Constant Contact, Email Marketing, Marketing, Tech Tools

How To Grow Your Email List With An Opt-In

3 Simple Steps to Growing Your Email List.

Creating an opt-in may seem like a daunting task when you have no idea how to do it and your patience with tech may not be so good. You’re probably nodding your head in agreement!

But I have to say that creating an opt-in (or a freebie) is one of the best and fastest ways to grow your email list. Once you create the first one, other ideas will start flowing and soon you’ll be a pro!

Don’t worry, I’m going to make it simple for you.

 

 

So, where do you begin? I think that may be the hardest part. Getting started.

Let’s get right into it.

THE IDEA

Offer up a great piece of content like a whitepaper, eBook, checklist, tutorial or guide.

Pro-Tip

Less is more. Make it short and sweet with the fewest words possible but also provide the most impact. Use Hemingway App editor for desktop to help with your writing.

You should map out your idea first. Begin by brainstorming different topics that you teach or specialize in.  Once you have that brainstorming list of topics, think of questions your audience has about them. After drilling that down, do an online search for opt-in ideas related to your research.

That’s it for the first step. From there you need to work on the logistics.

 

For a PDF opt-in, all you need are 3 things. I’ll walk you through them.

You’ve already done the leg work for the first part. You have an IDEA of what type of freebie you want to create. 

Next, to create the freebie guide or sheet, you need a simple DESIGN PROGRAM. I recommend CANVA. Canva makes the process so simple. Choose a template, modify it, and match it to your brand.

Pro-Tip

Don’t overcomplicate. Tech is not everyone’s favorite. Don’t think that the design has to be perfect or you’ll get frustrated and abandon it. Go find a design and layout you already like and use it as a blueprint for yours.

Lastly, hook up your opt-in or freebie to your EMAIL SOFTWARE (I use Constant Contact).

Set up a landing page or an automation campaign with your sign up form to capture new subscriber email addresses.

Pro-Tip

View a tutorial. Use the email help center. Or call customer service to walk you through the landing page process or automation campaign. 

 

At a minimum, your sign up form should have a catchy and compelling title. Tell your prospect what they’ll get or how the PDF will help them.

Collecting their email address is the only requirement but you can still ask for their first and last name. If you want to segment your email list from the get-go, create a list in your email account that coincides with the freebie and have the email address your subscriber enters be sent directly to that list using the automation tool.

You may want to add a space for their state, industry or other information that will be helpful in sending them the most relevant information tailored to them.

And, don’t forget the thank you/confirmation email that directs them to the freebie download.  Personalize the thank you form. Don’t go the generic route. Not only is it boring but they need to know more. Like how often they’ll be hearing from you, and additional content they’ll be receiving going forward. You can even add another freebie offer or a small paid offer in the thank you email.

Now that you have your idea and know the simple set-up process, it’s time to start promoting your opt-in. Soon you’ll brainstorm more ideas. And you’ll rotate your freebies on a regular basis to keep growing your email list!

I’d love to know what you decide to create. Let me know in the comments below!

 

 

Get more tips like this on Instagram – Follow me @suevglenn

 

Business, Constant Contact, Email Marketing, Social Media, Tech Tools

Favorite Time-Saving Digital Tools

Don’t you love it when you read about a new tech tool that someone raves about, but you’ve yet to hear of?  I do!

I immediately jot the name down, what it’s used for, and who recommended it. Sometimes if it’s so fascinating, I’ll go right to it and other times it gets transferred onto a list in Trello.
 
This takes me to my first favorite time-saving digital tool!

 
#1. TRELLO
 
After two years, I still don’t know or use all the features of this fabulous tool. Whatever I am using it for, it is perfect for my needs right now. And did I mention it’s free?  At least the version I use is.
 
What it is.
 
It’s a task board. It’s also many task boards. There’s the main page with the boards you create. You assign your boards’ titles. Each board has a card. You can drag your boards and your cards around the page.
 
Use the boards like flow charts, reminders, or to-do lists. I have an “I need to look into that later” back burner list, that I can call up anytime. You can name your boards whatever you wish. You can assign private or shared boards with someone else who uses Trello. You can color-code your boards and your tasks. You can add an attachment, a file, and photos. You can make your boards pretty with photo backgrounds from their library or you can upload your own. You can star important boards and delete boards. The most fun I have with these boards is moving the cards around by dragging and dropping them.
 
Here’s an example. Let’s say I have a board named for a client and I name the mainboard my client’s name. And I have tasks to do Monday through Friday for that client. I create boards next to one another (left to right). Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. And at the far right end, I have a board named “Done”.  If that Monday task doesn’t get done on Monday, I cat drag it to Tuesday. When I do complete the task, I drag that task card over to the Done board.
 
Oh, the satisfaction of seeing that Done board fill up!

 
#2. BUFFER
 
I’ve been a fan of Buffer for five years now. They have several plans from free to business to Pro plans.
 
What it is.
 
It’s a social media scheduling system. I use it to manage my clients’ content and my own as well. Over the years, they’ve added social media platforms. As of this writing, they allow postings for Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.  I must say, I’m a big fan of the drag and drop system because I just realized my next tool also uses drag and drop. But let’s go over some of the cool features that I use which are super helpful.
 
First of all, you create content once and share it to all four platforms with one click. Now you won’t want to be sharing them all at the same time. That’s a no-no when using social media for business purposes. But…you can.
 
This publishing tool is so easy on the eyes. It’s visually pleasing.  It’s not complicated and you don’t even need a tutorial to learn how to use it. It’s that simple!
 
Here are some cool things you can do besides posting. You can preschedule, ok that’s a given. But you add a posting schedule that you want. Let’s use this example. I choose a post to send to Facebook on Monday, Instagram on Wednesday, LinkedIn on Friday, and Twitter on Saturday. You set up the schedule once in advance. Each time you create a piece of content and put it in the funnel, it enters a queue. And then it sends off on the schedule you created like magic, that’s right…like magic.
 
Want to throw a lot of content into Buffer, go ahead.  You can see all posts and photos when you scroll. And you can change the order of the days by dragging a Monday to a Wednesday or vice versa. Want Buffer to mix up your posts after adding a lot of content to your account queue? They’ll shuffle them into a completely random order and send them out.
 
#3. CONSTANT CONTACT
 
First of all, I’m a partner so I know a lot more about the features of Constant Contact. And I delve into them more often than the average person.
 
What it is.
 
Email marketing is my jam, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t include an email marketing service on this list. There are several reasons I love using this software.  There are so many cool things that Constant Contact does outside of email marketing. The best part is it’s all inside the dashboard so it’s easily accessible and integrated.
 

Let’s go through some of the features one by one.  Starting with the obvious. Their core product is email marketing.

And below that is a list of  all their services:
 
Email – Create professional emails to send to targeted groups of your subscribers. And get more sales! The drag and drop feature is user-friendly.
They have hundreds of customizable templates and done for you holiday templates.
A library of paid and free stock photos is available so you don’t have to go outside the platform to search.
Share your emails to social media platforms so those who aren’t already on your list can get access.
Use the Facebook sign up form to entice new subscribers onto your email list.
One more thing I’ll mention. Text To Join. You can use this feature to capture emails. It’s not texting subscribers with messages. It’s an automation tool that you set up once with a keyword of your choice. New subscribers enter the keyword you give them. They receive an automated request asking them to join your list. After they enter their email address, they get an automated thank you email. Now, they’re on your list. Cool, huh?
 
Automation – Send premade emails automatically. When users click, join, or buy on a trigger you create. Time saver!
 
Social Post – Get the word out on your social media networks. Use the built-in scheduler inside the dashboard.
 
Ads – Create Google ads and social ads inside the dashboard with easy setup options. Remove a lot of the guesswork. Constant Contact moves you through a flow.
 
Events – Find out who’s coming to your event using registration forms and payment collection. Create, promote, and manage your events.
 
Surveys – Create and send. Get fast feedback and use it as market research for better emails.
 
Landing pages – Mini websites to host forms, opt-ins, products, sales, and coupons.
 
Stores & Websites – Sell from your emails using e-commerce capabilities. Use their simple web builder to create your custom website.

Want to try Constant Contact 60 days for free? Sign up here.