Your name has value. Your email has value. As business owners we need to respect the high value of those two
pieces of information and how we do that is by providing something of equal
value in exchange. Too often, we make
the mistake of approaching how we build our email list by making it all about
increasing our numbers. Oh, don’t get me
wrong; numbers are good. You want
numbers. However, I challenge you to
approach your email list building with a different mindset. Think about: What kind of value can I offer
to my community that SHOWS them how much I value them sharing their name and
email?
Here’s the thing: it’s getting more and more competitive in
the value space. It used to be good
enough to call your newsletter ‘valuable.’
Your newsletter probably is valuable.
It’s not the value of the newsletter that’s changed (hopefully). What has changed is the expectation of how
immediate that value exchange is. Thus
the reason why you see so much “enter your name and email and you will get
INSTANT access to….” People want you to immediately show them how much you
value them and then they expect you to keep showing them. So, you give them an e-book, a free video, a
white paper, a template---let your imagination run wild. We have different value propositions tucked
in a variety of places in our website. No neon signs. Just an offer of our
value for yours.
Then, once you make that initial exchange, check in with
them. Ask them how they are. Invite them to engage. Let them know that you care
about their issues, their insights, their contribution. Give them more value—something unexpected.
Continuing along this value path will lead them through to where they become
not just a number in your email list but they become part of your email
community. Through this value exchange, you develop a relationship that you
keep building. Your trust keeps building
and before you know it…your business is building right along with it.
Hmm. Funny how that happens.
Holly Kile is President and Chief Business Strategist of HJK Global Solutions, parent company of A2I Business Consulting and Pixie Dust University. Using her extensive background in operations management, systems analysis/implementation and strategic business marketing, Holly works with business owners and entrepreneurs who struggle with figuring out how to effectively achieve their vision for their business. As a result of working with Holly individually or participating in one of her many specialized training programs, her clients are able to access multiple opportunities for growth in their organizations and realize potential they didn’t previously know existed. To learn more about Holly and HJK Global Solutions visit www.hjkglobal.biz.
