Hopefully, you were able to catch up on the posts I’ve written in the 8 great tips to grow your email list series. If you haven’t, don’t worry, this post is independent of them. You may still want to check them out because it will help you grow your email list.
You’re The Expert
You spent a lot of time learning and becoming the best at what you do. Many people would love to have your level of knowledge but it’s not something you gained overnight.
If you don't share your skills, nobody will ever trust you have them. Share on XHelping people grasp what you do isn’t going to make potential clients self-sufficient so they don’t need your service. In fact, giving your potential clients a taste of what you do gives them a new respect and understanding for what you do.
Sharing gives them something helpful they can apply instantly and begins your process of building trust and your brand. The methods I describe below give you the opportunity to build a relationship with your client’s through email. You’ll be able to build trust and become their primary resource for the service you offer.
Say you’re a graphic designer who specializes in logo design. If you held a webinar about how to create a logo that connects with customers, you’ll connect with a lot of small business owners who are trying to figure out ways to better connect with their customers.
It’s true you will get a lot of leads who are do-it-yourselfers hoping to create their own logo, but not everyone will be. Many will realize it’s not as easy as they thought, and will look to you for guidance.
You may offer questions to ask, things to keep in mind when doing audience research, etc. That’s great to know for the participants, but it takes a lot of time and many will realize they just don’t have the time to do it right. You’ll equip your potential leads with the questions and knowledge they need to find a person who is going to create a good logo for them.
You already provided a lot of good answers for them, and now you’ll have them in your email list, you’ve also established your brand with them. With all this work, you’re the natural choice once your services are needed.
Teach Something
Here are a few ideas and ways to teach your target audience and capture leads for your email list:
Webinar: People are hungry for quality information that’s easy to digest. Webinars are a great way to give people what they want. You’ll also be able to communicate with your audience and answer questions live.You can create a sign-up form for your webinar that collects all the info you need.
People are hungry for quality information that's easy to digest. Share on XRegistration for your webinar can be tied directly into your email list (you need to contact them with the webinar info right?) Your sign-up form should collect all the info you need to get in touch.
You can take sign-ups with any email marketing provider. Once it’s close to your webinar date, email a link out to all the recipients who signed up for the webinar. Tools such as GoTo Webinar are great for holding the webinar. Just be sure you’ve tested out the system and how the system works before it’s time for your webinar.
You could also use Google Hangouts on Air to host your webinar. Google Hangouts on Air is free and if you have a Google account, you’re ready to go.
Course: If you’re not enthusiastic about hosting webinar’s and the regular work they require, a course may be a better option. A course is also a good option if you want to go into more depth on your topic.
Creating an online course is a great way to keep a steady flow of potential leads. Share on XThere are many platforms you can host a course on and it’s fairly simple to get going, aside from the time it takes to organize everything. When looking for a platform, it’s a must that you’re able to tie into your own email list and not have someone else own it.
A good provider that lets you tie your course into your own email marketing solution is Teachable. The cost of entry is minimal (or free) and it provides room for growth. Avoid providers such as Udemy or Skillshare which own contact with your students. If someone else owns that communication, it defeats the purpose of building the course and bringing students into your email list.
Grow Others, Grow Yourself
Equipped with these ideas on how you can help others by teaching them something, you’ll also be able to help yourself. You’ll be able to gather qualified leads to help build your brand and reach potential clients. At the same time, you’ll be helping those on their journey to learn. You’ll be positioned nicely to be in the right place at the right time when your service is needed.
This is one part of a larger strategy to allow you to grow your email list. If you missed the other strategies to fine-tune your email marketing growth, check out the complete 8 great tips to grow your email list. If you just want a brief overview, this infographic might help you out:
