A few months ago, Facebook and Instagram had a major glitch for a few hours across the globe and the effects were dire. That’s right, we momentarily lived in a world where we didn’t know what everyone was having for breakfast!
But seriously, some companies lost a ton of money and had no access to their customer base because they built their audience on a platform they don’t control. It’s moments like that that remind us online entrepreneurs about the importance of having an email list.
The money really is in the list
Email is the number one way I’ve grown my business. Which means…if you haven’t got one yet, you need to get cracking! If you are ready to start building your list from scratch, the good news is that you only need a couple of things – internet access and an email marketing service provider.
There are a lot of companies out there that offer great features but let me just say that I am a very happy ConvertKit customer. As a loyal consumer of MY content, you can get started with ConvertKit with a free 45-day trial. So where are you going to find your first 100 subscribers?
It’s pretty simple: start by asking people you know. I bet you have more than 100 Facebook, Twitter or Instagram followers that would love to keep up to date with what you can help them with. Why not ask them? Message people and tell them about this great new thing you’re doing. Mention it when you meet people. Add it to your email signature. You’ll soon have people joining your list.
It doesn’t have to be just you doing all the legwork. Use your website. There are all kinds of places to remind people to sign up to your list so they can stay in contact with you. A handy one is a notice that pops up just as someone is leaving your site – something you can easily add with ConvertKit, by the way!
Creating a killer opt-in
Now let’s pour some gasoline on the fire! Let’s talk about your lead magnet. A lead magnet is a piece of digital content you create, such as an ebook or checklist that you position on your website to attract people into signing up to your email list.
You want to create a great high-quality opt-in offer. Something really helpful that solves a problem for your audience which they will get in return for giving up their email.
You want your opt-in to be so in-depth and visually appealing that you could put a price tag on it. Be sure to include an easy, quick win so people feel like you’ve provided great value and want to learn more from you!
Don’t forget, there’s nothing stopping you asking people who have signed up if they know someone else that would also like to receive your emails. You can instantly turn one subscriber into two and widen your network!
There are so many different ways you can build an email list but remember it not just a matter of having a list, it’s what you do with it that really counts. That’s something we will go into in more depth in a future video.
You want your opt-in to be so in-depth and visually appealing that you could put a price tag on it. Be sure to include an easy, quick win so people feel like you’ve provided great value and want to learn more from you! #Youpreneur Click To TweetWrap Up
If today’s video has helped you in some way… perhaps answered a few questions you’ve been having, or helped you develop a new idea or two.. let me know what your biggest takeaway was! I’d love to hear from you.
And don’t forget, you can watch my free training course ‘The Youpreneur Launchpad’ over on YouTube… it’s focused on helping you build, market and monetize your expertise better than ever before. I’ll see you in the next video!
Chris founded Youpreneur® in 2015. He is a serial entrepreneur, keynote speaker and author of the bestselling books “Virtual Freedom” and “Rise of the Youpreneur”. He hosts our podcast, live events and coaches our clients inside the Youpreneur Incubator. Chris is based in Cambridge, UK.
