If you’ve been building a brand online, you’ve likely heard the adage “The money is in the list.” Well, after many years of ignoring this and finally starting to focus on it, I can tell you it’s true. By focusing on the ways to build your list, you will make more money.
Since I began focusing on growing and marketing to my email list, I’ve increased affiliate sales, increased course sales and even had a five-figure launch for my group coaching program.
For years I wondered how I would hit the six-figure mark in my business and it turns out the solution was in front of me the entire time: Focus on the list.
That being said, in order to get people on to your email list, you need to create incentive. Usually, that incentive comes in the form of a free offering. Here are some strategies to help you build high-converting opt-ins that will build your list.
Do your market research first.
The first mistake many businesses make when trying to create opt-ins is forgoing the market research phase. Actually, this is the first mistake they make with anything in business.
While it may not sound sexy or fun, you cannot create an effective business without first knowing what is going on in the mind of your market. It is only with this information that you can create high-converting opt-ins to build your list.
For example, I noticed my market kept asking me questions about freelance writing, so I created a free template that teaches them how to write a pitch email.
By doing your research you’ll also know who to market to. This will help tremendously if you ever decide to spend money on targeted ads.
Keep it simple.
The next mistake many business owners make when trying to create opt-ins is overcomplicating the actual offering.
Remember, this is a free offering. While it needs to be high quality, that doesn’t mean it needs to be complicated. My highest-converting opt-ins are actually one-page templates that teach people how to do one specific thing.
Try multiple offerings and focus on the ones that work.
If you want to build your list effectively, you’ll need to gather data. One way in which you can do this is to test multiple opt-ins that you’ve created based on your market research.
For example, I have three opt-ins I’m currently circulating on social media and via Facebook ads. Here they are (you can click on them to see examples of how simple they are):
- A worksheet that teaches people how to write a good pitch email.
- Another worksheet that teaches people how to find their blogging niche.
- A free webinar where I teach people how to build their influence online.
At this point, they are all pretty much tied in terms of popularity. However, I did notice the webinar converts better as a Facebook ad than the worksheets do. That means I run ads to the webinar because it’s the best use of my money.
Final Thoughts
Creating high-converting opt-ins to build your list is a necessary step to building a profitable business. At the end of the day, people on your list want to hear from you. After enough contact, they’ll want to purchase from you too.
