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5 Kick @$$ Strategies to Build your List

It can feel daunting.  You've got a great idea, and you think people will be interested - maybe you even have a handful or two of interested people already.  But you want more handfuls of people. ALL THE HANDFULS. 🤩

How do you find the perfect people who want what you have to offer?  

There are five basic, time-tested strategies to do this.  
So buckle up!  Here we go.  🚎  Next stop = Subscribers.  🚎



Strategy 1: Offer them something 

AKA: freebie, free offer, opt in offer, lead magnet, downloadable... 

This is the easiest, and the oldest strategy we'll list here.  Many many many people are happy to give you their email address and permission to contact them again in exchange for your offer.  

Your lead magnet doesn't have to be complicated.  It can be: 
  • a PDF
  • a ebook
  • a short course 
  • a video or videos
  • access to existing membership or course for a limited period of time
  • a short consultation with you to address a specific problem
Don't overthink it and don't undersell the value you can offer with these types of offers.  

If you know your audience and you speak to their hearts with the offer, then they will opt in. 

Simplero resource: Set up your Freebie Giveaway
External resource: Content Marketing - Ebooks
External resource: The secret to finding your first 1,000 subscribers
External resource: How GDPR affects online businesses

Strategy 2: Engage with them as an expert

AKA: run a free Facebook group, publish content to Linked In, etc

I, personally, love this one.  It's accessible, doesn't cost anything, and creates multiple pay-offs for your business.  You never know who you might meet and what that might result in. 

Before you run your own free Facebook group or start publishing content to LinkedIn (or whatever platform you love) - it's a good idea to spend some time in OTHER people's groups / pages.  

Position yourself as an expert by answering questions, offering advice and dropping links to things you've found helpful.  Build up a reputation. 

Then go out and do the same in your own group.  

This one often feeds into Strategy 1. You can leverage this group into list subscribers by offering your lead magnet.  Voila!  More people to send your great content to and to offer to sell your courses, membership sites or whatever. 

Simplero resource: Post your sign up form to Facebook
Simplero resource: How to turn free group members into paying customers
External resource: How to leverage Facebook groups for building an email list


Strategy 3: Form partnerships

Chances are good that your perfect audience and someone else's perfect audience are the same, or very very similar.  

So figure out who else in your niche already has the audience that would ALSO love your content and offers.  Reach out to them with an offer for something that their audience would truly benefit from. 

This can't be about serving yourself.  It has to be about serving your audience.  Providing your audience (which is also their audience) with something meaningful.  Something that doesn't compete with the offerings of the person you are reaching out to! 

This takes some thought.  And it's scary to put yourself out there.  But it's a great way to reach the people who need what you have. 

Simplero resource: How to execute a partnership
External resource: Use Guest Emailing to get promoted to another's list


Strategy 4: Run a webinar (but call it a free training)

People are happy to sign up for your email list in exchange for some specialized knowledge, and, if it's a live training, the chance to ask you questions.

This doesn't have to be complicated technically.  You can 
  • build a great landing page for it in Simplero
  • use that to sign people up for a list in Simplero and send them reminder emails
  • use Zoom or something similar to offer the training
  • download the video recording of the session
  • email the replay to everyone who signed up
💥 BOOM 💥

The content for this training can be the 'next level' version of whatever you are using for a lead magnet.  Or it could be something entirely different that your audience also needs. 

If you're not sure what to teach on - ask your 20 most engaged current subscribers!  What would they most love to learn about.  Make them feel special when you ask...  

Simplero resource: Using Webinars to Grow Your List
External resource: What is a webinar, and why do one


Strategy 5: Develop a quiz

This one is more complicated. It's a lot of work to do it well - but it's also delivers big time.  
People love to learn about themselves. Quizzes satisfy that universal desire for self discovery. We're drawn to them like magnets. We can't help ourselves.

But for this to work, you have to really know your audience deeply.  What are their fears, their hopes, their secret desires?  What do their shadow sides look like?  

Maybe that sounds dramatic, but you want to get inside their heads and hearts so that your quiz will be meaningful to them.  

Simplero resource: Grow your list with quizzes
External resource: How to make a quiz (three types of lead quizzes and how to use each)
External resource: Try Interact (which integrates with Simplero)

Are you enjoying those Simplero Show & Telling trainings I linked to above?  
There are more here. 
Last updated 22 Apr 2020.
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