As you may already know, growing your email list is not as simple as creating a box on your website that says “enter your email address to receive our monthly newsletter.” If you have tried this, you have likely found very few people willing to share their information.
Most people try hard not to give out their email address in an effort to keep their inboxes tidy. As a result, it is up to you to be creative. You need to find a way to entice your ideal clients to release their email address in exchange for something they want more than a tidy inbox.
Offering them a free gift can be extremely effective.
When surfing the web today, you have likely seen many free gifts on websites. The offering of them has become commonplace. We are offered free reports, e-books, audio downloads, and the like. There is a reason this has become so popular. It works! If you’d like to develop your email list, I recommend developing a download that will intrigue your ideal client.
Many of the gifts you see may be complex. However, if this is the first one you are creating, I recommend starting with something very simple. Top 10 lists are always useful and easy to put together. A report developed in Powerpoint that is visually interesting and informative can be created with relative. An audio download of a talk you might give in person works well for potential clients that are always on the go.
Take some time to think about how, when and where your ideal client will consume the information. This is important as you do want them to consume it, not just download it. Your intention should be for them to consume it, take action, have great results, and return to you for more work together.
Decide how much information to include.
Once I have recommended to clients that they put together a free gift, their next question is always how much should I give away?
I encourage my clients to develop a gift that will truly serve their ideal clients and can make a marked difference in their lives. For example: years ago I practiced health coaching for a while, and when I developed a free gift, it was called 5 Things You Can Do Today to Improve Your Health. It included things like eating more leafy green vegetables, and getting daily exercise.
The recommendations in it were in keeping with what I taught clients in private programs with me, but they did not offer the same depth of support. Some other examples I often share are: 10 Tax Savings You Might Not be Aware of This Year, or 10 Stretches to Make You More Flexible.
Generally, your free gift should help to highlight some of the concerns your ideal client may have and why they have them. It should also offer a taste of the solution to an issue that may be pressing for them.
It should not provide in-depth, step-by-step solutions. It also should not overwhelm the person who receives it. Simple is better.
Most importantly, it needs to leverage your time so that you do not need to connect individually with each person receiving it. You will want this gift to be very popular; yet, not at the expense of your ability to grow your business otherwise.
Be Sure It Leads Somewhere
As you develop your gift, remember that it should include a call to action related to working with you further. Your focus, in addition to serving your clients well, is on building your sales pipeline and increasing your revenue. Including a call to action is the best way for you to convert newly interested prospects into clients.
Once you have created your free gift and made it available on your website, be sure to tell people about it: mention it when you meet new people at events, put information about it on the back of your business card, or use some targeted Facebook ads that will help your ideal clients find it. You never know where your next client or referral will come from.
