How To Get Serious About Your Website, Build An Email List
One sure fire way is to build an email list. What’s an email list and why do you need it? If you are running any small business today and have an online presence, you need to stay in touch with your customers or potential prospects. Agree? You can do this by simply putting a subscriber form on your website, it’s that easy. If you don’t have an email list started this is one of the easiest things you can do and this is a good start in getting real serious about your website, the traffic you get to it and the revenue you prosper from it. That’s serious because more traffic equals more sales and money in your bank account.
You Want To Increase Traffic?
You say you want to increase your readers, traffic or revenue through your website? Then, you should realize that building a list of emails, is your most inexpensive method of achieving that. It is actually free and there are several ways of building the list although let me warn you, you will need to put some effort into this, it isn’t a set and forget process in the beginning. Trust me on this one and take it from experience. Also very important, make sure the form is working on your site. I know that is obvious but I find it often with websites that I assess.
How Can I Get This Done?
You can choose several different ways to put your subscriber box on your website. One simple way is to join an email provider like Mail Chimp or A Weber.
Two that I highly recommend. They both have templates and tutorials that make it very easy to follow. If you have a WordPress website, it is even easier with plugins like Magic Action Box. This is a free plug in and will get the job done. I use it on my website.
You also need to ask for their email more than once on your website so the form needs to appear in several different places. It obviously needs to be on your home page but another page that is visited as much as your home page, is the about page. So make sure it is on both. Also I would highly suggest that you but it at the end or middle of every blog post you do.
Your Success or Failure Depends….
Before getting all excited to give this a try, you first need to know some vital things that could spell the success or failure of your efforts.
1. The money you make or earn is directly proportional to the value you give to your market. What do I mean by this? You cannot expect people who visits your web site once, will come back again and again if your site’s content provides no value to them. You can’t fake this. You will need to ensure that your site contains valuable stuff for your viewers and that it is of great interest and use to your potential subscribers. Ask yourself, is it something that you would take the time to read on the web. And remember, find your target audience and speak to them. Know what their needs are
2. You should not obtain emails indiscriminately. Ensure that the list you are building is interested, even vaguely in the kind of business you have. Bear in mind that finding loyal subscribers is like finding the right person for a relationship, that will share the same interest with you. Hence, if you don’t like the party nightlife or loud music you cannot expect to find the right partner in a bar or dance club. The same with building your list, you can’t find them just anywhere. A few emails of loyal subscribers is better than a large number of undefinable emails on your list. Very important, don’t buy an email list or upload a csv file of contacts you have from your rotary club for example. This is classified as spam. You don’t have the email subscriber’s permission. To find out more about email permission read the tutorials on A-weber or Mail Chimp.
3. Treat your email list with love and care; not just some mere figures or data. Remember that behind these emails are humans like you and me, who will appreciate you better if you treat them right. Hence, if you want to build a list, make sure that you have the time to answer queries and letters from these email subscribers. If they feel that you are disregarding them, you would probably not hear from them again and they won’t sign up on your email list or they will unsubscribe.
There are several ways to build your email list and you can employ all of these or a combination of several techniques, to achieve your goal. However, what really matters in the end is that you know the importance of your list and the importance of how you treat each of your email subscribers when you execute a campaign. This is important because you want to honor their email, respect it and don’t abuse it.
Pay It Forward
So let’s share. I am sure this will kick up some questions in your mind so please ask them below? Please also comment below and tell us what sign up forms you have tried on your website? It helps to share so we all aren’t making the same mistakes. Let’s help each other – Do you have an email list? Is it working for you? What email marketing provider are you using, Constant Contact, A Weber, I Contact, Mail Chimp or not yet?
