One of the simplest ways to gain traffic and therefore building a list is to leverage a big platform filled with readers who are already interested in your niche.
You can do this by finding popular blogs and guest posting on them. You can simply write a guest post, submit it and hope for the best. But if you want to increase the chances that your post will actually be published, follow the tips below…
Pick blogs in your niche. When you first hear about the benefits of guest posting, you may be tempted to start looking for any blog that you can guest post on. But that’s a big mistake that wastes your time and effort.
Instead, you want to focus on finding blogs in your niche. A small blog that can send you a steady stream of relevant traffic is better than a large blog whose readership isn’t interested in your business.
Look for the guidelines. Most blogs that accept guest posts have guidelines somewhere on the site. These guidelines will answer most common questions and tell you how to submit your work.
It’s important that you read these guidelines carefully. Some bloggers don’t want to see a completed blog post. They’d prefer that you submit a short summary instead. They do this because they want to help you create the post and make sure it aligns perfectly for their audience. Be open to receiving this feedback and advice from a more experienced blogger.
Interact with the blogger. Most bloggers get dozens of pitches in a single week. The more popular the blog is, the harder it is to stand out in the blogger’s mind.
You can make it easier for the blogger to remember you by interacting with his or her community. Do this by participating in the blog’s Facebook group, commenting on the blogger’s Instagram posts, and retweeting their latest posts. Activities like these will help the blogger remember who you are and gives you a better chance of making it through their submission pile.
Link to an opt-in page. When you do land a juicy guest spot, don’t squander the opportunity. Inexperienced guest posters will link to their website and hope the new visitors magically join their mailing list.
But smart marketers link to a landing page with an opt-in offer that will appeal to their target audience. This ensures they capture the traffic from their guest post and put it where it counts—in their sales funnel!
Make your opt-in relevant. When you do link to your landing page in your author bio, think carefully about your opt-in gift. You want it to be relevant to the post you just wrote so that visitors can’t wait to sign up for your list.
I want to share with you a strategy to significantly increase not only your engagement, but your conversion rates.
It’s something you’ve most likely heard of before, and has been proven effective, but a surprising number of companies still aren’t doing it.
List segmentation!
Most marketers understand how important email is to their marketing strategy, but not all are aware of the benefits of list segmentation.
Segmenting your email list simply means that you slice and dice your list based on certain demographics and tailor your emails and/or subject lines to appeal to them more effectively.
For example you could separate based on location, gender, age, or slightly more complex things like previous purchase history, personal interests and needs, etc.
Although it may seem complicated (or pricey) the statistics speak for themselves as far as effectiveness.
One study found that emails with a personalized subject line generated a 760% increase in email revenue from segmented list campaigns!
That’s right. A 760% increase!!
Now that’s a number we all want to be seeing in our monthly reports!
Here are 4 reasons you might consider using list segmentation
Your Engagement Will Improve.Your readers will be much more inclined to engage when you are speaking to them more personally. This practice, over time, will also improve your email reputation. Your audience will come to expect that your content will always be interesting to them and will be more likely to pay attention to what you have to say over the long-term.
Your Buyers Aren’t All The Same.Even if your selling a product to a very specific market, the people on your email list are still going to have unique characteristics or life situations. With list segmentation you can become more sensitive and intuitive as to what they want to hear AND what will make them click-through and become buyers.
Your Contacts Are At Different Points In The Sales Cycle. Most likely you didn’t get all of your email subscribers in a single shot. Some might be completely new to you and your product, while others might be just on the brink of becoming a true customer. Knowing where each of your contacts sits can help you market to them more effectively.
Your Overall Results Will Improve.The Lyris Annual Email Optimizer Report found that when marketers used list segmentation, 39% of them experienced increased open rates, 28% experiences lower unsubscribe rates and 24% experienced both increased sales leads and greater revenue.
If separating your email list is such an effective thing to do, why aren’t more people doing it?
There are some challenges with list segmentation that take a little skill to navigate. I’ll cover these in a future email as well as give you more in-depth information about how to use this marketing tool effectively.
Are you ready to take more power in your business NOW and leverage the tools I discussed today? I’ve opened up some space on my calendar this week for one-on-one coaching sessions with my readers. I am offering these sessions at no cost and would love to spend some time hearing about your business. Click here to claim your spot.
My calendar always fills up quickly so don’t hesitate to put your name on my schedule.
Webinars are one of the most effective ways to drive prospects and sales for your business. Webinars take time and effort to plan, and you do need some technical skills. However, if you want to get more prospects and sales, webinars are at the top of the to-do list when it comes to lead generation and making a profit.
What is a webinar? A webinar, also called a teleseminar, is an online event designed to offer useful information to the audience. It is often live but can be pre-recorded. There might or might not be interactivity with the audience, such as question and answer. The webinar service used can offer various useful tools to the webinar host, including a shared desktop, whiteboard, polls and more.
Webinars are most effective when they are related to a particular niche or topic, and offer solutions to “pain points,” or problems, within that niche. Webinars are educational but also promotional. Think of them as an infomercial for your brand, or a product you wish to sell.
Why should I use webinars? Online education is growing. According to the latest statistics, 70% of people are visual learners. In general, they love to watch videos and participate in webinars that teach them what they need to know. Webinars are useful if you plan to launch a new product and want to make it an attention-grabbing event.
Some webinars are free, while others require payment to attend. Paid webinars usually offer more exclusive information opportunities to prospects.
However, in general, a free webinar is best, and is a powerful tool for email marketing list building.
Why use a webinar to build my list? Webinars can grow your list rapidly because people like to be the first to share a good deal or “news” with their friends. Announcing the webinar on social media makes it very easy for them to share your news. However, you’ll need to use free and paid channels.
You may already have a good following on Facebook or Twitter but running a paid ad or event listing can give you highly qualified traffic. When you prospect this way, create a separate email-marketing list for each webinar you plan to host. Then, use it to market to prospects before, during, and after the event. You can also enlist the help of participants by getting them to continue to spread the word.
Before the webinar Once someone joins your new list, send them a welcome email with the event date, start-time, time zone, and how to join. Continue to send reminders until the show begins. Even after you have started, you can still send out email reminders to get people to join in. If you have a virtual assistant, have them check your Inbox or the chat for questions or other issues. Also, consider creating a hashtag (#) for your webinar so you can spot their questions and comments easily.
During the webinar In addition to looking for questions during the event, you might also run a contest or give prizes. It adds fun and interest to the live event.
After the webinar The follow up after a webinar can be just as important as the planning and presentation stages. Those who have not purchased can still receive information about the product and the special offer. Those who are on the customer list can be given extra content that adds value, making them feel like they really got a great deal. Send a surprise thank you gift for attending. Make sure it is something of value and is branded with your logo and URL.
Selling on your webinar Building your list of prospects via your webinar is great, but sales are better. Present a webinar on a particular topic and offer one of your existing products as a useful solution. If you are launching a product, show all its features and benefits in relation to one or more common problems.
A product-based webinar is your chance to show off your new item and create buzz about it. Set up a special webinar-only price for it. The information you provide shouldn’t be a glorified ad for the item. It should give your target audience information they really want. The context will drive the sale.
Another great way to find free traffic is to use a tool you already have available, and that’s Facebook Live.
This can be useful if you’re counting down to a big launch and want to share it with your community or if you want to show off a new product you’re reviewing.
To get the most out of Facebook Live streams and send traffic back to your website, you’ll want to do these things…
Engage with your viewers. You can do this by paying attention to the comments on your video and responding to them out loud.
Focus on interacting with your viewers throughout your live stream. This builds relationships and makes people want to learn more about you and your business.
Brainstorm content suggestions. It’s great for those days when you feel blocked and can’t come up with any content ideas on your own. Let your audience help you brainstorm something different. You can use this technique when you need new content for your blog or when you’re looking to create a low-cost product.
Once you’ve finished your creation, come back and start a new Facebook live. Tell them about your new content and give a link to it. Doing this is a simple way to drive traffic back to your site. Plus, it makes your viewers curious to see if you used their suggestion.
Have a content upgrade ready. If you’re live-streaming and you want to transform those views into site visits, consider putting together a content upgrade. This should be a relevant gift that your community will enjoy like a quick start guide, fun printable, or a case study.
When you create a content upgrade, make a special landing page for it. Then link to the page in the comments section of your live stream. Viewers who are enjoying your stream can quickly click-through and download your gift.
Ask viewers to share your video. This is a simple way to get more traffic and exposure for your brand. In the middle of your video when you’ve gotten a few viewers, encourage them to click the share button.
You could say something like, “If your bestie is always looking for new makeup tips, share this video with her so she can follow along!”
Now you’ve asked them to share but you’ve done it in a way that reminds them your content is valuable. You’ve made them eager to share because they can discuss your topic with their friends later.
Facebook’s live-streaming feature is a great way to get traffic flowing back to your website. But make sure you have something valuable to share before you start the camera rolling. You want your viewers to remember you and your brand for all the right reasons.
As most of you know Instagram is a picture-sharing social network. Users can upload pictures they take and share them on their profile. Instagram has a fan base of over 800 million users that are eager to interact with the brands they love.
You can harness the power of Instagram to send traffic back to your website. Like all social networks, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind before you get started…
Include your link. When you’re signing up for Instagram, make sure you include a link to your website in your bio. Instagram doesn’t make links clickable on the website or through their app, except for the link on your profile.
This means if you want to get free traffic from Instagram and potential subscribers you’ll need to use your bio for that. Many brands put a link to their most recent blog post or content piece in their bio. They update this link each time they add new content.
Once you share a photo and you want to direct users back to your website, say something like: “Link in bio” or “Read in bio”. This lets your followers know to click on the link in your profile if they want to read your latest content.
Use hashtags. Hashtags are one of the most popular features on Instagram. It’s how users find content they enjoy and the social network allows you to use as many hashtags as you’d like.
Just make sure the hashtags you’re using are relevant to your post. Otherwise, you may get flagged as a spammer and have your account shut down.
If you’re not sure what hashtags to use, there are plenty of websites that can help you research this information. Try a site like TagBlender or Hashtags for Likes.
Include a call-to-action. When you’re creating a post on Instagram, ask your viewers to take the next step by including a call to action. This is where you’d say something like, “Visit our website to read the full post.” But you don’t want to just ask viewers to do that or they may stop noticing your CTA.
Mix it up sometimes by asking viewers to double tap your photo (this signifies a ‘like’ on the platform), tag a friend, or leave a comment. All of these activities create engagement, which drives the post higher in the news feed, leading to more views.
Create a branded hashtag. Since hashtags are a huge part of Instagram, use that to your advantage. Come up with a branded hashtag for your product or service.
Tell followers to use this tag when posting about you. For example, if you sell planners, then encourage your customers to share a peek into their weekly planning session with the hashtag you chose.
When their followers see the hashtag, they’re likely to click on it and discover your brand. Then they’ll be more likely to follow you on Instagram and click through to your website and want to learn more about you and sign up for your list.
