One of the biggest mistakes I made as a blogger was to not understand the importance of a targeted list. Yes. There’s a difference between a regular list and a targeted list. You want to create a list that has an audience that is biting at the bit to read your content and purchase things that you recommend because they know and trust you. There are specific strategies that you need to put in place in order to jumpstart your list growth with a targeted audience.
How to Jumpstart List Growth
Before we get into the strategies I wanted to state that getting started is the hardest part. That’s why I’ve teamed up with ConvertKit to showcase simple and effective list building strategies in this 72-Hour List Building Challenge! During this challenge Nathan Barry and the ConvertKit Team will provide you with the tools and resources to build your email list to over 100 people in just 72-hours! Did we mention this includes FREE access to ConvertKit for 30-days?!
This challenge starts Thursday, February 16th and runs through Saturday, February 18th. Register Here!
Lead Magnet
A lead magnet is a simple way to give your audience quality content without a ton of work from you to provide it. A lead magnet or also referred to a freebie is usually a one page printable that provides valuable information. Some examples of a lead magnet would be a meal planning printable, a grocery list printable, a project supply list, top tools within a specific niche {photographers, bloggers, etc.}, spring cleaning hacks, a daily routine printable to get kids up and moving in the morning.
You can create a lead magnet for any niche and use it within content or even promote it on social media. You just have to make sure that the freebie is something that people are willing to give their email addresses for and it should be something aligned with the product that you offer.
Content Upgrades
I think content upgrades are one of my favorite ways to grow my list because it gives me an opportunity to thank my audience for reading or listening to my content. There are two ways to do this though. If you already have a ton of content then you want to add your lead magnets into your most popular, relevant posts. You can do this by looking at your google analytics. What posts are consistently driving the most content? You should also be using your analytics to determine what product your audience would want from you. If you find that your most popular posts are on potty training then you should create a product {ebook} as well as a content upgrade {checklist} that your audience can download.
If you are just starting out or if you’ve pivoted in your focus on your site then you want to create content upgrades that are relevant to the way in which you have pivoted. I highly believe in pivoting, which you probably remember from my podcast interview with Nicole Culver on Pivoting towards a Profit. You again want to make sure that the upgrade is aligned with your future product so that your audience is primed to buy.
Challenges
One of my absolute favorite ways to grow a targeted email list that is primed to buy is via challenges. Challenges can be anywhere between 5-10 days or even 72 hours like the list building challenging that ConvertKit is doing. Challenges provide an opportunity for your audience to engage and get to know you as an expert in that specific topic. They also teach your audience to open your emails while providing them with value. They also provide an opportunity for your audience to determine if they can learn from you. If you provide a transformation in a challenge then it is likely that they will see that your paid product will give them even larger results. You absolutely need to be sure to align your challenge with your paid product though so that they can see how the next step is clearly to purchase it. In order to dive into challenges further be sure to join in on my Challenge Builder.
Email Course
An email course is very similar to a challenge in that you are teaching your audience and they are determining if they can learn from you. You may not end up with the same transformation as a challenge, but you will definitely be turning your audience from a cold audience {one that doesn’t know you} into a warm audience {one that does know you}.
Video Series
Video is not for everyone, but if you can get used it to it, it can provide amazing results. People love getting to know you and there is no better way to do it then via video. A video series would be lessons on a specific topic in which your readers would walk away with some key takeaways in a short amount of time that they could put into place. The purpose of the video series would be again to show your audience how the next step is your product. It provides an opportunity for people to feel like they truly know you.
All of these list building strategies I have put into place within my business. I would not have been able to successfully pull them off without LeadPages as well as ConvertKit, which is why I am highly recommending that you register for their 72 hour list building challenge. Who doesn’t want to grow their list by 100 people in 72 hours and earn a free 30 day trial just for registering?
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