Today, I am sharing one of the biggest lessons I learned in business with you. So, if you are just starting out, or well into your business development, this will interest you.
Whether you’ve an online business or traditional bricks and mortar business, then this one tip that I learned over the years will change the way you do business forever.
“What is it?”, I hear you say…. “Spill the beans, Joanna”
Well, it’s simple. Build your mailing list.
I knew this, from all my years working in other peoples businesses, leading and managing and growing the business. It’s so much easier to sell your products and services when you already have a list of interested parties.
Traditionally, in those businesses, keeping track of new enquiries, and capturing their relevant information was the key to cracking the list building code. That plus capturing interested parties at events and seminars we held was pretty much the sum total.
Now, you would think, that for my own business, that I would have grasped that increasing the number of ways people can subscribe to my list was paramount to my success, right?
Unfortunately, I was not so quick off the mark on this one. Yes, sure, I kept on top of enquiries and took advantage of any events I held. But that was it. Full stop.
And it wasn’t enough.
It wasn’t until about 18 months ago, that I realized the true value in building a list. My business was transitioning to a more online platform, and new clients were appearing from all corners of the world. I saw an opportunity.
I started researching and connecting with other online entrepreneurs. I compared their sites to mine. I undertook some online marketing training. And I finally got it.
- I need to have a way for potential clients to sign up to my mailing list on my website.
- I need it to be easy for them to sign up.
- I need to provide something of value to them in return for signing up.
- I need to sort myself out with an email platform to manage the list.
- I need to provide regular valuable free content for these fabulous VIP’s.
And I did. Now my site has a number of places where interested parties can get on my mailing list. I offer them a free short video training and some partnering worksheets in return. I use an awesome email platform resource called Mad Mimi to make managing the list (actually it’s lists now!) a helluva lot easier. And, I blog regularly. Those on my list also get access to offers and specials too, that aren’t always available to anyone else.
And, there’s more in the pipeline… I’m learning, expanding and developing. Watch this space!
Do you have a list? How do you incentivize it? Do you use an email platform? And how is it all working out for you so far?