The Unfortunate Facts:
- Putting an event on Facebook or Twitter is NOT the way to get butts in seats.
- An email once a month or sporadically to your list will not build your business.
- Just having a “opt in to get my newsletters” on your website is not enough anymore.
Having an email list that is full of people who want to hear from you will:
- Increase your word-of-mouth referrals
- Attract joint ventures, affiliates, clients and speaking opportunities.
- Establish you as an expert in your market
- Build your business
- Attract your ideal clients
- MUCH MORE!
Common Mistakes
(and the sure-fire way to piss people off 🙂 and/or confuse your market and a confused mind will always say no.)
- Using gmail, hotmail, yahoo, etc. to send your mass emails – this is technically SPAM. Get an email manager like Mail Chimp, 1 Shopping Cart or Infusionsoft. [If you have online products that you are selling then get a program that is a shopping cart and email manger in ONE program. The only two programs that I know of that do that are 1 Shopping Cart and Infusionsoft.]
I’ve heard that Mailchimp is a great basic email manager that you can also put images in to make pretty newsletters. (People like pictures so this is a great idea.)
- Adding anyone you know to your newsletter list. I admit that when I first started my businesses I added friends, family, people I met once who gave me their business card, etc to my email list because I didn’t know any better. When you know better you do better.
Make this pledge, “I (put your name here) promise to only send emails to people who opt in to my list.”
I see this happen all the time – I meet someone at a networking group and a week later I’m on their email list. Or worse, I’m getting mass emails on email or Facebook and I can’t opt out. Yikes!
- Only emailing your list when you are selling something. Provide content and it’s your duty to your purpose to let people know how t with you. However, add value first.
- Being inconsistent with your emails. Bi-monthly or weekly are the best options. Once a month and people forget about you.
- Not having a “freebie” to compel people to join your list. A freebie is an ebook, video training, audio series, free report, etc. that gets automatically sent to someone once they submit their email and name. Set up your freebie to be delivered in the follow-up sequence or it’s also called an autoresponder. Give your best content in this freebie. When people get value they will want more from you. (You’ll see new freebies on my sites in the next three weeks.)
The “right” way to send people an email is only when someone has opted in.
People can opt in one of three ways:
- Opt in right on your website. People submit their name and email and confirm that they want to get information from you.
- People put their name and email on a list you circulate at an event. The list clearly indicates that they will be added to your newsletter.
- When you meet someone and they give you a business card, you get their permission to add them to your email list.
Ways to Build Your List:
- Offer a freebie on your list. If you want a great ebook or CD cover for less than $50, you gotta check out my guy Ovi. He lives in Europe and will do a fabulous ebook or CD cover for only $37. Check him out here: Absolute Covers
- Send consistent newsletters with content. Let your list know who YOU are – why you unique. When people do business with you they are buying YOU, not what you do. There are a billion people who do what you do -people want to buy from someone they know, like and trust.
- Use social media as a TOOL to get people to your site. Using Facebook alone to build your brand and a tribe who actually take action on working with you. Social Media does not replace have an email list.
These three things will build your tribe and attract clients, JVs, affiliates and referrals.
