Posts Tagged ‘newsletter’

Build it and they will come.  Sound familiar?  Well it might work for baseball fields but in today’s market it doesn’t work for list building.  Just because you’ve built this great site doesn’t mean people will continue to come back to it.  And worse, just because they visit the site at all doesn’t mean visitors will automatically sign up for your newsletter or other offer.

So what is a small business owner to do who wants to build a list?

I can think of 25-30 ways to build your list; let’s look at the top five:

1.       From Your Website: People are inundated with offers, newsletters and other information pouring into their email boxes daily.  But when someone does visit your site you want to be able to offer them something of value.  Offer them something really juicy to encourage them to fill in their contact information. Many people either offer a FREE Report, FREE Audio Tips Series or what is getting more popular a FREE Video Series.  You will need to have a automated mailing system to automatically deliver your FREE offer.  I recommend www.1Shoppingcart.com and  www.Aweber.com.  They have different features but the one thing they have in common is that they are both have an email management and auto responder system.

2.      From Your Emails: One of the biggest pieces of unused marketing space that most small business owners fail to capitalize on is at the bottom of their email message.  When you send an outgoing email include a well-crafted, 5 line or less signature message.  Include a link to your website with a call to action to sign up for your FREE offer.  I have personally gotten a ton of new sign ups from using this marketing tactic.  Remember it is not advisable to just sign someone up who has not asked to be put on your mailing list.  Instead invite new contacts to sign up for your FREE offer or newsletter.

3.      From Speaking Engagements: Giving talks and speeches are great ways to get recognized and to build your list.  You can have participants sign up for your newsletter or FREE offer while at the event.  If you use a service like www.aweber.com or www.1shoppingcart.com you will be subject to double opt in rules when adding names to your list.  Meaning that if you add someone to your list and they did not want to get your newsletter they will not confirm the request when it hits their in box.  No confirmation means they don’t get on your list.

4.      From Your Articles: At the end of your article make sure that you include an “About The Author” paragraph. Include a call to action with a link to your website where they can sign up for your FREE offer.

5. From Your Newsletter: When a newsletter is filled with great content it becomes noteworthy to the reader.  Don’t you just love to share something that you just found that could benefit someone else?  Well the same is true for a well written, tip filled newsletter.  Your current readers are sure to send along your great newsletter.  Make sure to include clear direction in your newsletter on how new readers can get your newsletter delivered directly to their in-box.

There are so many strategies to build your list and gain loyalty.   But remember the single most important action you can do with your list is to cultivate a relationship with your subscribers.  Because of this relationship they will grow to appreciate your products and services and are likely to buy from you again and again.