I believe one of the secret weapons in a business is the eNewsletter. It is a main way you can stay connected with past clients, future clients, and those who are interested in what it is you are doing. But…before you are ready to send out newsletters, you must build your list.

Build Your List with An Irresistible Opt-in Offer

This past week, someone was ranting on Facebook about how impersonal it was to say “list-building”. She was suggesting that everyone started saying “build my tribe” instead. Whatever it is that you decide to call it, let’s call a spade a spade: You need a list of people to email if you are going to add this into your overall content strategy plan.

But, you might be asking, how do you get the names on your email list? This whole entire process begins with you crafting a compelling opt-in offer (sometimes called a lead magnet). You must offer a good reason for a customer to welcome another email into their already overwhelmed inbox.

  • Did you know that 40% of customers are willing to give permission to be emailed in return for something of value?
  • And, with 66% of customers likely to make an online purchase as a result of a marketing message, the opt-in/lead magnet is your golden ticket.

Many business owners get stuck and often call me to ask, “Well what should I offer? I don’t know what my people want.”

The first thing you must do is figure out what your peeps want. Mainly, you do this by thinking about what it is you want to be known for. For myself, it’s how to use content to build your business. So…my opt-ins always focus on content-related offerings.

Next, you must decide how to deliver the content in the opt-in. Will it be an ebook, podcast, special report, checklist, or tele-class?

Once you have decided on the content, and the format, you are ready to craft your landing page. A landing page is simple and to the point. It tells what it is that you are offering, and then asks for an email address. You can check out my opt-in landing page for a great example to follow.

Email marketing is NOT dead. But, you must have a compelling offer so that you can secure email addresses of interested prospects.

How are you using opt-ins to build your email marketing list? {tweet this}