9 Steps for Building an Email List from Scratch [AIB]

We all know that list building is important, but it often becomes an afterthought when compared to other critical tasks.

The truth is email marketing isn’t just an item on your to do list—it can make or break the success of your website.  This is especially true if you’re building an Authority Internet Business.

My recommendation is this: Design your site (from day #1) with the goal to build a massive email list.

This should be done before content creation or any sort of marketing.  In fact, you can use an email list to build momentum for your authority business in a variety of ways:

• Establish relationships with people interested in your niche
• Generate downloads, reviews and purchases of Kindle books
• Understand the common obstacles that readers experience
• Create buzz and social recommendations for your high-value content
• Promote other marketing channels like Facebook, YouTube, iPhone apps and Udemy.

Now, one of the reasons people don’t build an email list is they think it’s a difficult task.  Fortunately, you don’t need to do much to turn your website into a subscription generating machine.  In fact, when I built my authority site (DevelopGoodHabits.com), I designed it with one goal in mind—turn each visitor into an email subscriber.  And here is how I did it in nine steps:

{Important: Some of the resources in this post contain my affiliate link.  That means I’ll earn a monetary compensation if you make a purchase.  With that said, I’ve personally tested each product and only list the ones that are good for list building.}

[title color=”green-vibrant” align=”scmgccenter” font=”verdana” style=”normal” size=”scmgc-2em”]Step #1: Create a Lead Magnet[/title]

You’ve probably heard me talk at length about the “lead magnet.”  Basically, this is a piece of content that you offer in exchange for a visitor’s email address.   People won’t join a list simply because you ask.  But they’ll subscribe if you’re offering something of value for free.

What you offer depends on your market.  You could do what Clay Collins recommends in his interview with Pat Flynn and create a PDF with niche-specific resources.  Or you might write a lengthy report like I’ve done in many niches.  My only piece of advice is to always offer a lead magnet.  Even if you’re unsure about what people want, it’s better to offer something instead of nothing.

[title color=”green-vibrant” align=”scmgccenter” font=”verdana” style=”normal” size=”scmgc-2em”]Step #2: Establish Ad Tracking Codes[/title]

The key to scaling your authority Internet business is to know what’s working.  Specifically, you should track every marketing campaign in order to determine their overall effectiveness.  When applied to email marketing, this means tracking every point where someone can subscribe to your list.

It’s easy to track subscribers.  All you have to do is go to your email marketing service and add an “ad tracking” code.  In Aweber (my preferred email service) you can create tracking codes here:

Sign Up Forms —> Settings —> Advanced Settings —> Ad Tracking

Here’s how this looks:

The goal here is to add this code wherever you offer a lead magnet.  For instance, I’m currently tracking advertisements in a variety of places:

• Kindle books
• Within blog content
• Splash page
• YouTube videos
• Sidebar widgets
• Facebook ads

At first, you might not think this information is important.  But, after building an email list for awhile, you’ll notice that the bulk of subscribers come from a few places.  This knowledge helps you focus on the strategies that actually work instead of the time wasters.

[title color=”green-vibrant” align=”scmgccenter” font=”verdana” style=”normal” size=”scmgc-2em”]Step #3: Create a Squeeze Page[/title]

A squeeze page is how you “sell” a lead magnet.  Nowadays, people are leery of giving away their email address.  So you need to convince them that the free offer is worth the risk.  With a squeeze page, you automate the process of delivering the lead magnet and adding subscribers to your list.

Squeeze pages come in many shapes and sizes.  Really, the “best” one to use is the page that has the highest conversion rate. So I encourage you to test different tools to find the page that gives you the best opt-in rate.

There are many tools you can use to create a squeeze page.  Some cost money, while others are free.  Here are some resources to help you get started:

• Optimize Press 2.0 (The squeeze page program I’ve happily used for three years.)
• Lead Pages (A mobile-friendly program I’m currently testing.)
• 3 Step Squeeze Page Model (A guest post I wrote which covers the basics of squeeze page design.)
• Free HTML Squeeze Page (Glen Allsopp offers a free HTML squeeze page in this blog post.)

A squeeze page can become an invaluable part of your authority Internet business.  So you should create at least one for the marketing you do outside of a blog.

[title color=”green-vibrant” align=”scmgccenter” font=”verdana” style=”normal” size=”scmgc-2em”]Step #4: Drive Traffic to the Squeeze Page[/title]

You shouldn’t always drive traffic to a blog.  Instead, a better idea is to use your lead magnet as a mechanism for generating interest in your personal brand.  Specifically, I recommend linking to the squeeze page on different platforms.  Done correctly, this strategy can help you build an email list long before you start getting decent web traffic numbers.

For instance, in addition to creating content for DevelopGoodHabit.com (DGH), I’m also building an email list by leveraging other platforms.  So for the last quarter of 2013 (October through December), I’m focusing on generating subscribers from these websites:

• Amazon Kindle publishing
• Facebook Ads
• YouTube.com
• Udemy.com

What’s the lesson here?

No longer do you have to rely on Google to “discover” your site.  Nowadays it’s possible to build an email list and generate income long before you get a large amount of web traffic.  Instead, you can create a presence on other platforms which can be used to expand your authority business.

{Stay tuned: In a few weeks, I’ll detail my first “authority traffic and income” report which will show how my site averages only 50 visitors a day, but is on track to generate over $1200 for September.}

[title color=”green-vibrant” align=”scmgccenter” font=”verdana” style=”normal” size=”scmgc-2em”]Step #5: Run Split-Tests on the Squeeze Page[/title]

Split-testing is another important concept for managing an authority business.  With a split-test, you create two variations of a squeeze page with one difference between each.  After setting up this test, you drive traffic to each variation and see which converts better.  So if “Page A” generates 47 subscriptions for every 100 visitors, then it has a 47% conversation rate.  And if “Page B” generates 39 subscriptions for every 100 visitors, then it has a 39% conversation rate.  This means that Page A converts better than Page B at an 8% difference.

Now, don’t worry if the math sounds a bit confusing.  The important takeaway is to always test different squeeze pages because you’ll maximize the number of subscriptions you get from each source of traffic.

There are a few tools for running a split-test.

The first is the Content Experiments tool that Google provides as part of their Analytics program.  Simply watch this video to see how to see how it works:

Another option is to use the split-testing features that are now part of many squeeze page programs.

EXAMPLE:

In Lead Pages you can quickly create variations of the same page in about a minute.  You can see how this looks from a recent test I started which promotes a lead magnet to readers of my habit Kindle books:

You’d be surprised at the results you’ll get with different split-tests.  In the above example, I deleted four words from the original version, which increased my opt-in rate by 13.75%.  While the test is still in the early stages, I think it shows an example of how small changes can dramatically improve the performance of a squeeze page.

[title color=”green-vibrant” align=”scmgccenter” font=”verdana” style=”normal” size=”scmgc-2em”]Step #6: Install a Splash Page[/title]

Splash pages combine the functionality of a squeeze page with a content driven website like a blog.  Basically, a splash page is an opt-in form that’s generated on top of your content.  Like a squeeze page, it offers a lead magnet in exchange for a person’s email address.

To show what I mean, here is a screen shot of the splash page that’s displayed on DGH:

Now, you could make the argument that a splash page might annoy new web visitors.  Honestly, I think that’s a completely valid point—it’s an aggressive marketing tactic that could piss off a few people.  So you should think carefully about the ramifications of installing it on your website.

One thing you could do is toggle the display settings so it’s only shown once per visitor.  That way, you’ll build an email list without annoying regular readers with the same advertisement.

It’s pretty easy to create a splash page.  I do it with a simple WordPress plugin called Welcome Splash.   It’s a straightforward tool that can easily be customized for your blog.   Plus it includes a few settings that allow you to control how often and when the advertisement is displayed.

[title color=”green-vibrant” align=”scmgccenter” font=”verdana” style=”normal” size=”scmgc-2em”]Step #7: Add Value to Build an Email List[/title]

One of the main reasons I love splash pages is you have an opportunity to build an email list on every part of your website.  Whereas many bloggers only use their home page and sidebar to generate subscribers, a splash page generates an obvious subscription form on every single page.  Then you can build an email list by directing people to specific pieces of content.

Now, we all understand the importance of social sites like Twitter and Facebook.  The mistake many people make with these platforms is they aggressively promote products instead of making connections.  A smarter solution is to tell people about helpful blog content and build a list of people who are interested in what you have to say.

It works in a simple formula:

Build an audience on a social media platform —> Promote your blog posts —> Display Welcome Splash to every new visitor —> Keep creating quality content to generate more traffic and subscribers

I love this step because you can build an email list without being overly aggressive.  Yes, every visitor gets a pop-up advertisement.  But, besides that, they’ll get a website that’s full of quality, free content.

You can use this strategy on a variety of platforms.  All you have to do is build an audience in places like:

• YouTube
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Amazon Kindle Publishing
• LinkedIn
• Niche-specific forums

Simply focus on creating good content, making connections with like-minded people and occasionally share your blog posts.  From there, it’s not too hard to turn each blog post into a subscriber magnet.

[title color=”green-vibrant” align=”scmgccenter” font=”verdana” style=”normal” size=”scmgc-2em”]Step #8: Install “Sticky List Builder”[/title]

Most bloggers have a subscription box on their sidebar.  But, it’s not easy to make this form stand out amongst all the clutter.  One solution to this problem is to use a tool called Sticky Profit Builder.

With Sticky Profit Builder you add a widget to the sidebar which stays on the screen as a reader scrolls down the page.  (Look to the right as you scan this page and you’ll see how I use this plugin to promote my Kindle books.)

It’s simple to use this plugin to build an email list.  Here’s how I did it for DGH in three steps:

1. Hired Ian from IM Graphic Designs to create a customized opt-in form.
2. Added the opt-in form code to the Sticky Profit Builder widget
3. Placed the widget at the bottom of my sidebar

Now, whenever a new visitor is reading a blog post, he or she sees a constant advertisement for my email list.

[title color=”green-vibrant” align=”scmgccenter” font=”verdana” style=”normal” size=”scmgc-2em”]Step #9: Look for “Hidden” List Building Opportunities [/title]

Right now, I guarantee you’re missing out on hidden list building opportunities.  As creators of content, we all have those MVPs that generate a decent amount of web traffic.  My suggestion is to look for ways to turn this traffic into email subscribers.

You can do a number of things to build a list with existing content.  For instance, here are a few strategies I’m currently implementing:

I. Add squeeze page links in blog posts that specifically relate to the “77 good habits” lead magnet

II. Add squeeze page links to high traffic areas like my about me page

III. Link to content articles from Kindle books and YouTube videos that have a splash page pop up.

IV. Add a simple opt-in form at the end of every blog post

Think carefully about all the content you’ve created.  Odds are, there are a few pages/websites you can use to grow your email list.  My suggestion is to start adding subscription links to these pages wherever possible.

[title color=”green-vibrant” align=”scmgccenter” font=”verdana” style=”normal” size=”scmgc-2em”]How to Start Building Your Email List—TODAY! [/title] 

We just covered a nine-step plan for building an email list from scratch.  I urge you to consider doing all of them before driving traffic to your website.  Or if your site is already set up, then spend the next week adding these elements to your authority business.

Running a successful Internet enterprise largely depends on optimization.  If you can maximize your “visitors to subscribers” percentage, then you won’t need large amounts of web traffic to be profitable.  All you have to create great free (or paid) content to grow your email list.

Currently, I don’t get much traffic to DevelopGoodHabits.com.  But, I’ve set it up in a way where I’ll generate lots of subscribers once I start heavily promoting it.  Simply follow the nine steps I’ve just outlined and you can get the same results with your authority business.

Take Action. Get Results.