How to Build Your Email List

Most of the time when someone asks how to grow their email list what they're really asking is, "How can I get 1,000 people on my list this month so I can hurry up and start selling to them?" Most people won't admit that, but honestly, if I could give one secret tip that would answer that question wouldn't you go for it in a heartbeat? 

The truth of the matter is, the very nature of a successful email list has nothing to do with its size. It has to do with the engagement and loyalty of the people on that list. And getting loyalty and engagement takes time, attention and quality content.

There are several things you need to do off the bat to make sure you're giving people every opportunity possible to opt-in to your list. It isn't easy to get someone's email address. It's your job to make opting in to your list easy and compelling.

Using Opt-ins to Build Your Email List 

To make subscribing easy, be sure you have several places on your blog where people can opt in to receive some type of free goodie. The side bar, and header of your site are common locations for an opt-in box. But you should also consider adding a pop up. Even though just about everyone will say they hate pop ups, the truth is, they work. Today's pop ups have settings that allow you to make them as customized as you like. They don't have to be the intrusive screen covering monstrosities of years past. 

Other great places to have your opt-ins:

Email signature line 

Social Media profiles 

Each blog post (up to five different types leading to the same freebie in each post) 

Business card 

Bios of guest posts you write for other sites 

Using Freebies to Build Your Email List

When creating your opt-in, you need a really amazing freebie. This should be something that offers a quick win to the person receiving it, but it shouldn't take you a long time to create. Consider the fact that the person opting in is probably a newbie in your area of expertise. Ask yourself:

What questions do newbies in your field want answered? 

Which questions do you get asked all of the time? 

What do you wish you'd known when you were first starting out 

Stay away from freebies that don't offer a really quick win for your reader. They'll put it aside to work on later and will probably never get back to it and, thus, never realize how valuable your content is to them.

Using Great Content to Build Your Email List 

No matter how many places you guest post, how many blogs you write or how many emails you send out, if you want to build your email list quickly, you need to provide really amazing content. Nothing you do will build your list more quickly than word of mouth. 

If you want people to share your terrific email with their friends, make sure those friends can easily find a way to add themselves to your list. Post snippets of your blog on social media and provide a spot on the blog to opt in to get a freebie that compliments the blog's content. Have a spot on your social media profiles where people can sign up for your list via an app or Call to Action in your header.

Building a strong, responsive email list takes time. It takes work. But if you leverage the work you're already doing to create amazing content that your followers love to read, you'll have a list of raving fans before you know it!

SOURCE

The 5 Keys to a Successful Online Business

Introduction  As with any other business, a successful online business too must have deep foundations based on these 5 key principles.

1. Targeted Advertising  Advertising online is now more powerful than ever.You can easily find and reach a very targeted audience for your offers and have people visiting your website in minutes! With many platforms now offering a functionality called pay-per-click (PPC) i.e. Google, Bing, Facebook, YouTube and Amazon, picking the right platform for you and your business is key.

If you are just starting out, consider at most 2 strategies only and master them. As tempting as it is to 'jump' around and see what works, you will save yourself valuable time, money and overwhelm, the latter usually comes from information overload. Have a clear understanding of who your ideal customer is and consider where they 'hang out' online before choosing an advertising platform.

2. Lead Generating Websites  Websites are not what they used to be a few years ago.You might find it hard to believe but those pretty websites where we used to visit and browse around looking at how company X products and services look and 'feel' don't work for sales! There is too much distraction happening and information overload does not help your prospect move closer to a buying decision, which is essentially what you want.

The technical term for the website you want to create is a Lead Capture Website.Other techie terms used interchangeably for the same is a squeeze page or opt-in page. These sites are 1 page only.

A well-designed page should 'tell' your prospect 2 things only! What you are giving the and what they need to do now that they are on your page. No other distractions allowed, not even your other cool products and your social media news-feeds.

The human attention span is down to 8 seconds; the goldfish in my tank has 9 or 10. Instagram is said to have 68% higher engagement compared to Facebook. Why? That double tap is genius. If you hang out on Instagram you know what I am on about. Last I heard; snap chat and vine are going in for the number 1 spot... well I am guessing we might be down to 5 seconds today! Now we know we need to be quick and direct about what we are offering our prospect before they click away. After all, they've been kind enough to give us 5 seconds of their time.

3. Build A List  Without being too fancy here, the main objective is to create a fans list that like and trust you. They are happy to buy from you anytime. In fact, I heard that if you become awesome at doing it, these fans can go temperamental if you are not selling them anything.They will chase you for more stuff to buy and you better have it ready.Now that is a good problem to have.Another marketing fact is, it's cheaper to keep an existing customer than to go out and look for one.

Think about your monthly marketing budget. I certainly don't want to spend more dollars to get the same customer every other month. I'd rather have a new one and still keep the old one who wants to buy again. Investing in tools to do this is key. Auto-responders such as aweber and mailchimp can get you started on the list building process without breaking the bank.

4. Provide Overwhelming Value  Actually, this right here should read provide overwhelming value.By providing value to your prospects you will build trust and desire for your offers. This is something that every online business should aim for. This will separate you from the competition. Come up with ideas for quality free gifts that you know your prospects and/or fans will appreciate and find useful in solving a problem or at least come very close to solving one.

5. Offer Quality Products & Services  In this digital economy age, quality is NOT important, it is EVERYTHING in your business. Information is literally oozing and available to anyone anywhere anytime. Think about how much information you are exposed to digitally in a day. That said, my opinion here for anyone selling anything to anyone online is, they should make it their business to get the one-word feedback every time and that is wow.

The online marketplace is a 2-edged sword. The very thing that brings you success has the same potential to bring you failure in equal proportions. Every time I want to trust and buy something I have never bought before, my reflex action is Google and I am there looking for reviews.

Final Thought  The truth is, it has never been easier as a business to be exposed to negative feedback than it is right now. One of my social media consultants said something the other day that got me thinking. Negative feedback online hurts a big brand or a small coffee shop in exactly the same way. In fact, some big brands will avoid being 'out there' online where they can expose themselves to disgruntled customers who only need to jump on a social platform and vent out!

However with quality products, raving fans on your side, and consistent application of these 5 keys to a successful online business... Happy Days!

Wishing you success.

SOURCE