by Angela Taffs | Sep 11, 2017 | Sales and Marketing
Are you struggling to grow your email list and don’t have a big budget for Facebook ads or other marketing?
Read on for a few ideas on how to grow your list without a big budget.
Create a freebie
Create a freebie and promote through your social media channels in exchange for an email address. Add this email address to your list for future newsletters.
Write a blog
Start a blog. Provide interesting, valuable content and then have a sign-up form at the bottom. If people love what they are reading they will happily sign up to read future articles.
Put a sign up on your website
Have a sign-up form on your website. And not just one. You could have one at the top of your web page, at the bottom, on the sidebar or as a pop-up. Make it interesting and engaging.
Run a promotion
Run a promotion or online contest which people have to give their email to take part in. If you attend events/trade shows etc, run a competition for the day. Gather email addresses to be entered into the competition.
Have a sign-up button on your Facebook business page
Easy to do and if people like what you are posting they may well be happy to join your mailing list.
Use Video
Use video to engage with your audience and then invite them to join your mailing list at the end.
Host a webinar
Host a webinar on a subject close to your ideal client’s hearts. To be able to join the webinar they will have to give their email address.
Ask!
Put out posts asking your social media followers to join your mailing list. It’s surprising how well this simple action can work.
Have a subscriber-only area on your website
Offer special promotions or access to a secret part of your website in exchange for an email. The secret part of your website could have resources only available to subscribers.
Run a survey
This gives you valuable market research information and lets people know they will receive a thank you such as a freebie or entry into a draw to win a prize for leaving their email address
by Angela Taffs | Feb 2, 2017 | Sales and Marketing
I do my best to support small independent traders, so just recently I made several purchases from members of my Facebook group along with a few from promotions I had seen in other groups, all of whom were small business owners.
I made a point of letting people know I had purchased in order to help boost their posts and help promote their business.
The response I got was quite varied.
The first lady I purchased off and left a comment for, saying how excited I was to have placed my order and was looking forward to receiving my goods, completely ignored my comment. Not even a like even though I had tagged her! However, a comment below mine got an instant response from someone who was obviously a friend as she said she would drop the order over when they went out for drinks later.
How did that make me feel?
Ignored (obviously) and that my purchase was insignificant and not of any value to her.
A few days later I received my product and that was that.
The second purchase that I left a comment for did manage to get a ‘like’ but no reply or further interaction with me.
How did this leave me feeling? That she wasn’t really bothered by my purchase either. Another example of how not to create raving fans for her business.
Again, product received but this time with a card asking me to rate the business on social media. Hmm! Now then. As I had been ignored previously, would I take time out to do this. Maybe, maybe not.
How to create raving fans
Now take a moment to compare this was another purchase further along the line.
Here I did exactly the same. Completed the purchase and left a comment on their promo post whilst tagging them so they couldn’t miss it.
The difference in the response I got here was so far removed from the first couple.
Hallelujah!! Someone cares!
I had a reply to my comment thanking me so much for my support and that she was as excited as I was about sending my purchase to me as I was in receiving it as she knew I would love it.
Between my order and my receipt of the same, the lady kept me fully updated via email. Again, I received an email thanking me for my order and with an expected dispatch date. I then received a lovely email saying how my order had just been lovingly wrapped and taken to the post office so would be with me soon.
When the order arrived, it was beautifully packed in tissue paper and tied with a piece of ribbon along with a business card that had a handwritten message on.
How did this purchase make me feel? It made me feel valued and warm and fuzzy inside that I had supported a small business that really appreciated my support.
Out of these three businesses, who do you think I will return to when I go to make future purchases? Which ones are creating raving fans and which ones aren’t? I’ll give you one guess.
The moral of the story here is that if you are going to promote your business on social media, then get social! If someone takes the time to make a purchase and flag up your business to try and support you, then at least have the courtesy to respond to them. It only takes a few seconds to say thank you.
Remember, it’s now what you say or what you do, it’s how you make people feel that matters and will determine if they return to you to buy from you again or not.
Does this resonate with you? Yes or no? Leave a comment and let me know below.
by Angela Taffs | Mar 3, 2016 | Sales and Marketing
How many times do you get an enquiry from a prospect, send them some details and then file them away and hope they get back in touch? Too often I suspect. Some of these prospects could be good potential future clients but they do not receive enough contact to be converted to buying from you.
How many times do you think you should follow up a prospect?
People tend to lead busy lives and if the email you send or voicemail you leave arrives with them at an inconvenient time, they may forget to respond or, be full of intention to, but then something else happens that takes priority. Past research has shown that it can take up to seven touch points with a prospective client before they take action and with the huge rise in social media, this figure can now be significantly higher.
I have included a simple diagram which shows 13 touch points but illustrates how the buying process can take time and most salespeople do not make enough contact to keep in the potential client’s mind. You may not see yourself as a salesperson, but in reality, yes you are if you are trying to gain paying clients.
Therefore, you need to set up a system to ensure regular activity to try to make contact and if no response is forthcoming after a set period, to at least add them to your mailing list for an ongoing newsletter (you did take their email didn’t you?).
After someone has requested some information on your business and you have sent it out, a simple seven-point contact plan could be as below. Once a prospect buys from you, they would move out of the remaining sequence and be added to your client mailing list so that ongoing contact is still maintained. The types of contact you have will be determined by the information you have available so at the point of the initial enquiry, get as much information as you can. Ask for an email as the bare minimum but if you can, take a phone number and mailing address.
- Attempt contact via email or phone call to see if info received and if any questions. If no response, leave a message or send acknowledgement email (within 24 hours)
- Follow up call to prospect and if not there, leave a message (+24 hours from step 1)
- Send follow up email (+ 1 week from step 2)
- Send a written letter (+ 1 week from step 3)
- Final phone call (+ 1 month from step 4)
- Final email (+ 1 week from step 5)
- Final letter – confirm no further contact will be made but will add to the mailing list (+ 1 month from step 6)
Once prospects have moved off the main seven steps and on to your mailing list, this database of contacts can be used for sending out your newsletter, free advice, and tips and for future marketing purposes including competitions/surveys etc.
Free Download: Follow up prospect sample worksheet
To access this worksheet, simply leave a comment below
