So let’s talk about building that email list. While it’s gotten some negative press in the face of social media, I believe that it’s still one of the BEST ways to communicate with your audience and customers. But, it’s got to be done RIGHT.

Okay. So, how do you do it right?

4 words. Stop selling. Start serving.

Did you know that…

Since the 1950s, the Guinness World Records has tracked some of the most mind blowing stats in the WORLD. But did you know the Guinness World Records was invented by Guinness, the BEER company?

When Guinness discovered that bar goers LOVED talking about trivia over a pint of beer, they decided to create the Guinness World Records as a marketing tool.

Nothing to do with beer. Everything to do with the client. Brilliant.

We’ve been SO marketed to, so oversaturated by flash deals and overnight promos that this pushing your ads and your promos into my inbox is only going to me to click unsubscribe (unless it’s specifically what I signed up for). And that, is not an effective way to use email.

When you actually have the permission to email someone—to send an email to an ACTUAL PERSON—you’ve been given access to some real sacred space.

How do you market your brand online? Stop selling. Start serving.

And you better respect it or I’m out. Deleting your emails. Unsubscribing. Not reading.

Ain’t nobody got time for that.

Instead, it’s up to you to deliver the BEST possible value, education, inspiration and yes—promos, from time to time. But not without first considering ME. Your potential customer. Your audience. Your community.

THAT’S how you stand out from the crowd.

3 Ways to Setup Your Lead Magnets

Technically speaking, there are 3 typical ways to go about this this:

1. Start with one CORE freebie and attach it to your email provider’s opt-in email (i.e. MailChimp): This is good in that you can have a pop up, showcase it on your homepage, etc.

Who is this good for: If you’re just getting started, start with ONE freebie, ONE welcome sequence and ONE general list. Then stack up from there.

2. Use your online shop for multiple free downloads (follow these instructions for WooCommerce / TeakieCare members)

Who is this good for: If you’ve got a few free downloadables, you can definitely do this. I’d still use it together with #1.You can eventually even have a FREE password-protected resource library for your subscribers but you need a decent amount of content for this to be worth it and paid add-on (plugin).

3. Use LeadPages and ConvertKit just like we’ve done here

This is what we use over at Teakie and love it. The workflow and integration between LeadPages, ConvertKit and WordPress is simply amazing.

Who is this good for: When you’re ready to double down on email marketing and really commit to it, this is a great combination. Recommend getting your feet wet before diving in because the investment is roughly $1,000-$1,500 per year for this.

Determine who you want to attract

The key here is to determine exactly who it is you want to attract. This will help you choose where to start.

1. Map out your “Customer Journey Map”—which you probably know intuitively or have actually gone through the process of mapping it out. This will help you create content / “lead magnets” / email sequences to meet the needs of each type of client within your company.

If we’re talking about music lessons, you could have, say Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. A free lesson for a Beginner is likely very different than someone whose Advanced.

2. Consider your target segmentation and who it is you want to bring in.

Want to attract parents? Students? Career professionals? Bakers? Musicians? Fashion bloggers? Knowing your target demographic is huge, from the contents of your freebie to the design. Your lead magnet would be very different between a parent and a student!

For example, suppose you’re a photographer, specializing in family photos. You could:

– Create a downloadable guide on how to prepare young children for shoot day;

– A checklist of what to bring when taking family photo;

– Outfit tips and ideas for family photos. Of course, sprinkled through this guide are your photos, your voice and your signature touch.

3. Find the one common problem most of your customers struggle with and solve it. Bonus? It’ll save you a lot of time if you could digitize that knowledge and hand it over when onboarding new clients or landing potential leads!

Pro tip: Add a little incentive at the end of the guide like a free photo for booking with you this season!

5 Pro Tips to Make Freebies that Get Sign Ups:

1. Make your freebie REALLY, REALLY GOOD. I mean, like, hot-fire-amazing-can’t-believe-its-free good.

Here’s how you know if it’s good enough. If you find yourself asking: Is this too good to give away for FREE? Then you’ve hit the nail on the head. Give it away for free.

The market for attention (and email subs) is so competitive today that in order to stand out, you’ve got to either be SOOO cool / pretty / entertaining that people can’t stop watching OR SOOO knowledgeable that you just crush it with your skills. Combination of both? #Winning.

Which is why skimming the surface and offering shallow freebies is a waste of time. Too many people do this and then wonder… Why aren’t I getting sign ups? Guess what, bud? You and the rest of the world are competing for attention. So either you’re being lazy, cheap or giving away something nobody wants. Truth hurts.

Key is to give away your very best that people are compelled to say OMG YES GIMME GIMME GIMME. By giving away your best stuff for free, you’ll have a better chance of getting noticed, getting subscribers and building your audience online.

2. Remember your Digital ABCs. This is what I call… Attract. Build. Convert… Always be converting (say hey to my inner #geekself)

Step 1: How will you ATTRACT your target audience?

Step 2: How will you BUILD trust? What are you giving / sharing / doing in order to build trust with your potential lead? ie. What is your lead magnet?

Step 3: Conversion. How will you go from attracting the right client, building rapport with them and closing the deal? What is your conversion strategy?

Since we’re talking about email, your conversion strategy will be through email. If you don’t know how right away, that’s okay. I’d rather you be building your list, sharing content and creating community rather than sitting idle

3. Jab-jab-jab-right hook.

Build trust and deliver results by giving polished, quality value to your audience. Once you’ve done that, making any sale or ask much way easier.

4. Start by making one CORE freebie that you know your ideal client would LOVE.

Then you can build on top of that.Real life example: Created the Hashtag Dictionary around June 2017. Took me over a year until I was able to sit down and create more quality content / free downloads. STILL brings us new subscribers everyday, even when we had to shift our focus away from marketing.

5. Think of a problem your target audience is struggling with and solve it.

On a silver platter. With a cherry on top. Keep it simple and just get it out there!