar and ask people to drop in their business card or write down their name and email on a slip of paper you provide. Make it prevalent that they will be receiving emails from you AND by adding their info, they are granting you permission to contact them. Create an incentive for them to give up their email like a draw, contest, or gift freebie that you’ll send them after the event.
You can also create a sign up sheet and again ask people to add their name/email to receive more offers, information etc. from you and that by adding their name, they are granting permission for you to contact them.
Always be sure to get permission!!
2. Create a resource on your website that someone can download FREE in exchange for their name/email. Again make sure they know they will be added to your list and will receive more contact from you via email.
Set up a single page with your offering and be sure to include an image or video of what you’re offering, a short outline of what their getting with a catchy headline and place a form to collect email addresses. Get them to confirm their email and abide by CAN-SPAM laws.
3. Start a blog, podcast or series (telesummit or video series for example) that you can promote through social networks and point people back to your website. Be sure to include a note (on the page they land on) that says something like “to receive more “like this” sign up for your newsletter” and then provide the form or a link to the form, to take that next step.
Let them know exactly what “next step” you want them to take and make it easy for them to do it!
If they took enough interest to hop over to your website, they already prequalify to be part of your list. Make it easy for them to keep connected to you for more great stuff.
Growing your list does not need to be hard or expensive. Your email list could be your biggest source of profits and your least expensive marketing asset!
Where to start?
A great free email program to get you started with growing your list and creating email campaigns is Mailchimp. Mailchimp allows you to send to 2000 people for free with opportunities to upgrade as you grow your list.
By the time you gain this many email leads, you’re probably well on your way to profits as well and could consider upgrading or tapping into other email programs that offer automation and additional programs to put your business on autopilot.
You can do a lot of the form building using this platform and automate some of the process right from the start.
Big Bonus Tip
If you want to 10x your efforts then find collaborative partners that are open to sharing your content (blog, podcast, series) and resources with their audience. Duplicate your own efforts exponentially and reach a wider audience by teaming with partners who will put you in front of their own audience members.
Check out membership at getitinniagara.com to find out how we can help you multiply your reach!
Be sure to get on the email list to learn more ways to build your business on a dime with great tips for your website, blog, newsletter and social media promotions. We have a lot of great information coming your way to help lift your business off the ground!