Growing Your Email List

With a wealth of technology at our finger tips, it can sometimes to be hard to know when and what to give our focus and energy to. We know what social media platforms we are comfortable using for our personal lives, and this often follows into the platforms that we choose to use for our business too. But with so many different options to us, do we really need an email list, and how can we build one?

In my opinion, yes! And the answer, lead magnets!

Whilst we can easily get drawn into obsessing over social media numbers, whether that be follows, likes, engagements, what’s currently trending on that particular week, it is not the be all and end all. Don’t get me wrong, those aspects relevant to keep a consistent online presence, but followers don’t automatically equate to sales, plus you never really own their personal information.

By this, I mean that having someone’s social media profile does not give you their direct contact information. When we post on social media, we are reliant on the platform’s algorithms, and this means that even a hugely successful post with a very high engagement will only reach a certain percentage of your existing followers (plus some new ones too hopefully!). It is also worth bearing in mind, that the platform itself can close down your page and subsequently your followers too. It’s not often that this happens, but it is a possibility. If that was to happen to your business, would you be able to contact any of your customers?

When your business has its own email list, this is your information to keep (at least until they unsubscribe). Generally speaking, it also means that the individual has a direct interest in your business and what you have to offer, as opposed to being friends or family that have liked your page and engaged with your posts to support you, but won’t necessarily transmit into sales or bookings.

So how do you go about obtaining these emails? This is where lead magnets come into play!

What is a lead magnet?

A lead magnet is a free resource that you offer to your target audience. It is essentially the carrot that you dangle to entice your target audience to sign up to your email list or newsletter. You may be fortunate enough to have people who choose to sign up of their own free will, maybe previous clients or customers, but a lead magnet can also really help boost your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and Google rankings.

Examples of lead magnet ideas

There really is no limit as to what you can offer as a lead magnet for your business, but here’s a few ideas:

A discount code to use in your online shop
A free download
A free guide to a specific subject
An e-book
A cheat sheet
A mini-course
A free strategy call
A webinar

And the list goes on!!

A good rule of thumb, is to put yourself in your target audience’s shoes… what can you help them with? What are their pain points? And if you were them, what would entice you to find out more about your business? Maybe ask some previous clients what their key highlights were from working with you.

If you need help creating your lead magnet and integrating it into creating an email list, then this is something I can help with, so please get in touch!