We all like something for nothing – particularly when that something is of value to us. On the other hand we don’t want yet another boring newsletter landing in our inbox. What have these two facts got to do with each other?
They’re both common approaches businesses and consultants use to build their lists.
A free valuable document is an easy ‘sell’. People are willing to part with their email address to get their hands on a document that will help them in some way.
Very, very few people will give you their email address if they think that all they’ll get is a boring newsletter.
If you want to build your list you need to:
- Understand your potential clients biggest problems
- Create a document that shows them how to resolve those problems
- Give the document an attractive title that tells them enough to make it irresistible
- Create a form using an online data management site (e.g. Mailchimp, AWeber, etc.)
- Place the form near the top of your website’s home page
- Provide a hidden page where people can download their document.
So now you’ve got your lead magnet, or ethical bribe, set up. You need to promote it on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest – all funnelling people to sign up on your website. You could even invest a little and run a Facebook ad campaign to drive traffic to your website to build your list quicker.
Now your list will grow.
So you’ve got a list of people who have demonstrated an interest in your area of expertise, now what?
Well, you don’t want to send them a boring newsletter – but you could send them a newsletter full of value, with more high-quality content. If the material they get from you is consistently high they won’t hit the delete button and they won’t be unsubscribing any time soon.
These are the people who you can also target with useful emails helping them with those difficult challenges – and, of course, offering your help. Some of them will turn into customers.
