You work hard to get ahead. You keep busy and active getting the next thing done. But from time to time, even in today's always connected work world, it's actually smarter to be... lazy.
The daily know-how's and to-do's are constantly changing - that's a given with our social online. You can choose to chase those trends and live in a state of constant frenzy, or you can step back, get wise and strategically 'win'.
Here's five top methods of building your email list even without an active marketing campaign.
Let's sit back, relax and get results...
1. Free eBooks
Free eBooks take time and talented resources to make. But once you have them, they can prove to be a wise investment for generating leads for your business. You don't need to blast off and write 50 ebooks right now. Instead, make one or two ebooks that are targeted to your business, your offerings and your market.
I'd suggest you:
- strategize about a core topic for your ebook
- list out 5-10 chapters
- outline your chapter content
- write each chapter (which could also be used as your blog content for a few weeks)
- format your chapters into a visually appealing PDF ebook
- create an irresistible book cover and title
Once you have your well-crafted ebook you can start to reap in those leads - even without an active online marketing campaign.
How?
Make an SEO optimized landing page, with keyword headlines, URL path and copy. When you're writing your copy, be really clever and integrate your SEO tactics into a consumer-friendly toned page. Design your page to drive your visitors attention to your Call to Action button, and use crazy cool advanced tactics like pre-filled forms.
Additionally, drive more traffic to your ebook pages by linking images of your book cover from your blog, post links from your social media sites (you're always looking for more Facebook, Pinterest and Google+ content, right?), even send it out to prominent industry bloggers to get it reviewed - and shared.
2. Long Term Coupons
Host a coupon on your website. Leave it up on its own distinct landing page, and make the discount email-gated.
Your coupon offering could be something small, such as:
- 20% off purchases of $100 or more
- a free small item you sell
- free shipping for online sales
Keep your discount page up on your website long term, and drive traffic to it from your social media marketing and online advertising. The coupon page generates interested, qualified emails and you can gain immediate sales.
3. Free Trial
The free trial can be a very effective way of generating both interest in your product and generating qualified email leads.
Some of the best (that is the most positive and successful) free trials give customers the chance the kick your tires around - with little to no obligation on the customers part. Don't spam or call the person everyday of the free trial. Make it easy and fun for your customers to just go try your stuff through a simple email-gated landing page.
If your product is good enough, it should assist in selling itself. Push the sale by respecting your lead and show them the undeniable benefits of being your customer.
Be clever with your free trials with the knowledge that people still buy from people.
4. Product Catalogues
Most retail and B2B businesses have a product catalogue (or two). An easy way to get leads is to host a downloadable PDF of your catalogues on your website. Give them away for free - in exchange for your prospect's email and name.
Make sure your product catalogue lead gen pages are highly optimized for search, but not competing with your online product sales pages. Write enticing copy on your page to encourage a download.
You could even be a really clever marketer and make a product catalogue landing page part of your website lead generation funnel.
5. How-to Guides
How-to guides can educate your market, giving you the brand image as a helpful knowledgeable business.
Similar to an ebook, the part that takes time and resources is in the writing of your guides. Once you have a number of free how-to guides related to your product or service, give them away for free on your website through an email-gated landing page.
Your how-to guides could be a manual, with step-by-step instructions on how to use or fix your products.
You could even be really clever and make how-to guides that show additional uses for your products. For example, if you sell kitchenware like blenders, create an email-gated resource like a recipe book for how to make smoothies.
What do you think? Are you a lazy marketer? How do you get results?