List Building Questions Answered

Back in June, I had the honour and pleasure of being a guest on Mary Jane Copps' monthly webinar. The topic was "How to Continually Grow Your List... and Why It's Important". We had a wonderful chat and answered common questions about list building. You can watch now on YouTube.




Click to Tweet this Article

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Publish a Newsletter without Writing

Image
There are two things that usually keep someone from starting a newsletter. One is compiling their first mailing list. The other is: "But I can't write very well!" There are ways to publish a newsletter without having to do a lot of writing. #1. Come up with the ideas and prepare an outline. Then delegate or hire someone to do the writing for you. #2.   Curate content . That means researching and gathering content from other sources that you then share, giving appropriate credit. This model is used by online publishing empires like Huffington Post and Smart Briefs. Search for content online or set up Google Alerts for your keywords. #3. Solicit content from other experts serving the same target market. Using a model of guest contributors , offer the opportunity for writers to get in front of your audience. Develop systems to attract relevant, well-written content. #4. Use a different medium ; create and include your own photos, graphics, video or audio...
Keep reading »

What You Might Not Know about Starting an eNewsletter

Image
If you're considering starting a newsletter , there are a whole lot of little details that will be important to its success. Our clients are often surprised… and glad that they don’t have to figure it all out themselves. Here are just a few of the things you’ll need to consider. Return address: Regulations require a physical address to be included in commercial email. This is not something you can avoid. Most bulk emailing applications will prevent you from sending even test messages without an address.   example of sign-up form   Sign-Up Form: Most applications will produce a snippet of html code that is your sign-up form. You need to think about where you’ll put it. I recommend you put it on a web page of its own . Remember that you will be putting links to that page in your newsletter and other places. When people arrive there, don't make them hunt for your form. Subscribe process: When creating the code for your sign-up form, you’l...
Keep reading »

Content That Saves Time

Image
This is worth getting excited about - the best kind of content possible. That’s because content that saves you time also helps you meet so many other goals . How can taking the time to create content actually save you time? Well, you create content out of all the communication you do on a regular basis. You know, like when you write an email to explain something to a new client that you’ve already explained dozens of times in the past to previous clients. Your message becomes routine, maybe even boring, for you and your client. So why not prepare a succinct, compelling version of it to share with new clients? And, if it’s useful to your clients, I bet it’s useful to others. So turn it into a blog post. Add it to your website FAQs or resource page . Share it on social media. Put it in your newsletter. Not only does this kind of content save you time with your processes, it also provides great content that elevates you as an expert and builds your reputation. Your clients w...
Keep reading »

No Love from your Newsletter? Here's Why

Image
"My newsletter isn't doing anything for me." Over the years I've heard many different versions of this same sentiment, usually accompanied by a big sigh. A month or so later, the newsletters stop. A newsletter does not make a marketing plan. And sending out a newsletter is only a small part of a content marketing strategy . To be successful, there are other related things you need to be doing. Here's a checklist to help you identify what actions to take to improve your results. If you're not doing these things, that's why success is eluding you. Have a sign-up form on a landing page you can promote (i.e. with its own url) so you can actually get complete strangers as new subscribers. Promote your newsletter on social media, your blog, your website and everywhere else, including not online. If you don't actively build your list, it will stagnate. Actively share your newsletter issues on social media multiple times to extend your readersh...
Keep reading »

13 Simple, Direct ideas for Client Relationship Building

Image
(guest post by Natasha Marchewka) Do you need help with keeping in touch with past clients without "bugging them"? When working as an isolated freelancer or small business (and where building your business is all on you) there are ways to efficiently and effectively build, strengthen, and grow relationships. Keeping in touch regularly can be a bit of a conundrum. You want to remind them you exist, but you need to find a balance of being seen and heard and not overdo it. So, you created a newsletter to email clients once a month. I think that's great - and important - and keeps you relevant, top-of-mind, and also keeps you on your toes. What else can you do to remind them you exist as they are distracted daily... and still forget you exist? Here are some ideas. And, as an added bonus you'll have relevant content to share on your social media feeds! Client Relationship Building Check-list: Visit your clients' websites and check if they added anything...
Keep reading »

Content Ideas for Consultants - Getting Started (Part 1)

Image
Just this week I heard it again: “If I start a newsletter, what would I put in it?” While I can think of lots of content ideas for just about any business owner I meet, it’s not so easy for everyone. In fact, it wasn’t always easy for me either. It gets easier, and you get better, with practice. For consultants, there’s an added bonus to spending time creating marketing content and that's learning . Benjamin Franklin said, “There is no better way to learn than to teach.” Sharing valuable content is teaching and, when you’re creating content for your blog or newsletter, you’ll also be doing research, checking assumptions, and developing opinions . If you’re a new business owner, or new to developing content, finding a place to start might feel like picking a needle out of a haystack. In this series of posts, I'll explain how to get started and accomplish other goals, too. Build Your Confidence Since confidence comes from writing about what you know , start with crea...
Keep reading »

10 Reasons to Love Being a Small Business Owner

Image
photo:  Michael Lokner There’s nothing like a vivid reminder of your past life to cause you to take stock of your current situation and do a little comparison. That happened to me recently after having a catch up phone chat with someone I worked with 15 years ago. Marcia and I were talking about an industry, a work culture, and processes that now seem so foreign to me, yet at one time were so imperative. At that point in my life, I certainly never envisioned the lifestyle I enjoy now. I absolutely love being a small business owner and working with other similar people. Here are some of the perks that I especially appreciate about being a small business owner: Not having to wear pantyhose My garden is 25 steps from my desk I can go into the office at midnight if I feel like it Getting the whole team behind decisions is easy, when the team is two! Team building is easy, too I can work all day with my cat in my lap I don’t need a briefcase to take work home I can ...
Keep reading »

Crello is Not Just Another Pretty Graphics Tool

Image
screenshot of Crello home page Just when I thought I didn't need another graphics tool, along came Crello ... yesterday. It's brand new (and I haven't been able to break it yet). If you're frustrated with trying to use Canva , this might be the solution for you. The interface is very much like Canva, yet Crello has veered away in the right places. I've always found the way Canva handles images as backgrounds and layers to be awkward; Crello takes a more simplistic approach. Crello has 6,000+ free templates and 10,000+ free design elements! I know that's going to be exciting to many besides me. Crello lacks some of my favourite Canva features, especially magic resize. But its ease of use and more intuitive interface is winning me over. I know I'll be exploring those 6000+ templates for many many more hours to come. For more info about Crello's functionality, read this press release . Or pop over to Crello.com and jump right in. Have fun, it...
Keep reading »

Content Template - The Checklist

Image
Using a content template can shorten your writing time and also keep you more focused. The purpose of this particular template is to give people a useful tool to complete a task more efficiently. This type of article shows off your expertise . Because it is so useful, people will bookmark it and return. Part of its usefulness is its simplicity: no long paragraphs, no complex sentences. Grab The Checklist content template here (.pdf). Get More Templates If you like this template, grab the mini workbook Quick and Easy Content Creation with 14 more templates , plus some tips for using them to be more productive. Click to Tweet this Article
Keep reading »

Small Business Decision Making 101

Image
Simple is powerful... and a recent tough decision reminded me of that. I'd been sitting on the fence for about 2 weeks with a marketing project half completed. I couldn't decide whether to keep going or to stay with Plan A - and so, I wasn't accomplishing anything. I had an investment in time and money that was just sitting, doing nothing for me. Talking the problem through with someone seemed like the best idea and I finally pinned down the right opportunity with the right person. The night before we were to chat, I decided I'd better make some notes so I could present my problem in an organized way. I grabbed a sheet of paper, drew a line up the middle, and labelled the halves PROS and CONS. Within 5 minutes I had put my finger on my "sticking point" - the biggest CON. After a little research and math, I made my decision. No discussion needed. When I put my pen to paper, all the conflicting pieces of the problem suddenly became clear - instead of sw...
Keep reading »