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Oh list building! It has really been one of the more difficult tasks that I’ve done in my online business endeavors. Everyone laments that it is your most important asset as a business owner. Why is that you ask? The most important reason…no one can take your email subscribers away from you. It’s true, if you rely on other platforms to connect with your readers/customers you are at the mercy of that business. If they change their ways or go out of business you will too!
That said, many online entrepreneurs will scream from the rooftops that list building is super easy! All you need is a freebie and a way to deliver it. Put it out on the internet and voila instant success. I have never experienced this, so I don’t want you to give up if you feel the same way.
List building is a complicated science. It takes work. BUT… if you are a motivated entrepreneur you can build a list of subscribers even if you don’t have your own website! In this post, I will share with you how to start building your email list today. Even if you don’t have your own website or a paid product/offer to share just yet.
The longer you wait, the longer it will take to build momentum. The first thing I want to do is cover the components of designing your first freebie. Before you can list build, you need to offer something to readers/customers in return for their contact information.
Getting Started With The Right Resources
In today’s online world, there is so much information to consume. If you don’t have a solid freebie that your ideal readership or customer base is desiring, you will have a hard time with list building. Design, copy, and visual appeal are all important. Consequently, so is the way you market it to potential readers/customers. List building is really is a lot more complicated than just making freebies available on the internet.
However, if you need information on any of these other topics, I can recommend a great training program that has served me well in my business building endeavors. This is called The Business Lounge. I have learned so much in this valuable community where I can take endless amounts of classes to hone my craft and build my business. I get to collaborate, ask questions, and have access to mentors who are truly successful in today’s online business community. It is by far my most valuable resource I have in my corner.
The thing that sets The Business Lounge apart from other programs is the direct feedback you reach out for help or assistance. No other program I have been involved in has a direct line to the owner/operator. It is truly learning and coaching built into one. In addition, I can even get direct feedback on my work for no additional cost. I regularly get direct answers to my questions or feedback right from the company owner in the private Facebook Group! It is nothing short of amazing and without it, I wouldn’t be where I am at today in my business.
A Business Lounge membership is worth hundreds of dollars a month, and I have Kimberly Ann Jimenez to thank for my business successes thus far. You can get a 7 day trial for $1 to check it out. If you are pretty sure it is for you and want longer term savings, the membership is currently $99/month. But I got the hook-up! If you use my link you get a big discount and pay only $49/month for as long as you’re a member! You won’t regret trying it out! You can cancel anytime.
Designing The Perfect Freebie
Before you design a freebie, do some market research! Make sure that what you are creating is what readers/customers are searching for. This can be done easily by hanging out where your readers/customers are online and taking notes on what they are seeking. Once you have a following of your own, you can ask them directly for feedback or suggestions.
The freebie you create should help your audience. If it doesn’t solve a problem or help them achieve a goal, it will fall flat. Try using an easy design platform to create beautiful graphics and documents. I use Canva and lots of other savvy online entrepreneurs do as well. It is free to use! Once you have your freebie, you need a way to get it visible online. That is the next step!
How To Position Your Freebie
Now, you need to be focused on one thing…exchanging your freebie for an email address. In my opinion, this the hardest part! You need to make sure how you present the freebie is appealing and enticing. If you have a website, go ahead and use opt-in forms within your site to market and capture leads for those who sign-up for the freebie.
If you don’t have a website, you can use email marketing services to get your freebie out there! All you need is a landing page. Landing pages are one page websites and many email marketing services include these in your subscription to their service. Often optimized templates are available for use that have been designed to perform and convert readers. This saves you time and design headaches. The email marketing platform hosts the landing page without any additional cost. All you need to do is plug in your message, and link up your freebie.
I use and highly recommend ConverKit. They have an awesome selection of landing pages you can design and get online in minutes. I am all about time savings! If you need some help or a quick tutorial on landing pages in ConvertKit, you can download my free guide with the opt-in box above. If this is your first business venture, you may also want to grab the free business checklist below.
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Promoting Your Freebie
No one will get to your landing page or opt-in if you don’t promote it! You have to make your freebie visible to your readers/customers. You can do this for free or minimal cost. None of these methods require a dedicated website. All you need for this is your landing page. Here are ideas for promoting your new freebie:
- Post a link on Facebook (optional: you could also choose to boost the post or make and use paid ads).
- Pinterest pins are a great traffic generator and can be linked right to your landing page (optional: promote a pin or make an ad)
- Use Instagram posts or stories
- Post on Twitter
- Post links in related Facebook Groups you are a part of. This really works especially when the members are in your niche! Make sure to follow the group rules though.
- Respond to questions on discussion forums like Quora with a link back to your freebie/landing page.
- Create a video and post to YouTube with a link back to your landing page/freebie.
You’ve Got Subscribers, Now What?
Start building a relationship. Even before you put your freebie out into the online world, you should be thinking about how to connect with the readers/customers that downloaded your freebie. If you don’t stay visible, they will quickly forget you.
Make a plan to email your subscribers regularly and consistently. I recommend incorporating an autoresponder email sequence. You can do this pretty easily in ConvertKit. An autoresponder is a set of emails you create once and they automatically get sent when a new reader/customer opts-in on your landing page or website at intervals you select. This welcomes them to your tribe and introduces them to who you are and why you are passionate about solving problems for them by offering up quality content. You got this!
ConvertKit also has some cool analytics so you can get insights on what is or isn’t working with your freebie and make necessary adjustments to increase your conversions. You can also check out self-paced courses on all the above in The Business Lounge.
Other Helpful Resources
If you choose to market your new freebie via social media, you might need a social media management tool. If this is the case, check out CoSchedule because I couldn’t live without it!
If you’ve chosen to market via Pinterest, I can’t give enough props to Tailwind. Without it, I would be on Pinterest pinning ALL DAY. It would be a total waste of my time. With Tailwind, the pinning is done for me. All I do is upload my content and it is scheduled and pinned at the best possible times. Pretty cool huh?
Should you need some help getting yourself organized, check out Trello. It is an online platform dedicated to organization and workflow. Best of all, it’s free to use. If this post helped you out, drop a comment below or check us out on social media. Thanks for reading!
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