Building a profitable business takes time and energy. But using effective strategies such as creating a strong, responsive email marketing list can shave months if not years off of your efforts so that you can enjoy your business sooner rather than later.
I love having an email marketing list, or “community”, that I can stay in touch with anytime I need. Having an email list has allowed me to build a strong relationship within my community and position myself as an authority that people know, like and trust.
If you sell, or want to sell, any type of service then creating your own community is a powerful way to grow your business and enjoy it to the fullest. Here are the five basic steps to creating an effective, profitable email marketing list of your own.
1. Create an irresistible free offer
It’s not enough to offer a newsletter or ezine anymore. People are already overwhelmed with the number of subscriptions that they have. But people who are on the internet are searching for information and if you can offer a free offer that will provide them with some valuable information many people will happily exchange their first name and email address for this info.
Your free offer can be a written report, short audio or video tutorial, compilation of articles you, or someone you trust, has written, a list of helpful resources, free teleseminar, free interview, etc.
2. Create an email list and attach your freebie
I use Aweber to manage my email marketing list. They are reliable and affordable. You can set up your account and attach your free offer to the auto responder, or follow up email. If you are offering a free teleclass, etc just provide the call-in details in the follow up email.
3. Create an opt-in page
This is where people will sign up to receive the free offer. Be sure to include a catchy headline, bullet points about what is offered and an opt-in box so that they can enter their name and email address. You will use your email marketing account to create the opt-in box.
4. Add additional follow up emails
You want to continue to follow up with more valuable information. You can add articles, audio and video tutorials, new teleclasses, etc. This is your opportunity to build a long-term relationship with your community. But also keep in mind that it’s important to promote relevant products and services that you offer. Some people will stick with your free offer, but others will want to take that next step with you. Don’t keep it a secret!
5. Get traffic to your free offer
After steps 1-4 are set up you only need to focus on getting traffic to your opt-in page. You can use any or all of the following to cover your traffic: social media, joint venture teleseminars, article marketing, guest blogging, speaking, etc.
I hope this helps you move forward with your own email marketing.
