This blog post is for everyone that wants to learn how to build an email list and to help you do just that we are going to be talking about the 7 secrets I’ve learned about list building over the years.
These are 7 of the best tactics you can use to build your list and to… build your list with buyers.
Now to get started I want you to picture this…
I know a guy who had trouble making friends at school. And this is a problem that he had for a long while.
One day he got a really good piece of advice from someone though… “If you want a friend, be a friend.”
And he says even though he didn’t appreciate it at the time, that’s probably the best advice he’d ever gotten.
He finished school with very few friends and proceeded to blame the world and everything outside of his control for poor luck with women and people in general.
Many years later he read a book by Dale Carnegie called “How to win Friends… blah blah blah…” you know the book.
In that book Carnegie says, “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”
And then the advice that he had received all those years earlier came zooming into focus and clicked.
Funny how that works. If you want a friend, be a friend. It made a really big difference for him.
Acquiring leads for your business is important.
Your warm email list is the core of your buying audience.
The best way to put genuine people on that list and keep them there is by being a genuine friend to others.
Online that means trying to be useful to the people you are trying to serve, and also being useful to your peers who you are trying to network with.
Now I am about to be give you several strategies for lead acquisition. At the heart of making them all successful though is that one simple rule:
If you want a friend. Be a friend.
Alright let’s get started with the 7 secrets of list building…
Secret 1: The Bonus
Did you know that a great way to build a list if you do affiliate marketing is to ask for a bonus spot on the product download page?
Essentially you will give the product vendor a link to an opt-in form that will give the buyer access to your thing.
The beauty here is that these are straight buyers leads and extremely responsive.
Secret 2: Giveaways
You can put thousands of targeted people on an email list by running a giveaway.
The key here is to give away something with a high perceived value. Gift cards, physical products, and coaching or consulting are all good choices.
Secret 3: Content Upgrades
Another effective way of putting more targeted people on your list is by taking your simple list style blog posts and extending them in exchange for an email.
So, for example, if you have 5 great traffic sources in your blog article, then do 5 more and ask them if they’d like to see 5 more great sources? Just opt in here.
Content upgrades work great.
Secret 4: Product Launching
This is an extremely effective way to put responsive buyer leads on your list.
There is a learning curve to doing it right, but mastering the art of digital product launching is worth your time for getting some of the highest quality leads you can get.
The key here is to consistently put out great paid content. Create, Package, Release!
Secret 5: Light Box
You know that annoying pop up that bothers you when you are trying to read blog articles?
Well that is a really effective way to put people on your list. More effective than any sidebar opt-in or ribbon opt-in. The pop up is engaging and impossible to ignore.
The trick here is to have it appear as much as possible until they opt in. Exposure is key. Don’t worry about it seeming annoying.
As a general rule people need to be exposed to something 7 times before they take action. It’s just an estimate but the point is clear… the more they see something the more they take action.
Just make sure you have a good lead magnet and you are all set.
Secret 6: High Value Easily Consumed Lead Magnet
Your job of putting targeted people on your list becomes 10 times easier if they actually want to BE on your list. That means giving them something worthy of their email.
Things like checklists and cheatsheets work great because they are easily consumable and promise to not take a lot of time to get through. The downside is that they do not give you a lot of chance to build rapport.
You can combat this by adding a bonus link on your cheatsheet or checklist to a free video workshop or ebook, which will give you a chance to expand upon the cheatsheet but more importantly allow you to build rapport.
Secret 7: 2 Step And Just
It’s been tested time and again and the 2 step opt-in performs much better than the 1 step opt-in.
What do I mean by that?
I mean when you are offering that free thing, just have a “download now” button. When they click that button, then it asks them for their email.
That’s the 2 step optin.
Next is the “JUST” part. Just ask what is absolutely necessary.
The more you ask for the less opt-ins you will get. In many cases you can just ask for the email.
You don’t need the name, you don’t need the cell number. Just the email.
Remember the relationship is brand new. Asking for all those things creates a higher barrier to entry.
There you go, the 7 secrets I have learned over the years on how to build a list. Building an email list is not just about numbers and conversions. It’s about creating meaningful connections with real people who trust and value what you have to offer.
Remember, at the heart of it all, is the simple rule: “If you want a friend, be a friend”. Just like my friend who learned the power of genuine friendship, you too can apply this principle to your online endeavors. Be useful to those you serve and supportive of your peers.
Always remember that the core of your email list is made up of real people with their own needs, desires, and dreams. Treat them with respect, nurture the relationships you build, and consistently provide value. When you do, your list building efforts will flourish with engaged and responsive subscribers who genuinely want to hear from you.
