Most internet marketers will agree that one of the most effective tools in their sales arsenal is an opt-in email list. If you’re not collecting one, you’re losing sales. So what’s the most effective way to collect the emails of those people who will be happy to hear from you?
One of the most effective strategies you can use to quickly build an opt-in list is through a series. For example, you can offer a 7-day course on how to solve a problem your customers are having.
Offering a mini-series of tips has a number of advantages. First, it provides your prospect with a compelling reason to hand over their name and email. If all you have on your website is a box that says “name”, a box that says “email”, and a button that says, “sign up”, the person who sees this has no motivation to provide information to the cyberspace stranger who is asking for it. By offering something of value in exchange for contact information, you begin a relationship of trust that is vital to your chances of making sales.
Offering a valuable series to people who opt in to receive emails from you also allows you to prove you can deliver quality content. People are used to being sold to and (rightly so, perhaps) start in a defensive mode when listening to you. You have to show them that you’re in business to help them solve a problem they’re having. You also have to show that you’re capable of delivering on the promises you make. A mini-series of helpful tips is an effective way to accomplish this in a non-threatening manner.
A mini-series is also effective in conditioning people to get used to hearing from you via email on a regular basis. This prepares them to be more receptive to the regular emails and offers you send, instead of simply hitting “delete”.
Finally, your mini-series helps to build a more effective list of targeted prospects. If you offer a bonus e-book of tips for signing up for your list, you will lose more people who quickly receive your bonus and then unsubscribe. By sending the same information in bite-sized pieces, your potential customer is more likely to stick around to hear what else you have to say.
One helpful tip: don’t send your installments of information every day. It’s best to send each email in the series at least two or three days apart. Some people don’t check their email every day. If they don’t check their email for four days and see four messages from you, they’re more likely to unsubscribe and be gone forever.
Provide value in small bites with a mini-series, and you’ll soon have a huge list of prospects to grow your business.
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