Have List Will Market: Your Business Marketing List is Your Marketing Secret Sauce
Are you ignoring the fastest, easiest way to get started with business building with the internet and social media?
Start by building a list and warming it up.
Every marketer, every business, every independent professional has at least one business marketing list.
If you are not doing this yet, get started now building a house list, your marketing list.
When you are marketing online to build your business, your contact database is your premium asset.
Business Marketing List Building
The beauty of having a web site is that your web pages do the work of attracting and qualifying your prospective customers and clients 24/7.
Your job is to craft the pages and provide the kind of information your ideal prospect is looking for–and have an automated way to collect their contact information so that you can stay in touch with them and build a relationship with them.
Your Social Biz Prospect List for Email Marketing Campaigns
Begin “list building”, adding prospects from your target market to your Social Biz prospect list. To do this, you need a way to engage their interest and an offer that entices them to give you their name and email address. Most internet marketers have a Giveaway, an information piece that gives your prospect something they want in return for their contact information.
Many local businesses have an email sign up list and a regular email newsletter (or email campaign, e.g. special offers, notices of sales) that goes out to their list. How about you?
Who’s on Your List?
Whether you’re a new business owner, a direct marketing company, an outside salesperson or an independent professional, you’ve probably been advised to brainstorm a Prospects List, asking yourself questions to help you recall people you have a current or past relationship with and adding them to your list.
When you are marketing your small business online, you will have more than one list–a Facebook friends list, Facebook fans (or “likers”), Twitter followers, LinkedIn contacts, and so on–
–but your most important list is the list created when people voluntarily give you their contact information in return for something you give them that is a step towards solving a particular need or problem they have right now.
This is YOUR list. It belongs to you and it is managed by you. These are the people you stay in touch with using email (and snail mail if you collect mailing addresses).
List Building Elements
There are 4 main elements for you to get working for you as your highest priority:
_1. A Giveaway: This is the free report, video, email course, or some other information piece that you know will be of value to your ideal customer or client. If you decide to send a Newsletter, let people know what kind of information you’ll be sharing and how often to expect it. Get a newsletter out at least once a month.
_2. A Landing Page: This is the web page where people can learn about your Giveaway and “opt in” or sign up. You can use Facebook to collect sign ups if you donâ’t have a web site.
_3. An Email Marketing Service Account: This is where you will store your contact information and set it up so your emails and newsletters go out automatically.
_4. A Social Network: This is the group you’ve gathered, probably at Facebook, who will be the first group to which you will promote your Landing Page address (URL).
(By the way, you can create an “ad-like” box on your Facebook profile that links out to your landing page. You can also create a tab and page at your Facebook business page where you put another opt in box that adds people to your list and sends them your Giveaway.)
List Building Tasks: Your 1st Priority
- Choose an Email Marketing Service and set up an email marketing account (Constant Contact, MailChimp or AWeber).
- Create a list in your account and then create an opt-in box to place on a landing page (or pages)–on your blog, in your Facebook business page, or as a separate web page that you promote.
- Create an email series for your list that continues to engage readers with you and your offers.
- Send them into your store or office with a great coupon or back to your web site for information they want and need.
Launch New Business at Warp Speed
Don’t wait or hesitate. Start with list building is your highest priority to kick-start your Social Biz!
To your business marketing list success,
Kate L Williams
www.SocialBizLocalBiz.com
P.S. “Like” us at Facebook–Social Biz Local Biz. And share this information with your network.
P.P.S. Take a look and KickStart! your email marketing.
Need to choose an email marketing service? Compare 4 services that have a free or low cost basic plan: Email Service Provider Comparison Charts.
Could you use a checklist to stay on track? Here are the essential steps: Email List Building Checklist for Local Business.
Want some help with getting started? Or with building a bigger list or better results? Let’s Brainstorm -OR- KickStart! your email marketing!
Great post! We all know the gold is in the list and you have given great advice on list-building. #blogboost