Since we’re starting to get into new events and list-building activities, I thought it would be good to talk about one of the most overlooked parts of list-building – your follow-up strategies.
It’s not just enough to get someone one your list. You need to be building up the know, like and trust factor right from the beginning. Studies show that only about two percent of sales are made on the initial contact. That means if you want to turn your event subscribers who have expressed interest in your free event offering into paying customers, how you follow up with them is crucial.
Here are four follow-up strategies you can use to start building a relationship with your new subscribers:
Strategy #1 – Say thank you and ask for feedback
The first point of contact after signup is always your thank you email. This is one of the easiest follow-up strategies to implement, especially if you have your autoresponder and shopping cart connected to each other.
Asking for feedback on the signup process allows you to tweak it based on whether the customer had an easy time of registering and/or accessing the product you are giving them.
Strategy #2 – Add your own personality and value
You want your subscribers to know there’s a real person behind the automated emails, so be sure to show them your personality right from the start. You also want to be adding value to every email you send, so that your new list member knows you’re not just in it for the money. You want your people to know you see that as people – not just numbers and email addresses on a list.
Strategy #3 – Develop an optimal length email for your audience
This takes a little trial and error, but you want your follow-up emails to be just the right length for your audience. This will vary across niches and even from list to list in the same list, depending on your personality and the information you are sharing.
Some people say short emails between 50 and 125 words are best, but for someone like me that’s way to short. Most of my paragraphs are 125 words!
What you’re looking for here is a balance between too little information that doesn’t allow them to make a buying decision, and too much information that’s going to send them right into overwhelm.
Strategy #4 – Invite them into your community
If you’re a coach or course instructor, you can give your subscribers the option to contact you one-on-one. This can be through personalized calls, but at the very least you should be giving your subscribers the option to reply to your emails.
The other thing you can do if you’re not into one-on-one calls is make sure you have a community such as a Facebook Group where you can interact with your readers. This not only lets them get to know you on a more personal level, but also lets you get to know them as well.
Final Thoughts
It’s important to keep your expectations realistic. Chances are that one email or opt-in sequence is not going to give you huge overnight results. Email marketing takes consistent follow up and contact with your subscribers, especially when they’re coming from events where they’ve signed up for multiple gifts.
Implementing follow-up strategies such as these can, however, jumpstart the relationship building process and make you stand out from the crowd. Always give your readers the opportunity to get to know you and you will have an easier time of transitioning them into paying customers.