You have this vision. You have an idea. You know that if you could just get in front of the right people, you can seriously, change some lives. You even know that what you’ve got has value, and if enough people know about it, your life would be so different.
The reality is, doing business online is not as easy as the experts make it sound. You know in order to reap the rewards of your labor, you’ve got to build an audience. But, not just any audience, an engaged and loyal one.
You’re no dummy, you know building this audience is going to take time and effort. You realize that there has to be order, a process to making it happen. That all takes time. So you start to wonder, what should I do in the meantime?
What should you do NOW to get people wanting to know who you are?
While waiting on people to really start taking notice of you and what you do, the best way to help get the ball rolling is to start creating relationships.
Yup, pretty simple, huh?
Now, I don’t mean inboxing people on Facebook or asking people to, “check out” what you do. I mean to really take a strategic approach to cultivating the kind of relationships that will grow over time. You’ve got to identify the type of people who will benefit the most from being connected with you.
You also have to understand them and totally relate to where they are coming from. That’s what makes an audience driven business work, because it takes a real effort on your part to truly get to know them.
The easiest way to build relationships is to…
Share something really valuable and meaningful, something that will help change someone’s current situation.
You do this by giving away an irresistible offer to the audience of people you desire to build relationships with. Simple, right?!
Here’s the deal…you’ve got to make it super good and it has to be what they really want. In exchange for you giving them what they need, you invite them to subscribe to your email list to receive your offer.
Win-Win for everyone!
Your email list is the key to nurturing new and existing relationships
Listen, the truth of the matter is…
Facebook pages don’t offer much but social proof. Yes, your fans may read your blog posts but with the recent changes, most of your fans don’t even see your posts.
Twitter doesn’t work for everyone.
YouTube can generate random traffic.
Your blog is visited by crickets because people don’t know you.
But, your email list is how you can make things happen. With regular and consistent contact with your list community, you are building credibility, establishing loyalty and most importantly, trust.
The best part is, you don’t have to wait. You can start your list without a blog or website. Strategy is key, planning is necessary. Consider what type of information you could share with your audience on a weekly basis.
Even if you are still in the process of building your blog or website, you could be building your email community with just a simple opt-in form and irresistible offer. So, if you haven’t started your list yet, what are you waiting for? You’re wasting precious time.
We know marketing will always be priority number one in business building. What needs to change just a bit is how we market. I challenge you to make this year the year you focus more on building your audience and growing your list.
Do you want loyal fans or loyal customers?
Do you want people who share your stuff or buy your stuff?
Times are changing, and so is the way we use social media to market. You’ve got to get up on it!
Here’s what you should do next. If this post has gave you a different perspective on list building, I’d love for you to tell me what is your irresistible offer, is it helping you build your list or are you having challenges? Also, I’d really appreciate it if you share this post with others!
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Tamyka Washington
Hi, Tamyka!
This information was great! Do you have any products that show exactly how to do this?
Thanks Barb! Because each business is unique, it’s difficult to create a product that could show you exactly how to do this. I work with business owners one-on-one to craft a marketing strategy in this area. However, 3 products I do have that can get you started are:
5 Step Mailing List Blueprint – To get started setting up your email list for free.
Build Your Business with Social Influence – Will guide you through the steps you need to take to get noticed and begin attracting your ideal audience.
Social Media Secrets eCourse – If you are a bit more intermediate, this will take you through the process of expanding your brand, using effective strategies to attract customers and partnerships.
Useful post! I like it… a lot! LOL Thanks for providing such value. I can use some of the tips you mentioned to enhance my multiple lists. Currently, I am using The Online Ad Network as my irresistible offer. It is a service that offers a lucrative opportunity rather than a lucrative opportunity with a service. Who can’t use unlimited targeted advertising for $20/month that pays? Needless to say, IT WORKS!!! LOL I am currently having trouble with my emails getting to the inbox rather than the spam box.
Thanks again Tamyka!
Thanks for stopping by Steven, glad you liked the post! Sounds like you’ve got an awesome offer for your visitors. Wondering why your emails are hitting spam box…do you have a double opt-in? That may help ensure your messages make it to the inbox.
I totall agree with what you said, Tamyka: “You’ve got to identify the type of people who will benefit the most from being connected with you.”
Thanks Donna!
Very thought-provoking questions at the end. I realize that I have not used my list to my advantage. I provided them with lots of really great info, but never really had a “product” for them to purchase and I only had a year’s worth of posts. I need to take another look at how I am doing things. Thanks Tamyka
You are definitely doing the right thing with provide great information to your subscribers! How wonderful would it be for you to offer them a quality product that they know would benefit them. Best of it, it’s from you…someone they know and already trust!
Hi Tamyka
I find the information to be very informative and learn tips that I can used for my business. Thank you for providing this information. I look forward to reading more of your articles.
Andrea Combs
Wonderful Andrea, I’m glad you found the information useful and are able to apply it to your business!
Great info. We just started to focus on building our list. How often do you suggest someone send mailings? FYI, just found a free tool sendblaster.com. It’s not web based, but the free version is full featured. The paid version is a one time fee. So far so good.
That’s awesome! Using an email list is a great way to nurture relationships with new and existing customers. How often you send email sort of depends on your goals and your audience, but I would suggest at least, weekly. Not familiar with sendblaster or if they also have autoresponder for marketing purposes. I use MailChimp and really love it!
Thank you for sharing your expertise Tamyka. I am beginning to grow my list by offering a 2 part free webinar called Life Healed Workshop. I had some attend live and many watch the replay. I am planning to do more free events and teachings.
Awesome, Cathey! Webinars are very effective as well as utilizing free events and training to grow your list! Keep up the great work!