You’re ready to build your email list so let’s learn how to start in just 3 easy steps!
In case you missed my previous post, Why You Need an Email List For Your Small Business to be Successful , you can read it HERE.
Now, before we begin, I wanted to point out that this post is just meant to cover the bare basics of starting an email list. This isn’t a deep dive post. The point is to start. I’ll be covering more in-depth topics in different posts.. If you’re havin one of those days-and the bare basics are still more than you’ve got time for… #1. Girl, SAME! and 2. I have a TL;DR section just for you HERE.
Now, if you’re ready- I’m going to show you how to start an email list in just 3 easy steps:
- Create the perfect offer for your audience
- Build your sign up form & write your confirmation email
- Get your sign up form out in the world and start adding leads
Be on the lookout for my Bestie Tips, sprinkled in to help you out! Mostly filled with the things I wish I had known when starting my email list and some hacks that I’ve learned along the way.
If you’re a small business owner looking to start with email marketing but you’re not sure how, sign up for my newsletter! I share the latest news, strategies and tips for all things email marketing! You’ll learn how to craft the perfect emails, engage your list to create loyal, repeat customers and build relationships. You’ll also get access to exclusive freebies and trainings!
There’s no gate keeping here! Let’s start building an email list, shall we?
Step 1: Creating Your Offer
When thinking about starting an email list, for a lot of people, this is where they get hung up. You’re probably thinking, “What the heck do I even offer people to get them to join my list?” But it doesn’t have to be intimidating!
This is where your unique experiences (also referred to USP- unique selling point) and individuality really helps set you apart!
Think about the systems you swear by. What processes do you use to make something in your life more efficient- people would be pretty interested in learning about that, right? Maybe there’s a special spreadsheet you use to balance your family budget that makes it stress free…Who wouldn’t love to make a tedious task less tedious?
And don’t worry about “not being an expert” in something. Studies have shown that you only need to be a step or 2 ahead of another person for them to see you as an “expert”.
I think not being an expert works better for you to be able to connect and sympathize with your audience. You’re not so far ahead of them in your journey that you forget what it’s like.
You have more to offer than you think
When starting your email list and deciding on your offer, it can be as simple or as in depth as you’d like. And you absolutely can create more than one!
Here are a few of the most popular opt-in offers from around the web:
- a pdf “guide”
- checklists
- ebook
- case study/report
- cheat sheet
- fill in the blank templates
- editable templates
- email course
- video course
- live or prerecorded webinar
- and the list goes on and on!
When starting an email list, you want your offer to be perceived as valuable. The easiest way to get people to join your email list is by blowing them away with what you have to offer for free.
Create intrigue and hint at the fact that they’ve only just touched on the tip of the iceberg of your knowledge and content!
*Bestie tip: When I’m referring to your “offer” It’s whatever you’re giving in exchange for the email address. You might hear it called a lead magnet, freebie, freemium…they’re all the same exact thing.
Let’s move onto the next step, now that we cleared that up!
Step 2: Build Your Sign up Form
When starting an email list, once you have your offer, you need a way to collect the email addresses of the people interested in that offer. What you need now is a sign up form which can come in a few different styles, depending on how and where you’re promoting it.
- having an embedded form on your website (either in a blog post or sidebar)
- using a pop up (the box that appears on a site with a sign up form)
- creating a landing page for your offer (This is generally a standalone page devoted soley to your offer and collecting email addresses. It’s sometimes also called a lead page.)
Let your lead page do your talking
Now if you don’t have a website to embed a form or activate a pop up, it’s totally ok because there are plenty of sites out there where you can create landing pages for free. Starting an email list is doable without spending a dime!
Regardless of where your sign up form is, you’ll want to be sure it includes a few key things:
A place for them to enter their email address
The title of your offer or what they’re receiving
1-3 sentences about what they’ll gain
Offer a solution-sell the win!
Whether you’re starting an email list or you’re a seasoned vet- you want to make your offer appealing to potential sign-ups. In order to entice people to join your list, it’s essential to highlight how your offer can improve their daily lives.
Highlight how it will make things easier or more enjoyable for them, and get them enthusiastic about what you’re offering. Show the results, sell the win-let them imagine what life would be like after using your product and how much better off they’ll be and they’ll be rushing to give up their email address.
*Bestie Tip: It’s important to mention that when you’re starting your email list, you want to create a tailor made sign up form for each offer you have. You should be speaking to each ICA (ideal customer avatar) on your sign ups, using what you know about them to speak to them directly.*
To keep things simple, let’s just say each offer is meant for a different person and when your sign up form speaks directly to that person, and not in generalizations, you’ll see a better sign up rate.
Keep in mind, potential sign-ups are all at different points in their customer journey. You don’t want to lose a potential sign-up because they don’t connect or relate to the generalized copy on your sign-up!
Before we move onto the final step, there is a second, very important part to step 2- your confirmation email.
The Confirmation Email
Now that you’ve built your sign up form and have a place for people to join it, you’ve gotta deliver! You have to give them what they signed up for!
When starting your email list and beyond, it’s important to have the confirmation email ready to send after someone signs up. In the confirmation email, you can choose to include your offer (as a zip file or a download link) or you can just thank them for signing up, tell them to be on the lookout and send your product in a completely separate email. This really is just a personal preference.
Bestie Tip: You can also use this confirmation email as a feedback/survey email and get to know your subscribers even better for future list segmentation.
Now don’t worry, all of this can be set up as an automation! When you’re just starting to build your email list, I know “automation” can sound like a big, scary word but it just means your email provider will automatically send an email (that you previously wrote) to anyone who joins your list or triggers a set of rules you’ve previously established.
Creating an email automation allows you to write your email, or a sequence (more on that later) once, set it up to be automated and not have to worry about it!
*Bestie Tip: Email automation can save you countless hours and there’s many email providers that offer the service in their free tier!*
Now we’re ready for the final step in starting an email list!
Step 3:Getting People To See Your Offer
Can you believe you’re about to have an email list??
*Bestie Tip: I just wanna say, “You rock!” I’m so proud of you for starting-that really is the hardest part, isn’t it? But you started. Now you’re just 1 step away from being done. In no time, You’ll be collecting emails like nobody’s business!
At this point, you’ve researched and created the perfect product. You’ve built an informative & exciting way for people to sign up. You’ve written and automated your confirmation email. All you need now, is for people to actually sign up for what you’re offering!
They can’t sign up if they don’t know you have it
You’ve gotta get your offer out into the world for people to see. Make them intrigued and excited about your offer and they’ll be more than willing to give up their email address. Just creating your offer, sign up form and landing page isn’t enough to fill your list.
You have to put your offer out there. A lot. A lot a lot.
I know, I know…you don’t wanna come off as salesy or spammy. You don’t want to feel like a bother to people or like a broken record. And you won’t- as long as your offer gives value and you deliver what they’re expecting.
Better yet-deliver more. Blow their minds with what you’re offering for free and people will be more than happy to trade their email addresses (and eventually, their hard earned cash!) for something they see as valuable.
Put on another hat-you’re officially an email marketer
How exactly do you let people know what you’re offering? Where do you put the sign up form you created?
The simple answer to this is – with content and everywhere. No really. EV. ER. Y. WHERE!
Don’t know what really counts as content? I have 11 ideas for content you can create in THIS blogpost. Once you choose what type of content you wanna create, you wanna make sure you’re creating content that highlights your offer- like how easy it is to use, or how simple it makes a certain task. Sell the result-how much better something will be after using your product.
Find pain points or issues that your product solves and create content around that. Potential customers need to see themselves in what you post. They need to feel that connection and say, “Oh, that is so me! This chick really gets me!”.
*Bestie tip: This is what a potential customer is looking for when they see an offer-wiifm, what’s in it for me? How will it make my life better? Tell them! Show them!*
Here are just a few options for where you can share the link to your offer:
- Facebook Groups (make sure it’s allowed first)
- on Your IG profile
- link in Social Stories
- Your website
- YT description
- Email signatures
*Bestie Tip: I want you to keep in mind that only about 6% of your social followers are seeing your content. I don’t say this to be discouraging. It‘s to remind you that while you might feel like a broken record, chances are your followers aren’t even seeing your offer!
I mean, c’mon- we’ve all heard the stat, right? When it’s said that most people need to see something 7+ times before they’re ready to act on it. Well, it’s legit. It’s backed by science and stuff, so go get your offer out into the world!! Get it out there everywhere and often!
TL;DR
Congratulations! In just 3 easy steps, you started an email list! Look at what you’ve accomplished:
You’re getting your offer in front of people
You’ve created a killer product (or products) that serve your audience or solves a problem for them.
You built a form to collect emails and a confirmation to send when someone signs up
And just like that-1, 2, 3…you’ve started an email list! Now that you’re the proud owner of an email list, you have people interested in your offer and their willing to allow you into their inbox in exchange for it. It’s basically saying, “I’m willing to try out being friends.”, and you start building the relationship. Rinse and repeat and you’ll have an active & engaged list that you can watch grow right before your eyes!
Now you know how to start your email list. All that’s left is to turn them into lifelong, loyal, repeat customers. Easy peasy, right?
It kinda is. Nurturing your list is about building a relationship, offering value, connection and relatability. It’s building that like, know, trust factor.
Need some help figuring out what you should be sending your list? My newsletter is packed with tips & strategies for all things email. You’ll learn what to send to who, how to get your emails opened and so much more!! You’ll also get access to exclusive members only products & deals!
Pop on over to TT and say hey, I share a lot of behind the scenes content on there too! If you have any comments or suggestions, tips or strategies that helped you in your email journey, please share!
Until next time…
