Collecting names and emails – list building?

If you are, and you should be then the next stage is to segment them. Ideally you create, using something like aweber or mail chimp a system which allows you to create email sequences to communicate. Before you start you need to work out what these lists will do, most of us need to build more than one. We speak at events and meet up with people at those who have specific interests and connections, that’s one list, other times you might meet at networking or where you are speaking, its vital you can work out where these sign ups are coming from as a one size does not fit all. The other beauty of using these two is that you are building in GDPR compliance now with your double opt in and that can only be a good thing. Don’t worry we will be covering GDPR developments in depth over the coming months and showing you how to comply with ease.

I have got my lists working, all beautifully segmented now WHAT?

Great stuff! So now you have your lists all neat and tidy your next stage is to consider messages. Using aweber or mailchimp, or like us we use mailingmanager.co.uk we write two or three emails and get these sequenced, timed so if all are read they make sense and draw our named person further into our lovely business, we give them useful things, we chat to them, we offer them things. We. Do. Not. Sell. To. Them via these early emails – any more than we ask a first date to marry us. It’s all about getting to know them, their needs, their wishes for their business and working out if we can help further, if we are a good match.

They have unsubscribed!

That’s fine, it just means they are not interested in what you are saying, join us in our Facebook Group to discuss other ways of using emails to reach people who unsubscribe and still stay within the law. A too early sales message, a message that is not meaningful to them or 2nd thoughts about signing up to yet another disruption in their in box – all reasons someone may unsubscribe. It’s not the end of the world.

I want to get subscribes from social media

Yes you do!

You can get code designed that will put something like this little form into your web site and link the page to your social media like this:

You can take a little screen shot of this and put it up into your Instagram feed with the link below it and ask people to sign up for a freebie, in the case above its a sequence of emails but you can make all sorts of offers – short course, eLearning, eBook, white paper, free consult – the freebie offers are as many as you can dream up. The only trick is they are useful to your potential list subscriber. Remember a form like this will be fully responsive only on the web site using code, so you have to make it easy on social media by making the link clear and encouraging people to click and sign up. Keep the form details short, the shorter the better – much more likely to sign if you just want a name and email. Get creative with the image you use – tell them what is in it for them every time- that is your job.