If you are sending out a weekly newsletter, you probably spend a lot of time planning what you are going to talk about to provide your audience with great information and lots of value. You make sure the images you are using match your content and when you hit the send button a sense of accomplishment sets in.
Until that moment when you get the notification that somebody has unsubscribed from your list. I remember the feeling, I used to cringe and think
“Oh no what went wrong, how was my email not of service…”
and would dig into the metrics only to find the reason for the unsubscribe was not specified.
You see, unsubscribes are inevitable. They are going to happen with every email you send out and here is why this is a good thing. They were not strong leads to begin with, so it’s better to have a list of people who appreciate your content and engage with it than having a bunch of dead leads who never even open your email. (Eventually you might want to purge those from your list for that very reason.)
On the flipside that is why it is so important that you consistently build your list. As a small business owner you have a limited budget to advertise your products & services, so you want to make sure you take advantage of the tools that are available to you for FREE and email marketing is one of them.
So let’s talk about how you can grow your list quickly with quality leads, meaning people that are interested in what you have to offer and excited to get your emails every week.
Here are 5 ways that will help you do just that:
- FREE GIVEAWAYS
Create an irresistible giveaway you know your audience wants to get their hands on. To find out what that is ask them, start a conversation in a group, survey your existing list or simply talk to your ideal clients what would be of great value to them. I have found checklists, cheat sheets and guides work really well.
- CHALLENGES:
Start a challenge. Could be 7 days, could be 30 days, you decide. Offer daily email tips on a particular subject. This could be a variety of things depending on what business you are in. I’ve seen a lot of health, mindset, business building or yoga challenges out there. When somebody signs up they receive a sequence of emails on the subject.
What I recommend to my clients is to also create an organic hashtag to go along with it and incentivize people to spread the word by giving them the opportunity to win a price ( this could be a tool kit, a free business strategy session, a private yoga class or a book you send to the winner.)
- PREVIEW CALLS:
If you are a coach invite people to come on a preview call where you share great content and provide value tied to a specific program you are offering.
- WEBINARS:
This is a great way to build your list. Create a webinar on a topic your audience struggles with. Again do your research to find out what your audience really wants to learn about and then offer a 1 hour webinar where you teach this topic. Don’t forget at the end of the webinar to talk about your product and service and give people an opportunity to sign up for it.
- MEET-UPs, NETWORKING EVENTS,…
Any time you go to a networking event, tell people what it is you do and when you collect their cards, ask for permission to add them to your list. If you are speaking at an event, have a sign-up sheet at the reception desk and direct people from the stage to sign up. If you own a fitness or yoga studio, have the sign-up sheet out for new students to fill in.
There are of course more ways how you can build your list. Personally I have found the above to be the most effective ones for me.
As much as growing your list is important, building a relationship with your audience is vital to the success of your business.
When you communicate regularly and provide value every single time, then you will be top of mind when they need a service like yours.
Much love,
Simona