Lesson 1: The Ultimate Factor to Build a List

Ok, let’s start with today’s lesson.

We’re going to cover a LOT of ground. Fortunately, at the end of the day, your action steps will take relatively little time. You’ll probably spend more time this week “working” by reading this lesson. But, it’s all important foundational stuff, so I need to cover it all.

By the end of today’s lesson you’ll have a picture perfect look at how to create a list building promotion that’s yours – and ONLY yours. No one will be able to copy it.

You’ll also have made some key decisions in choosing WHAT you’ll be promoting to build your list.

Ready? Let’s dive in together…

When I started out promoting my wares on the Internet, I knew need to get more customers. And I learned pretty quickly that to get more customers and clients, I needed to get people to know, like and trust me. After all, the more people saw that I was the go-to expert in marketing and publicity, the more they would come to me to fill their marketing and PR needs.

So like many people online, I used this model to show off that I really knew what I was talking about:

GIVE AWAY FREE TIPS AND IDEAS

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MORE TARGETED PROSPECTS

 

Yes, even I chuckle at this strategy now. Although I STILL see hundreds of entrepreneurs doing this… You see, I was giving away good – no, GREAT – content. Yet, I didn’t get ONE new customer or client.

Why?

Well, I didn’t realize it at the time, but it takes seven to thirteen times for someone to recognize you and BEGIN to trust you. So although my free stuff was being downloaded, it served only an immediate need to the person who got it. And once that need was met, I was forgotten about.

It was frustrating to say the least!

And it wasn’t until a kind Internet marketer told me I needed to keep reminding those getting my free stuff I was around and available to help them that I realized I needed a list.

So I used a followed others and used the typical Internet marketing model:

GIVE AWAY FREE TIPS AND IDEAS

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MAKING PROSPECTS ASK FOR IT BY GIVING THEIR EMAIL ADDY

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MORE TARGETED PROSPECTS THAT YOU CAN MARKET TO OVER AND OVER AGAIN

Basically, you bribe (ethically, or course!) prospects to give you their email address by giving them something of value. This should be above and beyond any, tip of the week, or other subscription that you will be sending out weekly or bi-weekly.

Some of the items you can give away can include:

  • Special report
  • Audio interview
  • E-book
  • Transcript
  • E-course
  • Downloadable software
  • Checklists
  • Templates

Whatever you use, make sure it allows you to stand out as the expert.

Now, you may even use this model yourself.

And it works… sloooowwwwly.

I’m not dismissing this model. Not at all! On the contrary, I use this model, and every week, I get an additional 20 or so new sign ups to my lists.

Here are some of my own examples:

Getting about 1000 new subscribers a year is a good, slow growth. But I want more than that. Don’t you?

So I tried other methods to build my list: ezine ads, email ads, pay-per-click… all sorts of ways, but none really did anything but leave me with a receipt for the ad I purchased.

Then I stumbled on a free method that actually worked:

GIVE AWAY FREE TIPS AND IDEAS

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MAKING PROSPECTS ASK FOR IT BY GIVING THEIR EMAIL ADDY

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PARTICIPATING IN AN EVENT WITH OTHERS WHO TELL THEIR LIST ABOUT IT

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MORE PROSPECTS THAT YOU CAN MARKET TO OVER AND OVER AGAIN

You see, I got asked to joint venture in a giveaway event. And when I participated, my list grew by a hundred people in one week. (That was 500% more that I did on a average week!)

That was exciting!

But there was a downfall. The people who signed up for my list as a result of this giveaway weren’t very targeted. That’s because there were so many people with so many niches involved with the giveaway. Most weren’t THAT interested in what I had to offer; they really were just grabbing some free stuff. They never bought from me and most of them unsubscribed within a couple of months.

So that method wasn’t worth the effort I put into it.

I started thinking of ways I could use my background in promotion and free publicity to get more people who really wanted and needed what I had to offer on my list.

And what I discovered was the List Building Promotion Secret:

GIVE AWAY FREE TIPS AND IDEAS

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MAKING PROSPECTS ASK FOR IT BY GIVING THEIR EMAIL ADDY

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CREATING AN EVENT WITH OTHERS WHO TELL THEIR LIST ABOUT IT

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PROMOTE THE EVENT USING PR AND PUBLICITY METHODS

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MORE TARGETED PROSPECTS THAT YOU CAN MARKET TO OVER AND OVER AGAIN

But the key to this isn’t creating any old giveaway event.

After all, you need an event that:

  • Increases your credibility and visibility as the recognized expert
  • Get the attention of reporters and your target market
  • Makes your target market WANT to sign up for your list
  • Is FUN. (What’s an event if it isn’t fun?)

That’s why you need to create your own holiday – one that appeals to your target market and explains a bit about what you do.

Yes, I said your OWN HOLIDAY.

Now I know what you are thinking… holidays are for Hallmark or something to honor special people such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day.

I know it may seem like a crazy idea, but let me let you in on a little secret: most holidays were created by smart PR folks to capitalize and promote an idea or cause.

Have you ever heard of…

  • National Fresh Squeezed Juice Week in January
  • Crowded Nest Awareness Day in June
  • Simplify Your Life Week in August
  • Build Your Business with Business Cards Week in October
  • Be Heard Day in March (Pssst… that’s my own holiday. You can find out more about it at http://www.beheardday.com)

These were all created by savvy marketers to promote a cause, too – their own!

And you can do it too.

Now of course, you don’t want to be so vain to name your holiday after yourself.

After all, as much as I like Shannon Cherry Appreciation Day, I am sure most of you will agree that is just silly.

What you need to create is a holiday that your target market will love to celebrate with you.

The best way to create a holiday idea is to think about what is it that you do that helps your target market and work around that theme.

So take out a pen and paper (or keyboard and computer) and explain what it is that you do that helps your target market.

Now take a look at that explanation… is it simple enough? Most people make the mistake of explaining what they do thinking that the person they are telling it to understands some basic elements already.

So look it over again. And to steal a phrase from a movie: TELL ME LIKE YOU WOULD TELL A FIVE YEAR OLD. That means any words that have more than two syllables are out and you need to keep it simple.

How’d you do?

If you are still having trouble with this, find a kid and explain it to them.  See what they say. If they get what you do for who you do it for, you’ve got it.

Now take the information and create a holiday around it. The holiday can be a day, a week or a month, but I suggest sticking to a day or a week. It makes promotion MUCH easier. (More on promotion later in the course.)

So how do you create a holiday title?

Although there are no hard and fast rules about holiday titles, I suggest the following:

  • Keep it simple. No more than 5 words, plus the word ‘day’ or ‘week.’
  • Make it peppy. Holidays are about celebrations so make it attractive.
  • Keep your target market in mind. Make sure your target market will ‘get it’ as soon as they read it.

Here are some real examples to get you started.

Fix Your Business Day
Shameless Promotion Month
National Postcard Week
National Stepmoms Day
As Young As You Feel Day
Healthy Weight Week
Hug a GI Day
National Salespersons Day
Husband Appreciation Day
National Pet Week
Do Business in Your Bathrobe Day

So where did I find these created holidays?

One place is http://www.holidayinsights.com

However, the leading resource for holidays is a book called Chase’s Calendar of Events. You can find it in the reference section of most libraries. However, I recommend getting a copy of this resource every couple of years to stay up to date. You’ll want a reference like this to make sure you’re not duplicating someone else’s holiday.

You can get your own copy here: http://www.ShannonRecommends.com/Chases

What I suggest is coming up with a few ideas at first. I’ve included a worksheet to help you put your ideas all in one place. You can download it here:  List Building Promotion Secrets – Worksheet/Assignment #1

ASSIGNMENT!

Complete your worksheet and circle the one you think fits best! When we ‘meet’ next time, you should have your holiday title and date ready to go because we’ll be focusing on how to make your holiday ‘official’ and get it published in directories like Chase’s Calendar of Events.

Note: When thinking of a date for your holiday, give yourself at least four months to complete the lessons so you have everything in place. After all, if you set up your holiday for next week or even next month, you won’t be able to take advantage of how to promote the holiday or find the right JV partners for it.