I've recently written about building an email list (such as this one) so that you can communicate directly with the people that follow you. People on my list have either come via Wix Marketplace, or they've signed up via my website which they may have found through social media.
The benefit of building your email list is that you are able to communicate directly with your followers away from social media (remember that newsletter I sent in the last week or two explaining why that was important - if you've not seen it, pop me a message over by replying to this email and I'll resend it to you).
People are savvy these days generally they don't want to give their email address out unless they get something in return. This something may be:-
A quiz (see my quiz).
Top 3 or Top 5 tip sheet
Resource library (behind a “paywall” which asks not for payment but an email address to access)
An ebook
A workbook (I've used this previously and if I'm talking at a networking event I always share the link to this prior to the event so I already have people's names and email addresses in advance).
A “how-to” guide
A checklist - for example, people in the holiday industry could include a checklist of items not allowed through airport security or a checklist of what to pack etc
Free webinar or masterclass
Design templates (ideal for graphic designers or social media managers for example)
A mini-email course
Access to a private support group (maybe on Facebook).
Industry insights
Using freebies is how I get people on to my list so that I can share my knowledge with them in the hope that one day they will either use me to design their high-converting website or they will recommend me to someone they know who may be looking for a website.
In the meantime, I'm sharing over 20 years worth of design and marketing experience and (hopefully) building trust in both my web design skills and my knowledge.
My email list is by far the highest converting piece of collateral I have. Each email generates several enquiries that often then convert into web designs. So let me share with you how this happens. I'm taking out the Wix Marketplace enquiries as they come via Wix but to drive my own sales it is a mix between the following:-
Posting on social media - I've previously sent emails on how to batch create 18 posts at once and other tips. I probably spend about a day a month on lining up my social media posts.
I try and blog several times a week (this has taken a hit recently due to family circumstances). From the blogs I'm able to create 10 individual pins per blog post that are lined up to go out one a week for 10 weeks. I use Tailwind for this.
I've joined several (paid) groups on Facebook, this is about integrating within communities and becoming known as an expert within my own field (Wix web design or websites designed in a day). I gladly jump in and help others and give lots of advice and how-to tips. These paid communities are usually part of courses or memberships of other like-minded coaches or small business owners. I also respond to people's requests for web designers and I've asked my friends and family to look out for these posts (usually in community groups) and tag me so that I can respond.
I also appear on podcasts and in-person networking events to share tips on web design and marketing) and always refer people to take my quiz or download one of my freebies.
Remember the most import thing (though not necessarily in the community and paid groups unless links are allowed) is to ensure that you always have a call to action within your posts, blogs or pins. My main call to action (CTA) is to Book a Discovery Call (which links directly to my calendar) but I also have other CTAs for example, I have a number of “freebies” on my site and so rather than constantly asking people via social media to hop on a call with me, to really start to pull people into my world, I have a section of freebies. Now some of my freebies are there for a limited time only and some are there permanently. I currently have:-
Find your design vibe quiz with 3 free moodboards
Inspiration & Elevation - Free to access Pinterest boards with ideas for colours, font combinations or even great phrases and sayings to help with copywriting.
My Quiz and PDF are both asking for email addresses for the downloads where my free Pinterest boards are there without any specific call to action but again Pinterest feeds back into my newsletter sign ups with their post CTAs.
Once people have signed up for my newsletters then they receive a daily sequence of emails for a few days just to give a deeper introduction into my little world and then they are moved over to this list with it's weekly (or so) emails.
It's always important that people understand that they can unsubscribe at any time - I often point out that if you don't want to hear from me then there's an unsubscribe link at the bottom of the emails.
I can help you set up your freebies, anything from bashing through ideas of what would work for your audience through (by spending 90 minutes 121 coaching you to get unstuck) to designing the lead magnets and helping you set up the tech and email sequences. Getting your freebies right is one of the best investments you can make!
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