If you’re new to building an online business, I’m sure you’re focusing a lot of your time and energy on social media. But let me ask, are you actively building your email list?
For those of you who are new to the game, email list building might not be something you’re as familiar with. But it’s something you should start prioritizing today. As marketing expert Amy Porterfield says, “The energy of your business is directly tied to the strength of your email list.”
To get started, I recommend downloading the FREE guide to go along with this post. Just click the image below and start learning how to build your email list today!
So why is an email list so important?
Because social media is changing on a daily basis. You can have all the likes, followers, and subscribers in the world but if you don’t have them in your ecosystem, you’re probably not going to last long in business.
As the landscape of social media is constantly evolving, it’s never been more important to have an email list in case something happens. I’ve personally had a Youtube account shut down in the past and it took six months to get it back. For some entrepreneurs, this would instantly kill their business.
The point is, you don’t control these platforms. They are billion dollar companies that are constantly looking to grow and generate more revenue.
But one thing you do always control is your email list. I talk more about the power of an email list in this Youtube video:
3 Ways to Build Your Email List
As the old saying goes, “The money is in the list” because it’s true. Social media is great but at the end of the day, you’re at the mercy of these giant companies. Algorithms changes, ad platforms increase, and other issues that are out of your control. And I don’t want your business to suffer from something that is out of your control.
The number one goal is to get your fans, followers, and subscribers to your list so you can create a sustainable and growing business.
If you can get someone in your email list, then you can guide them through the journey of your product or brand. Creating a big email list is the best way to ensure your audience is learning about your product or service, staying engaged and converting into sales.
Here are three ways I recommend building your email list from social media fans and followers.
1. Offer a Legitimate Bribe
A “legitimate bribe” is the oldest and easiest way to build your email list. The idea is to offer something of high value that is 100% free to your audience. And if you’re new to online business and this sounds complicated, trust me it’s not that hard to get set up.
Here are a few easy methods to deliver high value to potential clients totally free:
Free Ebook, Checklist or PDF
The easiest way to get started is a simple PDF or ebook based on a specific part of your particular topic. What type of “legitimate” bribe will depend greatly on your audience, industry, and ideal outcome.
For example, if you’re a fitness coach you might provide an intermittent fasting checklist on the do’s and don’ts of getting started. Or if you’re an author, you might provide one or two free chapters of your books to download.
I recommend having different types of opt-ins on your website so you can track and learn what works best. You could have the best free bribe in the world but if it’s the wrong topic or style people won’t give up their email.
Email or Video Course Sequence
This is more complicated than a free ebook but still not much more difficult. All you need is an email autoresponder and video platform to get this set up.
You can deliver a free 3, 5, or 7-day email or video series to provide constant value to your audience. This makes it easy to upsell and also get your audience in the habit of hearing from you on a regular basis.
2. Convert Your Social Media Fans and Followers into Emails
You can have all the likes, followers, and subscribers in the world but if you don’t them in your list, there isn’t a ton of value in them. Here’s how you can convert your social media following into raving fans:
Convert Instagram Followers
Since there is only one link in your bio, I usually recommend having it lead to a specific landing page that is unique and targeted for your Instagram audience. You want your squeeze page to help to offer them the free lead magnet from step one.
Or, if you have several links for your audience, make sure to use Linktree or Lynx in Bio. These are great low-cost resources to help increase your know, like, and trust factor.
Convert Facebook Fans
Facebook has a few options for growing your email list. The first one is through Facebook ads that are made to convert users directly into subscribers. Keep your squeeze page simple and run a small daily or weekly budget to constantly get new subscribers into your funnel.
On the free side, you can gain more email subscribers by adding content that leads to magnets or blog posts that are highly optimized for new subscribers.
Go ahead and pin me below to share with your friends!
Convert Youtube Subscribers
Youtube is great place to grow your email list as the audience is highly engaged compared to Instagram and Facebook. A recent article on Hubspot recommends to, “Add hyperlinked ‘end cards’ to your YouTube videos that encourage people to subscribe to your channel via their email address.”
The other main spot to promote your product or service is your video description. Make sure to fill out your description with links to specific courses, opt-ins, and relevant offers that match your video content.
Using these opt-ins throughout social media will ensure you attract your ideal customer and not your nightmare client.
3. Funnel Them into a Webinar
My all-time favorite way to get people from social media to my email list is to get them into a webinar. Here’s why you should start running webinar as soon as possible:
Webinars Build Trust Quickly
If you’re getting someone to watch a 60-minute webinar and 45 or 50 minutes of the webinar you’re not doing anything but providing free value you’re ahead of most of your competitors. To sign up for webinars people will need to give you their email address so you can send the registration link.
Not only do you get their email there’s a high chance you convert them into a client as well. Webinars convert at a much higher rate than any sales page so it’s a great way to get an email and possible sale.
I’ve found webinars to work great after a youtube video as people have already watched a longer form video.
Final Thoughts on Your Email List
I can’t stress enough how important it is to build your email list. If I lost all of my social media tomorrow I wouldn’t be worried because I’ve spent so much time cultivating my list. This ensures I can still make sales, build relationships and grow my business.
Start using these tactics to start monetizing your email list and building up your brand.
Before you go, grab your FREE guide to go along with this post. Just click the image below and start learning how to build your email list today!
