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The Easy Way to Build Your Email List from Zero

Recently, I asked a few of my mentors what would be their first step if their business dried up and they had to start again from scratch.

They ALL said that step one would be to start building their email list. That’s because no matter how the rules change in social media – your email list belongs to you. Even though there are many new ways to get in touch with customers including text messages, Facebook chat bots, etc. Email is still going to bring your sales over time.

It is never too soon to start building your list. Any work you put in now will be paid back many fold in the future.

That’s why I’ve developed this checklist so you can be sure you have all the right pieces in place.

Here’s what you need to get started:

An Enticing Lead Magnet

This could be an ebook, video, app, e-course or anything else that has the following characteristics:

• It’s easy to deliver. (Typically, a digital download that you deliver automatically through your autoresponder.)
• It’s something your prospects really want. (Hint: do your market research to find out what it is that people really want.)
• It has a high perceived value.
• It solves a specific problem.
• It sells something else on the backend (such as your tripwire product).

A Compelling Opt In  or Lead Page

Even though your lead magnet is free, people aren’t going to knock down your door to claim it unless you build its value. That’s why you need to create a lead page that persuades people to fill in your opt-in form.

Keep these tips in mind:

• Be sure your lead page looks polished and professional.
• Lead with your product’s main benefits.
• Arouse curiosity about the lead magnet if possible. (With the
• idea being that the only way to satisfy that curiosity is by opting in.)
• Offer a call to action to get people opting in.

We really like Thrive Themes for lead pages.

A Reputable Autoresponder

Nowdays, it is fairly easy to find an autoresponder that will work for you without spending much money at first.   Our two recommendations are Mailerlite (which is has everything you need to get started and is free up to 1,000 subscribers) and Active Campaign (which has more features than Mailerlite and is a good next step).

An Initial Autoresponder Sequence

Generally, this multipart sequence should promote your tripwire product. A tripwire is a very valuable yet inexpensive product.  Keep these tips in mind:

• Offer an informational sequence that’s useful (to build good relationships and keep people reading), yet incomplete (which helps you steer people towards paid products).
• Provide a three to seven-part sequence that’s informative and engaging. Each email should build anticipation for upcoming emails. E.G., “Next time you’ll discover a little-known trick for getting rid of cellulite!”
• Craft benefit-driven, curiosity arousing subject lines to get the open. E.G., “Start a six-figure business for just $47?”
• Use responsive templates/HTML in your emails, as a large number of your subscribers will be reading your message from their mobile phones.
• Track and test your emails. It’s the only way to know what’s really working in terms of email subject lines, sales copy, calls to action, and even the offers themselves.

Finally…

A Commitment to Maintaining Your List

It does you no good to go through all these steps if you don’t intend to email your list regularly. So, commit to emailing them on at least a weekly basis, and you’ll see your list profits grow!

Want a step by step playbook to email marketing that works? Click here for my Email Marketing Playbook

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How to Get Crystal Clear in Less than 30 Seconds

The one thing that gets in the way of your success.

One of the biggest problems I see with the people I coach and help with Active Campaign is a lack of focus. One day my client  will be writing blogs, then she sees a teleseminar and suddenly is very interested in changing her strategy to You Tube ads.   You Tube Ads are great, but, she didn’t give her first strategy enough time to marinate before picking up the next one.   The truth is…

• building a community takes time
• building traffic (especially if you are going after non-paid traffic) takes time
• creating the systems in your business to really handle an influx of clients takes time.

How much time?  According to our Paycheck to Passion podcast series where we interviewed over 100 successful entrepreneurs, it takes a year and a half to three years before a business really “gets roots” and starts being successful.  That’s a LONG time when you are being supported just through your business.

Want to know a shortcut?

BIG companies (that disrupt entire industries) have something in common.

They are organized around a core question.

For example, Microsoft’s question was “how can we become the intelligence that runs computers worldwide?”.

So, given that core question – everything Microsoft did (and does makes sense).  They created an operating system.  They created Office suite.  They didn’t ever create computers – yet their products are used on most computers. They could grow in many different ways while staying within the frame they created for themselves.

Amazon’s core question was “how can we replace brick and mortar bookstores and become the go to place where people buy books (and later everything)?”

Starbucks might be “how can we become the nation’s “living room” by bringing the Seattle coffeehouse experience to every neighborhood?”

Thinking in terms of a question, rather than a niche is a great way to strike a balance between wanting to grow and try new things and allowing your business to stay focused enough to gain traction with your target market.

Thinking about your question.

What is your question?  If you were to think BIG about the contribution that you and your business make to the world – what would you like to do?  What difference could you make?

In terms of Active Campaign consulting, our question is – how can we transform small businesses and save time time for business owners by helping them use technology to build better, more authentic relationships with their customers?

What is your BIG question?  (Write it here and we can support you in making it true).