Psst… Are You Building Your List?

Don’t Let A Day Go By Without Building Your List of Prospects, Clients, and Center of Influences.

In my post  I spoke to you about how important Drip Marketing can be to your  business if you want to create a steady flow of income and avoid the “feast or famine” swing (click here if you missed it).  Drip Marketing is a strategy that sends, or “drips,” a pre-written set of messages to customers, prospects and center of influences over time so that the recipient will get to know, like and trust you. By “dripping” messages, you will also stay in front of the recipients mind so that when they or someone they know needs your product or service; you will be first on their mind to contact.

BUILDING YOUR LIST

The first step to creating a drip marketing program is to build a qualified list of people that you can send information too. When you miss an opportunity to add someone to your qualified list of leads, you are throwing money out the window. That’s because every person on your list has somewhere along the line, been interested in your product or services but not yet ready to buy or refer you. By adding them to your list, it allows you the opportunity to convince them to buy from you when they are ready

Below are just a few examples of how you can Build Your List:

• Create a Lead Generation – Opt-In box on your website opt in sample.

You’ve spent a lot of money for your website so don’t let prospects visit, take a look around and then click away without getting their contact information onto your list!

TIP:  Offer a “thank you gift or freebie”  in exchange for their name and email address. Freebie ideas can be: Coupons, a special report, e-book, whitepaper, tips, etc.

• Collect Names at your Speaking Engagements, Conferences and Networking Events:

If you’re a speaker or you set up a booth or table at conferences and trade shows, don’t pass up your opportunity to BUILD YOUR LIST.

Set out a fish bowl for attendees to drop their business card in or provide a clip board where they can add their name and email address. Entice them to give you their information by having a drawing or offer to send them something for free.

TIP:  I know so many people who collect business cards at conferences and speaking engagements but once they get back into the office, the cards are put in a drawer never to be entered into their database. This is like pouring your time and money down the drain!   If you don’t have time to add them to your database consider sending them to A Virtual Assistant who can do it for you.

• Capture Prospects, Referrals and Leads.

When you get a call or email from a prospect, referral or lead, the first thing you should do after replying to them is to enter their information into your database, newsletter list and etc.

• Add Membership Information from Associations and Groups you Belong too.

Do you belong to a business group or association? Most organization provide membership directories, if they do, go through the directory and add them to your list.

TIP: Don’t have time to add them? A Virtual Assistant can do it for you (are you seeing a trend on who can help you with all your list building?

• Leverage your email signature.

Your email signature is like a bill board along the internet super  highway. It crosses the email signature desk of everyone you come in contact with over email, mobile phone, social media and more. Not only should it have your name and contact information, but it should also promote your business INCLUDING an opt in link to join your mailing list.

• Social Media

Add your URL on your profiles and in posts to steer them to your website where they have chance to opt-in to your List.

BONUS TIP #1: The less information you request the more responses you will get.  Unless you plan on doing direct marketing with print material, only ask for their Name and email address.  The less your visitor has to share about themselves the more likely they will sign up for your mailing list.

While your busy building your list, the next step is to evaluate the different mediums that are out there and create a plan on which ones you will use and how you will use them. I’ll  talk more about that in my next article.

In the meantime, start growing your list!

PS: In case you missed it, Michael Kitces, Nerd’s Eye View, just posted an article that discusses the importance of drip marketing for the financial advisor. You can read it here:  How To Turn Your Financial Advisor Website Visitors Into Prospect Leads.

Copyright 2016 Sherry Carnahan

Sherry Carnahan is an author and owner of two successful and growing companies, Total Office, Inc., and Red Dress Marketing located in Akron, Ohio. A pioneer in the Virtual Assistant profession, Sherry and her staff have forged a niche in providing “virtual” back office support and marketing services to Financial Advisors throughout the United States since 1992. Sherry has written extensively on subjects related to business growth, marketing, entrepreneurship and virtual office concepts. To learn more about Sherry and her companies, visit www.sherrycarnahan.com.

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