Email is still one of the most effective ways to build your audience and develop a relationship with them so that they can learn to know, like and trust you.
But how are you going to entice people onto your email list? Is it enough to just have a sign-up form on your website that says put your name and email address to get my weekly hints and tips?
If you’re a big name and people are desperate to connect with you, then yes. But if you’re just establishing yourself you might need to give people something in return for their email address. Something they value that can demonstrate a little of what you are about.
Here are 4 ways you can build your email list
Give them a discount
This works really well with product-based businesses. When people hop on over to your site you could have a pop-up or sign up form somewhere on your website that says something like ‘Subscribe to our newsletter and get £10 off your first order’. It doesn’t have to be £10, it could be 20% - but you get the idea.
They’ll subscribe to your newsletter and then either get an instant email with a discount code or once they sign up be given the code instantly on your website.
Hopefully you’ll have one happy customer, on your email list, making their first purchase – voila!
Teach them something
This could be as simple as a pdf with something they want to learn – see below!
Or as complex as a Free mini-course – like my Facebook mini-course: https://debbiedooodah.co.uk/fbminicourse
Or a video series or webinar.
Essentially, you’re giving away some of your skills, to teach them something in the hope that they’ll go – ‘wow, that’s amazing, if they’re giving this away for free, imagine how fantastic it would be to work with them!’
Once they’ve signed up you need to then send them your course, pdf, video series or link to your webinar.
Use a quiz
We all remember growing up and flicking through teenage magazine and finding out what kind of cat we would be. Or reading Psychologies magazine and getting some insight into our characters and strengths.
Using a quiz to build your email list is effective for a number of reasons.
1. We all love knowing more about ourselves
2. It’s fun, and who doesn’t want to have fun
3. You get to really tailor your follow up emails based on their responses.
Take my ‘How Strong is your Brand Quiz’ https://debbiedooodah.co.uk/how-strong-is-your-brand
It will take you through a number of questions that will get you to start thinking about your business and your marketing and at the end you’ll get some information about how strong your business is and an invite to find out more by signing up to a email series.
In this email series I give specific advice to you depending on what stage your business is at. It’s a lot more personalised and you’ll be able to really support the reader with your advice, so that they see that you can help them with their business / dog / children – whatever it is that you help people with.
I’ve been using interact for my quiz.
Run a challenge
Every so often I run a Facebook Live challenge in a private Facebook group and I love it https://debbiedooodah.co.uk/fblivechallenge
It’s a fantastic way to really get to know people, and also to support people to do something that can be a little terrifying!
Your challenge can last as long or short as you like. I’ve seen people do 3-day Facebook group challenges or month-long email-based challenges.
The idea here is that the people that sign up to your challenge have some kind of transformation at the end of it. So feel more confident or learn a new skill and get to know you in the process.
Making it work
Alongside having a great lead generation offer, you have to think about the journey people go on after they’ve signed up.
What emails do they get, how do you make sure everyone gets links for discounts, Facebook groups etc?
You want people to establish a relationship with you, find out more about you, give them something of great value and you want to get to know them as well!
Deciding what to offer is the first stage in building your email list, but make sure that you consider all the stages so that people joining your list have a great experience!
