Your list is probably your most important asset in an online based business – and as such we tend to spend alot of time and energy in building up our lists.
So what do you do with that list once you have it?
The key thing to remember is that the value of your list is not based on numbers but on relationship.
You need to stay in touch with your list on a regular basis in order to build a strong relationship.
Why is relationship so important? People buy from those they know, like and trust – and in the online world one of the best ways to build this relationship is simply by staying in touch.
If you don’t keep in touch with your list then it is basically just a group of people who don’t know who you are, and who won’t care when you do finally reach out with a promotion or new product.
As I like to say – I would much rather have a targetted list of 1,000 people who I have a strong relationship with, than a list of 10,000 people who don’t know me at all. Guaranteed I will make more sales with the first list than the second.
Some ideas for keeping in touch:
- Send out an ezine/newsletter on a regular basis – this may seem obvious, but many business owners struggle with this. An ezine doesn’t need to be a big production – keep it short and simple, and hire a VA to help you if need be.
- Do a free teleclass – invite everyone on your list to join you for a free teleclass on a hot topic of interest for your market. Even if you aren’t promoting anything right now, you can still do a call for the purpose of building relationship.
- Setup a blog and post to it on a regular basis – make sure that you setup RSS feed and email notification options for people to subscribe to get new posts.
- Invite people to join you on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn – assuming that you are active on these (and other) social media sites, this is a really great way to share fun stuff, quick tips, ask questions and just have fun. (Here’s my Twitter page, follow me?)
- Do a podcast or online video – a great way to connect with people in a new way, especially if you want to breathe new life into an old list.
- Ask for their opinion – people love to share their own ideas, thoughts and make a contribution. Do a quick survey, or setup a ‘quick question’ email as part of your subscription process.
There are of course hundreds (thousands?) of ways you can keep in touch with people. Just remember to do it authentically – provide good value to folks and that will come back to you in the form of increased sales and long term clients.
Have other ideas for how to build the relationship with your list? Bring em on… comment here on the blog.