How To Do Email List Building for Profit in Your Business

An email list is one of the most important assets a business can have. But list building for profit from scratch in your business can be difficult – especially if you’re not sure where to start. When done correctly, an email list can generate profits for your business while you sleep for years to come.

So, how do you go about building an email list from scratch? This blog post will walk you through the steps you need to take to get started.

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How To Do Email List Building For Profit

Email marketing is one of the best ways to market your business, and today we’re looking at how you can start building an email list.

You might be wondering if email still has a place in marketing. Yes, it does. In fact, email generates $42 for every $1 invested, which is a stunning 4200% ROI. It’s one of the most effective choices around because it includes so many features and benefits that you can’t afford to miss out on anything!

Sure, putting together your email list may be expensive (if you’re attempting to expand it fast with Facebook ads or Google Ads etc.) but once you have them on your list, you can promote to them for free. That’s pretty fantastic in my opinion.

Furthermore, there are many additional free methods to expand your email list. The proper way, as defined. Not the shady way. I’m all about growing your email list the correct way, rather than the wrong method by spamming people and doing other unethical things.

What You Should Avoid When You’re Building Your List

In a nutshell, you’re not doing it correctly if you’re employing any sort of method to add people to your email list except for those who have opted in.

I frequently see people who are looking through Facebook Groups and discovering threads where users have put in their email addresses. For example, if someone makes a request for guidance and others reply with their email addresses. People frequently browse through those threads, capturing all email addresses. I know this because I’ve been one of those people who’ve received junk mail, and I’m sure many of you have as well. So, don’t do it. It’s not a good PR for your brand.

Giving your users an incentive to sign up is one of the most effective strategies to grow your email list. My favorite kind of incentive is a free piece of content, such as a cheat sheet, a swipe file, or a template.

In this article, I’ll walk you through the process of setting up your email list-building system so that it may automatically build your email list. It means you won’t have to worry about where your next sale comes from when your email list growth is automated.

The Tools You’ll Need For List Building For Profit

To get started, you’ll need to choose an email platform. I recommend ConvertKit because it’s easy to use and comes with everything you need to start list building for profit.

Once you’ve chosen your platform, it’s time to create a free lead magnet. This is the piece of content that you’ll offer in exchange for someone’s email address. I suggest using Canva for creating your lead magnet as it is the most user-friendly option for beginners.

Next, you’ll need to create an opt-in page. This is the page on your website where people will go to sign up for your free lead magnet.

Once you have your opt-in page set up, it’s time to create an email nurture sequence. This is a series of emails that will be sent to new subscribers, automatically, over a period of time.

Now that you have your email nurture sequence set up, it’s time to automate your email list-building. This can also be done via ConvertKit.

Last but not least, you need to drive traffic to your free opt-in page.

Continue reading for a closer look at the steps mentioned above.

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Create a Free Lead-Magnet

A lead magnet or an opt-in is a freebie that you give to your website visitors in exchange for their email address.

The lead magnet should be something that is relevant to your target audience and it should be something that they would find valuable and something that they actually want.

Some examples of lead magnets are:

• A free ebook
• A mini course
• A checklist
• A template

Decide The Topic Of Your Lead Magnet

A free opt-in isn’t necessary to be a large freebie, but it should offer enough value that your audience is inclined to give their email address. It should be significant and valuable enough that the subscriber begins to trust your company and becomes interested in learning more about how great your premium products or services are.

The real challenge is to provide as much value as possible without removing the need for them to buy from you.

An opt-in that promises your visitors a certain result is more likely to convert than one that doesn’t make any promises.

For example, if you’re a weight loss coach, your opt-in might be “The Top Ten Foods That Make You Fat and How to Avoid Them.”

If you sell products for dogs, your opt-in might be “The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Best Dog Food for Your Pet.”

There are so many different types of freebies you can give away – you just need to decide what package it will be in.

Outline Your Lead Magnet

Brainstorm everything that you could possibly include in your lead magnet.

Think about what would be most helpful for your target audience and what would get them excited about signing up to receive it.

Once you have a list of possibilities, narrow it down to the best of the best and start outlining your lead magnet.

Typically, it’s going to feel like you’re giving away too much for free, but the chances are you aren’t.

Create Your Lead Magnet

Now you’ll want to go through everything you’ve brainstormed and outlined and start creating your lead magnet.

This is where the real work begins, but it will be so worth it when you see how quickly your email list starts to grow.

Prettify Your Lead Magnet

If you need help with designing your lead magnet, there are plenty of resources and templates available online.

Canva is a great option for those who don’t have a lot of design experience.

It’s best to keep it simple and not overthink things. Keep in mind that white space is beneficial! Also, make sure your lead magnet has the same colors, typefaces, and imagery as your company’s other branding touchpoints.

If you want something that looks a little more professional, you can hire a designer on Fiverr or Upwork.

Test Your Freebie

Find someone you know who fits your ideal customer or client profile and ask them to take a look at your free opt-in. After getting their feedback, make any necessary modifications.

Now you’re ready to upload your freebie.

Hosting Your Freebie

I personally use my website on WordPress to host my lead magnets. I then use ConvertKit to send an email with the link to the lead magnet when someone subscribes.

If you don’t yet have a website, you can use Dropbox or Google Drive to host your files. Also if it’s a large file like a video or audio file then you might want to consider hosting it on Dropbox or Google Drive to not take up too much of your website’s bandwidth and potentially slow down your website.

When you’re ready to upload your freebie, all you need to do is add a new page or post on your website and insert a link to your file.

Related: How To Start A Blog: The Ultimate Blog Launch Checklist

Create an Opt-In Page

You want to have the opt-in form on a landing page to make it as easy as possible for people to sign up.

If you’re using WordPress, I recommend using a plugin like Elementor to create beautiful opt-in forms and landing pages.

You can also use ConvertKit if you don’t yet have a website.

Both platforms make it easy to create beautiful and effective opt-in forms and landing pages without any design experience.

The ideal landing page is one that’s as simple as possible, with no distractions that might take visitors away from the purpose. That includes everything from removing the standard navigation links you’d find in your header menu to deleting all social media icons!

You should also add a paragraph or bullet points of text that explains to the reader what will be in it for them.

When they submit the form, they will be added to your email list and receive your lead magnet.

Create An Email Nurture Sequence

Starting with an email list but never doing anything with it is a common occurrence among small company owners. Perhaps they’ll run a promotion after a couple of weeks, but then it’s too late. People who signed up aren’t as interested as they were when they first subscribed. They have most often forgotten about opting in and may report you as spam. As a result, you wind up in junk mail folders, which is not good for your business and visibility.

Consider implementing a nurture sequence to stay top-of-mind.

But what is a nurture sequence you might wonder? It’s a series of emails that are automatically sent to new subscribers over a period of time.

The goal is to introduce yourself, build rapport, and establish trust with your audience so they’re more likely to buy from you when you eventually make an offer.

You can create a nurture sequence using ConvertKit’s visual email builder.

 How many emails you send and how far apart you space them out is completely up to you.

I generally recommend starting with a welcome email, followed by a series of emails over the course of a week or two.

You can then space them out further as time goes on – every few days, once a week, etc.

The key is to keep it consistent so your subscribers know when to expect an email from you.

Automating Your Email List-Building

The goal of automation is to make your life easier while still delivering a great experience to your audience.

I’m frequently asked about how to automate this. I’ve seen a lot of people manually distribute their freebies to everyone who signs up because they don’t know how to automate it. But it’s so simple to automate and appears overwhelming and complex.

Promote Your Lead Magnet

The final step in creating your lead magnet is to promote it!

You can do this by adding a sign-up form to your website, sharing it on social media, or even running ads to it.

If you’re just getting started, I recommend promoting it on your website and social media.

You should try to get people onto your email list when they’re interacting with your business. Once you’ve got them on your list, use it as an opportunity to establish trust and nurture them into paying consumers or clients.

The Most Crucial Thing to Keep in Mind When You’re Doing List Building For Profit

Don’t only send your subscribers newsletters to promote something. Email them something of value, such as a blog article or other material that they may be interested in. It’s a “give, give, give, ask” mentality. Before requesting the sale, offer them lots of value.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to do list building for profit in your business, it’s time to get started!

The first step is to choose a platform and create a free lead magnet. Then, design an opt-in page that is simple and easy to use. When someone submits the form, they will be added to your email list and receive your lead magnet.

An email list with the right subscribers is such a valuable asset for your business.

With a little bit of effort, you can create an email list that will pay dividends for years to come!

Do you have any tips on how to build an email list? Leave a comment below!