Once a visitor has submitted their details to you and confirmed their subscription, you have a lead. This is one of the most vital points to achieve, transforming casual users into potential customers. Building a list of email subscribers that you’ll inbox is one of the most reliable ways to make money online. After all, email marketing has some of the most successful statistics around.
A quarter of all emails are opened and just over 4 percent of these users click through to the next segment of the sales funnel.
There are few other platforms which exhibit as trustworthy metrics making some marketers consider bulk mailing a direct return on investment calculation. Here we’ll be taking you through a look at exactly how to create a mailing list so that you can start capturing valuable leads.
Get a Good Autoresponder
Your leads will need to be captured with the aid of software. Almost all email platforms ranging from Google to professional bulk email hosts, all allow you to configure mailing lists. Rudimentary support is offered by most private email solutions like Outlook and Thunderbird, but in order to manage and optimize your email campaigns something more dedicated is recommended.
Get yourself a good autoresponder which delivers insightful metrics concerning every important aspect of your email marketing campaigns. A lead solution like Systeme.io gives you everything that you need in one place.
Once you’ve configured an email address for each of your campaigns, or a filter for every planned approach, it is time to move on to creating the content for the email funnel itself. Your autoresponder platform is your primary investment and directly limits the scale of your growth. Don’t compromise quality.
Craft a Winning Landing Page
Landing page design is make or break. It is also a part of your business that will continually evolve. If you’re new to marketing then don’t let the world of complexities deter you from getting started. All you need is an attractive lander with one focus only – your product or service.
There must be nothing left to distract the user, and all page content must be purposefully placed as a part of guiding the user to carrying out your ‘call to action.’ If you’re technically minded or a wiz in design applications, feel free to build your own landing pages from the ground up.
Alternatively, look at dedicated landing page software which lets you put together a stunning page within just a few minutes. Drag-and-drop functionality is pretty much standard these days so you shouldn’t go for anything less. Another way to roll out great looking landing pages is to use plugins for content management systems like WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla.
Within just a few clicks, your lander will be ready and looking great. Your landing page must promote the premium content which you plan to offer in exchange for a free subscription to your list, or it must promote the value of membership itself.
Gathering Potential Leads
Before you can build a list you need a list builder – a form of premium content which supplies value that urges the customer to take advantage and subscribe to obtain it. If your list builder is of poor quality then your potential customers have no incentive to subscribe. Stellar content guarantees interest and thus subscribers but this isn’t always easy.
Even the most popular YouTube channels with memberships exceeding 5 million people all had to start by encouraging their users to subscribe. Today, people can’t wait to receive an email update that something new has been posted.
Now, not all of us have something that offers such direct value that customers will drop what they’re doing after receiving a mail, but your list builder must be attractive. If you give potential customers something that they can use straight away which is not delivered by anyone else freely, then you’ve got a winner.
Pick something that you can put together freely or affordably but something that only you will be able to deliver given your insight and expertise. The most commonly used list builders are:
- eBooks
- Training courses
- Webinars
- Templates
- Plugins
- Guides
- Application privileges
- Games
- Exclusive access to third-party services
Create an Opt-In Funnel
Whether you’re making a pop over for your standard site or an opt-in for third-party placement, this is where things really come together. Use a basic three-step micro funnel to capture the email address and details of your visitors.
First, create a landing page or devise an introductory email describing the value of membership and what you are offering. This can be something as simple as a form which the user can choose to ignore. Do not make the opt-in form difficult to clear, but it must be enticing. Have your users confirm the subscription via email (most good software like Systeme.io will help you through this). Put together a thank you page which then presents an opportunity to upsell but doesn’t flood your new subscriber with marketing mumbo-jumbo. Nurture your lead first.
Creating Winning Email Campaigns
Depending on the design of your opt-in the funnel, you’ll have access to certain details. Gender and location are easily captured and the least you should get along with the email address of your new lead. The more information you have concerning your customers the better you can segment your marketing.
Devise a selection of emails which presents interesting information as well as possible applications involving your products, and upcoming and current promotions. Every audience will need to be handled differently. The better you understand your audience, the richer the customer experience and the more loyal the brand following.
The Value of Metrics
Email marketing is a steady journey towards success. Never flood your list. Never share it. A mailing list is one of the most valuable assets that a marketer has. With the aid of advanced reporting and funnel creation such as that provided by Systeme.io, the scope of your marketing will constantly expand.
The key to successful list building is to constantly innovate and look for ways to provide exceeding value in existing, at times saturated, marketplaces. Analytics and reporting allow you to capitalize on your data and make the most of your list.