This is a pretty detailed answer for that!

15 List Building & List Engagement Ideas:

List Building Ideas:

1. Guest Blog – You’ve heard it before but it needs to be here. It works. Start approaching people you’ve bought from or are fans of and offer them valuable content. See what happens!
   
2. Giveaway Events – Historically one of my absolute favorite ways to build my list. I have grown by dozens to hundreds at a time this way.
   
3. Free Signup – Offer something super valuable to your people on your website, ideally front and center like my Digital Marketer’s Planner, to build your list as you build your traffic.
   
4. Blog – While I’ve not seen much results with a form in the sidebar of my blog, it doesn’t hurt to add it and it’s super easy. You may want to get a great plugin or use the features of your email provider (like ConvertKit which has a plugin to add forms to your blog) to get the forms throughout your blog and not just in the sidebar.
   
5. In Content – Add links to your forms EVERYWHERE you write content! I’m talking in blog posts, in personal emails, on social media and in your freebie reports, checklists, templates, etc, etc, etc.
   
6. Facebook – Are you utilizing your Facebook Pages & Groups to link to your free offer? The description of your group is a great place to link to your free offer to build your list. Also, add a link in the description of your COVER images as people could very well click on those and read… especially if you put “click here for something awesome” or some better call to action.
   
7. Free Challenges – I detailed how to do this in this post. It’s something you can do through your own email autoresponder or through a Facebook group. I’ve added dozens to hundreds of new people at a time to my list with this method.
   
8. Joint Bundle Offers – Occasionally you will find an offer to give one of your products away as a participant of a group bundle (sometimes called a “fire sale”). When you do this, you won’t make much or any money because the person hosting the bundle collects the profits. What you can get are email sign-ups. I recommend you set it up so that you have people opt-in to get their product, if possible. If that’s not possible, put an opt-in offer for something important immediately inside the product. See my course on this here – Build your list with bundle sales
   
9. Give a Product to a Related Business – Another fun and interesting way I built my list was to offer a valuable product for free to a friend. I did this for my friend who owned a membership site. She added my free product to her member’s area and sent people regularly to me. This can be as simple as offering a blurb, a graphic and a coupon code for a free product to someone you trust.
   
10. Giveaway a Product on Your Own Blog – Something that also worked really well for me was to give a product away on my blog. I would create a post telling people they would need to READ my salespage for the product and then post why they wanted that product. I’d get about 100 entries every time I did this and I promoted it throughout my social media as well as asked affiliates to promote it. The key to building my list was that when people commented, they were added to my list. There was a little check box next to the comment button that they could uncheck to not subscribe, but most people wanted on my list to find out if they won!
    
11. Participate on Podcasts – If you go to podcasts with a core message and a free offer to match, you can easily ask your podcast host to link to that freebie. To add value for them, you can even give them an affiliate link to your freebie. Quick and easy list-builder!
    
12. Host a Webinar – Hosting webinars, by it’s very nature, is a list-builder. Set up an opt-in, use a program like Zoom to get your webinar link, set a date and off you go!
    
13. Host a Giveaway – Instead of joining one, you can be the host! You’ll get way more people on your list if everyone is joining you to do a group giveaway over you being one person joining a giveaway hosted by someone else. I’ve never done this but it’s on my list to do this year.
    
14. Host a Bundle Offer – Similar to a giveaway but it’s one where people submit their products, not just freebie offers. You host it, you get the leads and the sales. Of course you’ll pay the people who promote a handsome affiliate commission for sending their people to the bundle!
    
15. Maximize Your Profile – Are you linking to your free offer in the link allowed in most profiles on social media? Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc, all allow you to link… don’t just link to your website. Link to your free offer to get more leads.
    
16. Do An Exchange With a Friend – Do you know someone in a similar industry? Do an exchange to build lists mutually. Either you email for them and they email for you or you can blog for them (with a direct form embedded in YOUR blog post) and they blog for you (same deal). This can work great because you are using the trust that person has earned with their market.
    
17. Add a Link in Your Email Signature – You regularly are emailing people who are probably not on your email list. This could be friends, colleagues, potential customers. These are people you’ve been establishing a relationship with… make sure they see your opt-in offer!
    
18. Blog Comments – No matter what you’ve heard, blogging is not dead. There are some VERY active blogs out there and you can go, contribute great value in the comments and link to your related, free offer. Be strategic about this by looking up relevant blogs to comment on that also reach your target market.
    
19. Have LOTS of free offers – A big mistake people can make is to think you need just ONE freebie that you do a one-time effort to promote. This is so far from a good way to build your list. You want to have lots and lots of offers, and be constantly reinventing, adding and then removing outdated stuff. You need to shop yourself around to many places and see what kind of results you can get and where. This gives you variety and creates more interest!
    
    See my courses on list-building here: Lifestyle Freedom & Email Courses
    
    
    List Engagement Ideas:
    
20. Free Offers to Your List – Some of the absolute most opens and clicks I get are when I give my list subscribers MORE free value. So it’s like I’m inviting them to join my list, again, almost. By re-engaging them in this way I can share more offers, get them on board and knowing what I have of value and keep building the relationship with them.
    
21. Share Something Personal – I know when people here this and they’re resistant they say something like “but I’m a private person”. It’s totally OK if you’re a private person… you can actually get personal without getting “personal”. You can say how you feel about Spring and new beginnings, or you can talk about your dog and why you love him to be around and how having a pet is great for work at home people. I have LOTS more examples and I believe you absolutely can master this skill, even as an introvert. I share all the details in my program, ​Email for a Living​ << check there for more on this.
    
22. Remind Them WHY You’re Emailing – People become disengaged when they don’t really get the point, or what you’re saying isn’t resonating with them. When you share your why and why it should be, or could be, important to them you can remind them why you’re doing what you do and why they signed up with you in the first place.
    
23. Encourage Them to Email YOU – You can send many emails that invite your subscriber to respond to you. Ask them what their business is about, ask them what they need help with, ask them what they think of the email you just sent. Tell them you LEGIT want to hear from them. Start getting responses and you start building much more solid relationships with your subscribers!

So there you have it. As I said this is going to be my reference for those who want to know what to do for their email marketing efforts.

If you don’t have a software program to add your emails to, I recommend you use ​Kit​. It’s the email system I use and that will allow you to collect emails through a form when you set up your freebie list-builder. Plus, there are so many other features that help you do effective marketing, that you may want to use as your business grows.

You should NOT do all of these at once and you should NOT just pick the easy ones. Pick what you can do now, plan what you can do later and work away at the ones that produce you results. Not all methods work for all people in all situations so you’ll need to experiment and find the best ones for you. This list, however, should give you plenty to start with a great number of ideas on what direction to go in!

Hope that helps!

Angela

The post 23 List Building & List Engagement Strategy Ideas appeared first on Living Lifestyle Freedom with Angela Wills.

• I don’t know what to say
• I haven’t emailed in so long they will be upset
• They’re going to unsubscribe if it’s not good enough
• I don’t have anything to offer

These are not reasons to not email your list and you’re giving yourself excuses.

It’s time to Just Hit Send on that email marketing email.

You can send VALUE and tell people about what you sell all in one email.

You have something to say. You wouldn’t be running a business if you didn’t. And if you truly, truly can’t find anything to say then it’s time to re-evaluate what you’re offering and why.

After that little motivational talk if you’re still feeling unsure about hitting send then maybe you need some help in these areas:

Set Up Your Email List

Is your list properly set up so you know the right people are getting your emails?

I send most emails to both my customers and non-customers but I do have tags for both so I can make sure the right people see the right messages when needed.

For the technical part of it I send one broadcast. Easy.

Make Email Marketing Simple

There are a LOT of complicated email marketing processes being taught out there.

I’ve seen funnels that would make a grown man cry, lol!

Seriously. As an ADHD mom who wants to LIVE LIFE “aint’ nobody got time for that”.

I send ONE EMAIL A DAY to most of the 2500+ people on my email list.

That email is meant to appeal to MOST of the people on the list!

And it’s meant to appeal to the brand new subscriber and the long-time subscriber.

This is highly do-able and much more simple than crazy segmenting, massive funnels and a list of to-dos that mean you NEVER hit send on anything.

Talk About What You Know

Most of my customers already have a business where they know their stuff.

Start creating a list of topics that come up with clients or that you’ve done to help people. Start thinking about the problems you solve, the things you teach and start talking about those things.

Don’t tell me you don’t know what to say to an email list. Say something useful. ANYTHING useful. Then say something else the next day.

I KNOW you can do that!

Speak from Your Core Values

I teach how to build your email list and connect with your readers through core values. When you know what’s important to you at a values level and you speak from that then you’ll draw in the most engaged readers ever!

Learn more about that here: Core Message Marketing

Whatever you do … Just. Hit. Send.

You got this!

The post Just Hit Send on Your Email Marketing Emails appeared first on Living Lifestyle Freedom with Angela Wills.

When you’re trying to decide what kind of emails to send to your subscribers it’s so important to understand the difference between email marketing and newsletters.

A newsletter is the kind of email you see with many sections and is mostly or entirely informational.

Email marketing is for sales and is usually very focused on that agenda.

In this post, we’ll cover the differences of a newsletter vs email marketing and how to choose which one is right for your business growth, or if you need them both!

Newsletter vs Email Marketing –
What are they?

What is an Email Newsletter?

The most identifiable part of an email newsletter is that it has many sections.

This type of email content is usually focused on brining you news, curated content and updates from the company or the industry.

I get a great newsletter from WealthSimple that I believe comes out about once a week. It looks like this:

That’s just the first piece. I counted 9 sections that are broken down further into sections. Each with things like money tips, money news, money updates, etc. There’s an ad inside the newsletter but it’s not a sales email. It’s full of content and links to click and read more.

This is a good example of the typical newsletter.

The main purpose of this is good will and relationship building with your subscribers.

What is Email Marketing?

Email marketing has the purpose of leading subscribers towards taking an action. Usually this action is to buy something (sales) or sign up for something (free offers, etc).

Email marketing often uses a combination of different types of emails.

You’ll have emails that build the relationship with the subscriber by offering free advice, information or even gifts.

You’ll have emails that very obviously are selling something.

The emails sent via email marketing are usually with a singular focus. And because they can be read quickly they are very often sent more frequently.

In my own email marketing I’m sending emails to my subscribers every single day. I run email “campaigns” of 3-5 days of emails promoting a single offer. My emails always also contain helpful advice or information as well. So I combine the value and the sales email into one. It works quite well!

Here’s an example of a sales email from my friends at Coach Glue:

Newsletter vs Email Marketing: Key Differences

Let’s compare Newsletters vs Email Marketing for their key differences:

• Purpose and Goals
  • Newsletters: Primarily informational, designed to nurture relationships.
  • Email Marketing: Promotional, designed to convert leads or achieve specific business goals.
• Content Type
  • Newsletters: Long-form, often includes articles, company news, or tips.
  • Email Marketing: Short-form, focused on a call to action (CTA) like purchasing, subscribing.
• Frequency
  • Newsletters: Regular intervals (weekly, monthly).
  • Email Marketing: Can be sent based on behavior, events, or campaigns.

Side note: I run back to back campaigns through my email marketing. I’ve done this for over 15 years and it STILL works. This means my subscribers get a daily email from me and they love it! I regularly get thank you replies that say my emails and wonderful and I’m so real. They’re happy to open them regularly!

Benefits of Using Newsletters

Building a Connection with Subscribers

When a newsletter comes into your subscribers inbox that’s adding value to their lives they will be thankful for that.

Over time this will establish trust and build authority for the brand. It will also establish your business as the experts in the area of the newsletter topic.

Continuous Engagement and Exposure

Many companies are not doing the best job of getting into their biggest fans inboxes.

The email inbox is a more dedicated area for attention and engagement. Your subscribers may feel comfortable enough to respond.

You are also going to get more exposure via a newsletter. Rather than hoping your people see your message you know that it will land in their inbox.

Delivering Value

A newsletter is a great opportunity to show all the valuable content you have available.

It also allows you to share your experience and expertise via free, useful information.

Since the email newsletter doesn’t ask for anything in return you may generate a lot of good will with your subscribers, that may be useful when you do have an email campaign to send.

Benefits of Email Marketing

Sales and Conversions

Sending email marketing emails is all about sales.

People mistakenly think that this means you can’t provide value at the same time as selling.

This isn’t true. Your emails don’t have to only give free value to BE valuable. In fact I have often argued that your HIGHEST value you can offer are your paid offers. If they’re not the highest value then you really need to rethink what you’re asking people to pay for.

Emails Can be Very Targeted

With email marketing you can personalize and segment based on your subscribers behavior or purchase history.

A newsletter is going to be much more general considering they cover a lot of information. With an email campaign you are getting very specific with a singular focus.

With this kind of singular focus you can target your campaigns. For example let’s say you have a course on Website Design. You can target your customers of this with a campaign after purchase that teaches them about blogging – highly relevant to what they’re interested in!

Results Can be Measured

One of my favorite parts of email marketing is you can see the open rates, the click rates and the conversion rates (through the shopping cart).

This allows you to see and know what’s working. Then you keep doing what works and fix what isn’t. Creating a situation where you can consistently improve your business and grow your success.

Should You Use a Newsletter vs Email Marketing – Which is Best?

I’m biased here – I’ll tell you this.

I’ve been doing email marketing for 15 years and I believe you get the benefits of a newsletter (connection, content, value) and the benefits of selling via email marketing.

So for me the choice is email marketing every time.

I also believe that people are mostly NOT reading email newsletters like they read emails. A newsletter has so much content that it can be overwhelming, where an email is top to bottom and read in just a few minutes. This is email marketing’s superpower! It means people EXPECT to read the whole thing!

Sometimes the newsletter is also a good choice.

If you are not counting on emails to make the sales for you and you really do want to have a consistent connection with your audience then a weekly email newsletter could be the perfect option for you.

Combining Newsletters and Email Marketing

Ultimately it is entirely possible to use newsletters and email marketing in co-ordination. They can create a synergistic email strategy.

In this situation you would use email newsletters either weekly or monthly and then send email campaigns in between the emails.

There’s a lot of power in automation and segmentation for email marketing. If you are using newsletters as your main method then automated email sequences would work very well with that as well.

Newsletter vs Email Marketing Common Mistakes

The most common mistake I see is people confusing a newsletter with email marketing. If you want to make sales you can’t just send newsletters – you need to send marketing emails.

Another mistake is thinking that you can’t send consistent campaigns. As long as you provide value in ALL your emails, use a conversational tone and make sure to have clear calls to actions then you’re on the path to consistent sales!

Final Thoughts on Newsletter vs Email Marketing

Ok so let’s recap:

A newsletter is an informational email who’s main goal isn’t to make sales. It’s informative, helpful, advice-based and often leads to more content links.

A marketing email is intended for making sales. You can add value by teaching, giving advice and info and writing in a relationship tone.

Choose the method that works best for you!

If you haven’t signed up for an email software yet I recommend Kit.
It’s the software I use and love and have trusted for years to help me earn a full-time income from my online business.

The post Newsletter vs Email Marketing appeared first on Living Lifestyle Freedom with Angela Wills.

In email marketing my favorite kind of email is the relationship email.

What is it?

Here’s my definition of a relationship email:

This is an email that builds a relationship with your subscriber.

Simple. Easy. Effective.

In order to create relationship emails you really need to shift your thinking from being a “marketer” to being a “friend”. Someone who ACTUALLY cares about your subscriber, not someone who pretends to care.

ACTUALLY care.

This is how you build a relationship.

And when you do email marketing AS a relationship marketing medium, when then the game changes completely.

How Relationship Email Marketing is a Game Changer

When you look at your email list as a cash cow they know it.

Your subscribers are HUMANS and want to be treated as such.

How would you email a friend?
What would you tell them?
What advice would you give them?

This is the kind of tone your relationship emails should have.

What to Write in Relationship Emails

People think that any time you send an email for “value” or for the “relationship” that it can’t include a promotion.

The idea of promoting your products is considered “anti-relationship”.

But what if it weren’t?

What if telling someone without pressure and with a gentle message of helpfulness were actually more helpful to the relationship than anything else could be?

This is why I send a sales promotion in every email.

My courses and products are of the HIGHEST value I offer and so it’s up to me to invite my subscribers to check that offer out and see if it can have a big impact on their lives.

How to Write Relationship Emails

The formats for relationship emails are endless.

What I like to do is use the first half of the email to offer the “relationship” builder piece. This will be some kind of advice, insight, tip, motivation or story that will help my subscribers with what they’re trying to achieve.

Then, I move into the second half of the email with a highly related product to offer. This is usually at a discount, on sale, but not always.

Relationship Building Email Content

Share a Story – Something useful and relevant. It might be inspiring or educational. Teach something. Make them think. Something of value that is relevant.

Offer Tips or Advice – You can guide your reader through something they need to learn or know to achieve a goal.

Share Content – You could link to a great blog post you’ve written or other content that you know will be helpful. I’ve found that the people on my list love PDF downloads.

Get Social – Invite your subscribers to join you on social media sites for a deeper connection and for them to get to know you outside of business (if you share like that).

What’s the Point of Relationship Email Marketing?

When someone’s asking about how to create relationship emails in email marketing I can’t help but believe what they’re really asking is this:

How do I build a relationship with my subscribers so they trust me and buy my stuff?

The good news is that once you build a relationship with your subscribers, a TRUE relationship, they WILL buy your stuff if it’s right for them.

So keep making offers. Keep being genuine.

When the relationship exists there’s no need for pushy tactics. You won’t feel like a sleezy salesperson. You won’t feel the need to use drastic or unethical tactics.

You’ll just say “hey, here’s something that might be right for you” Or “I think you’ll love this” Or “Oh I have this thing that I think will help you”… and they’ll take a lot and buy if it’s right for them.

That’s the power of doing relationship email marketing right!

The post In Email Marketing What is a Relationship Email? appeared first on Living Lifestyle Freedom with Angela Wills.

I personally think that’s the wrong question to ask and in this post I’ll tell you why. I’ll also recommend a platform that’s as cheap as it gets (free) for up to 300 subscribers and that’s plenty to get you started!

I’ve been sending emails for well over 15 years.

It’s my sole source of online marketing.

And I’m totally willing to PAY to make sure I have the best email marketing software and services available to me.

When to use free email marketing tools

It wasn’t always this way. When I was totally new to email marketing I signed up for a totally free email marketing tools service (one that no longer exists) and I happily sent out my free emails.

In the beginning you might not be that serious about your email marketing. Kind of “playing around” and testing things out. I think that’s really the only time to use a free email marketing software.

This is because you won’t get all the tools and features if you don’t pay.

The cheapest email marketing platform won’t get you the BEST features for your business

You know the saying “you get what you pay for”, right?

It applies to deciding if you want to go with free email marketing platforms or paid ones.

Many email software as a service companies such as the one I use, ConvertKit, have a free version.

I never recommend this version if you’re ready to get serious about your plans to make money with email marketing.

A free version almost always gives you less.

Maybe it’s less support, less features, less emails you can send… always less something.

Less support is one of the most common ones.

Another platform I was on has a pop-up chat box for customers and no box for free members. I personally think this is a mistake as it doesn’t show the potential future paying customer what the actual paid service is like. But maybe that’s not their goal… if not I’m not sure what it is.

Just know when getting free you are getting LESS and then check out what you get less of and decide if that’s a smart move for your business.

How to make money with email marketing to recoup the email software fees

There’s a lot of reliable math in online business.

If you grow your email list, email them regularly and make regular offers you can expect to earn somewhere in the range of $1 to $3 or more per subscriber per month.

This is what I posted on my Instagram stories about earning $1/subscriber/month:

As an experienced email marketer I earn about $2 – $3.50 per subscriber per month. This goes up and down because when I add new people to my list it takes about six months to a year to build the kind of relationship with them that creates a higher value list. The better my relationships get with my subscribers the more that number increases.

So many people go for the short-term wins (the immediate sales). I’m here to tell you that you can go long-game and build a list of subscribers who stick with you for YEARS on end.

I have subscribers (many) who’ve been on my list for over 10 years!

I never balk at paying for my email software. Rather I’m just so freaking GRATEFUL that I can build a business with this little of an expense that provides me with a growing monthly recurring income and (my favorite) lifestyle freedom!

I recently had a member of my community discussing the costs and here was my reply:

Don’t bother with the cheapest email marketing platform… think ROI!

If you’re not familiar with how email marketing works as I said I recommend you pay for software. Don’t find the cheapest email marketing platform you can find. Look for a platform that fits your needs as a business owner.

It’s not free but the software I recommend is ConvertKit and it’s only $9/month to start on their lowest plan.

Then you start building your email list of subscribers and you start sending them emails (I like the daily email habit and find it works really, really well).

There’s no cost per subscriber or per email so in essence that part is “free” after you pay your monthly payment.

I’m writing this post as an email marketing of 15+ years with over one million dollars in sales accounted through email marketing. I LOVE sending emails and I do so in a way that people WELCOME them into their inbox.

If you’d like to learn from me I run the Email Practice Club – it’s your “Hit Send Support Club”.

If you’d like to check out a good email platform check out ConvertKit. Give yourself a year to build a list and earn a minimum of $1 per subscriber per month and watch how inconsequential that monthly email software fee really seems!

You might also like these other posts on email marketing here on the Living Lifestyle Freedom Blog:

• Conversation about email marketing
• How to build an email list without website traffic
• Convertbox Review – this is great for email marketing, pop ups and more

All the best in your email marketing!

Angela

(Updated Aug. 22, 2023)

The post Email Marketing Platforms – Free vs Paid? appeared first on Living Lifestyle Freedom with Angela Wills.

I’m excited to do a detailed ConvertBox review for you in this post. I worked hard on making sure you have all the info you need to decide if it’s right for you!

If I left anything out or missed anything please feel free to contact me and let me know.

ConvertBox is a software tool you login to and then install on your website, blog, shopping cart and/or salespages.

By doing this you add the functionality of things like opt-in forms, quizzes, surveys and more.
You can use it to guide people with words, images or videos through you site.
You can use it to add people to your email list with a click or call them out by name with customizations.

It’s very feature rich!

You’ll learn all about it in this review.

A Little Background:

Before we jump into the ConvertBox review, let me give you a little background.

I’m a mom of two… one grown and one at home. I run my business as a solopreneur and I focus on lifestyle freedom. I value time-freedom and efficiency. Boy oh boy does ConvertBox deliver on that!

Firstly, I’m very NEW using ConvertBox but I thought it would be a great idea to document the use from new, so you can see the experience as you use it as well.

And second, this ConvertBox review will be a bit of a “living” entity as I come back to update it as I experience more of the program.

Ok so let’s get into it…

What is ConvertBox?

ConvertBox is a bit hard to classify as one thing.

It might be easier for you to look up a few ConvertBox reviews like this one and just see how people use it.

Either way here’s how I see it…

ConvertBox calls itself an “on site engagement platform” that will build your list, engage your visitors and drive more sales. I like that.

In order to explain what it is, here are a bunch of things that ConvertBox can do:

ConvertBox is a Leads & Engagement Tool

Here’s my attempt at classifying it…

ConvertBox is a tool to create a very customizable and personalizable box on your site.

It can be a pop-up.
You can be embed it in your site.
Or you could create a bar across the top of your site.
It can have an email sign up form with videos, images and more.

The options for use are limited only by your creativity!

Need a pop-up sign up form – of course!
Want a time-limited offer bar across your site – no problem!
Want a on-click video with a webinar training – easy peasy!

Before we go any further why don’t I just SHOW YOU what ConvertBox is all about. Here’s a pretty candid view of how I have used ConvertBox so far. This isn’t everything I can do but it’s all I’ve been working on so far.

ConvertBox Examples of Use

ConvertBox Benefits

I actually first bought ConvertBox for it’s pop-up benefits.

Nice Looking Forms, Pop-Ups and More:

It’s really NICE looking.

This might seem superficial but it’s not. It’s important that your forms look like they FIT on your site.

Anything that looks like it doesn’t belong can create distrust with your readers. That can get you less opt-ins and just have you lose people altogether.

You don’t want that! This is a main benefit that made me decide to buy this software.

ConvertBox Can Be Used on Multiple Platforms in the ONE Account:

I can add the form to 10 of my sites. I bought the base version.

If you buy the pro version you can add it to up to 50 sites. This really sets you up to work on and manage these forms for clients if that’s something you’d like to do.

For me, I want to add it to many sites and blogs without having to pay for ConvertBox every time I start a new site.

That’s awesome! Each site gets it’s own dashboard, too, which is super easy to use and keep your sites organized.

SMOOTH Integration into WordPress.

ConvertBox is the smoothest form I’ve EVER integrated with WordPress.

Most forms look wonky (for lack of a better description) and you end up needing to keep working on the form, tweak, tweak, tweak or just find another way to do it.

I got so frustrated with my forms I ended up just linking to the landing page. Then I bought ConvertBox and the problem was solved.

This benefit alone is worth every penny I paid for it.

Very easy to use.

I don’t like reading instructions.

Some software programs I HAVE TO read them or else I can’t use it.

ConvertBox setup is so intuitive I did it all almost without checking any instructions.

There was a point where I did need to watch a couple of videos.

The training videos, though, were super easy to find and well organized – which is important.

I bought another software program recently who’s training videos were hard to follow. Bad instructions make it HARDER to use the software, not easier.

Lots of Techy Things Included.

ConvertBox includes some very awesome techy features.

These include targeting, segmenting, tracking and A/B split testing. I haven’t even begun to dig into these features but I surely appreciate that they are there.

Want examples?

Here are some ways I’ve used ConvertBox on my site in the first week of using it – so fast to do it’s actually FUN!

Smoothly integrated into a WordPress blog post:

Pop up on a salespage created in a manner of minutes:

Opt-in form for the bottom of every page of my site:

Now that you can see some of the awesome benefits, let’s get into the features that make ConvertBox great.

ConvertBox Review of Features

Here are the features straight from the site with my comments added

• Engage – You can customize any ConvertBox form to have personalization like the person’s name or any other info they’ve submitted into forms. So when they revisit your site you can welcome them back by name!
  
• Guide – Give your visitors choices and options with the forms and then guide them through to what serves them best.
  
• Capture – Create sign up forms and integrate with your favorite tools to pass that information seamlessly.
  
• Convert – ConvertBox has built in countdown timers which can be used to prompt action as appropriate.
  
• Embed – Add videos into pop-ups, calendars and more. This is a really cool feature!
  
• Segment – There are some very detailed segmenting you can do.

Some really cool uses for these features:

• Instructions – Guide your visitors through your site or products.
• Cart Abandon – Save the sale with a pop up or by setting up an action to send an email.
• Coupon Discount – Pop up a discount coupon code and direct people to a relevant deal.
• Limited Offers – Use a countdown timer to display a limited offer.
• Announcements – Need a temporary announcement. Super easy with ConvertBox.

Lots of great features. So what’s it cost?

Let’s talk about pricing.

ConvertBox Pricing

ConvertBox costs $495 with no ongoing fees, ever. That gets you 250k views per month and use on 10 sites.

If you upgrade to ConvertBox Pro for $95 you get more.

Below you’ll find more info on the pro if you’d like to consider it.

ConvertBox Pro

You can upgrade to ConvertBox Pro right on the initial order form if you know you are going to need more pageviews than 250k or more sites than 10.

ConvertBox Pro gives you 500k pageviews per month and 50 sites.

I personally don’t know why one person would be running 50 sites. I’m assuming this is more something agencies would use. They run sites for clients and bill them for the ongoing service, which is smart!

When I signed up I didn’t grab ConvertBox pro. Now I don’t see a way to upgrade myself manually from within my account.

I’m guessing if I contact support they’ll allow it, though I don’t know the price if you don’t take it immediately.

If you have high traffic sites or you want to use more than 10 sites with ConvertBox grab the upgrade to Pro.

That way you make it easy on yourself and won’t have to track it down!

ConvertBox & WordPress

Of course this ConvertBox review wouldn’t be complete without mentioning WordPress.

Connecting ConvertBox and WordPress was really easy.

You simply need to go ahead to your plugins section of WordPress and click on “Add New” and then search for the ConvertBox plugin. The official name of the plugin is: ConvertBox Auto Embed WordPress plugin

Once you find that plugin install it. After you install it you will need to add a one-time code. You get the code from clicking on your icon in the top right corner of ConvertBox and then clicking on “installation”.

Then whenever you create a form you add a shortcode where you’d like it to show up.

In most cases just go ahead and pop the shortcode into WordPress and it will figure it out. In some cases you need to pull up the shortcode widget or block and add it into there.

You can even create different codes for different locations on your site. The tracking shows you which form it came from when you have more than one ConvertBox on your site:

I absolutely LOVE how easy it is to use ConvertBox and add these forms to my WordPress site.

This ease of use and rich robust features is really going to make the purchase of ConvertBox pay for itself over and over again.

That’s a very good thing! More subscribers and engagement is directly related to more sales.

ConvertBox Lifetime Deal

The ConvertBox lifetime deal is pretty amazing.

A comparable tool that does JUST countdown timers is priced at $99/month, approximately $1200/year.

ConvertBox is just $495 lifetime deal – never pay again.

And it does so much more than so many other tools I’ve seen, in such a smooth and smart way.

Truly impressive.

Integrating ThriveCart with ConvertBox

I was trying to find out how to integrate ThriveCart with ConvertBox. I went to YouTube and searched videos but nobody was telling me the first, essential step. That is to add your ThriveCart URL as a website into your ConvertBox account.

Like this:

Here is the full tutorial on ConvertBox on how to integrate the two.

Also I HIGHLY recommend ThriveCart as a shopping cart!

It’s amazing and it is owned by the same company as ConvertBox. Works so smoothly together, once I figured out how to integrate them.

ConvertBox Review Questions

When I started sharing my love of ConvertBox with my own email community I started getting some good questions. I thought I’d review those here in case you were wondering any of the same.

Question: What is your favorite thing about ConvertBox?

I have to say the ease of use is amazing and probably my favorite thing.

It just means that I can get forms created super fast. As a matter of fact the pop ups WITH video you see on the following three salespages were created so fast it kind of blows my mind:

I created the first popup by recording a video in Loom – a super easy to use browser app – in less than 2 minutes. Then I went into CovertBox with my Loom embed code and whipped up this form.

I repeated this same process for the next two salespages. I just cloned the first box, making it even faster!

Ease of Use = Efficiency = Earn more money in less time. that!

Question: Does ConvertBox work on ThriveCart?

Yes it does and it’s a nice, easy process. You simple add the URL in ConvertBox of your ThriveCart account.

Then you place the installation code where ever you want a convertbox to show.

For my salespages I went to the custom code section on my product setup and added the installation code. Then in ThriveCart I use the URL of the salespage as the destination for the form and it’s ready to go.

Question: Can I buy ConvertBox if I already have ThriveCart?

Yes for sure. I had ThriveCart before I bought ConvertBox. Then I just went to the ConvertBox site HERE and bought it.

If you do decide to buy ConvertBox as a result of this review (or any of my advice) and you buy it through my link I am going to give you two bonuses:

1. My Email for a Living course, worth $250
2. ConvertBox training on how I’m using it to boost my own business (so I’ll walk through all my uses with examples).

Question: Does ConvertBox have an affiliate program?

Yes they do!

If you’d like to be an affiliate and maybe do your own ConvertBox review like this one then you can apply through the ThriveCart system – there is actually a little graphic directing you right to the sign up in the affiliate area.

If you happen to be an affiliate of ThriveCart already you might not know they made all ThriveCart affiliates automatically ConvertBox affiliates as well. Check your account if so!

Question: Does ConvertBox integrate with Shopify?

I don’t personally have a Shopify account but right on the salespage they indicate that yes you can use it with Shopify. You can see the instructions right here on ConvertBox website on how to integrate ConvertBox and Shopify.

Question: Can I see how you set up ConvertBox?

The best way to see behind the scenes in my own business is to get on my email list as well as follow my stories on Instagram here.

Other than that, though, here are some of the ways I’ve used ConvertBox:

• Create a form within a blog post – you can see that here: Work at Home Mom Schedule
• At the bottom of every page of my site. Look below this post – it should be there.
• One salespages as a pop-up opt-in for more info – check the question above re my favorite thing about ConvertBox to see the forms (or you can see them linked to the actual page from my offers page here).

I hope that’s answered all of your questions.

If you’re considering buying ConvertBox be sure to check this next part for more info on bonuses I’ve added.

ConvertBox Bonuses:

I’m including bonuses for purchases of ConvertBox bought through my affiliate link.

Of course that means I am a ConvertBox affiliate. This means if you buy through my links in this post I’ll earn a commission.

You’ll never pay more for this but you can GET more.

If you click on my link and buy the program I will gift you my course Email for a Living – please use the contact form on this site to claim – AND I will give you my ConvertBox BTS (Behind the Scenes).

In ConvertBox BTS I will show you all the uses both present and future of how I’m using ConvertBox to grow my business.

Buy ConvertBox Here

The post ConvertBox Review – Easier Opt-ins & Lead Generation appeared first on Living Lifestyle Freedom with Angela Wills.

In this recording I’ll show you around ThriveCart Learn. Learn is a fairly new addition to ThriveCart and not everyone realizes ThriveCart is not just a shopping cart – it’s also a course management system (CMS) where you can host your courses and programs.

If you’re looking for templates I have older templates on this page, which are not using the newest version, but you can see what kind of salespages you can create with ThriveCart.

You will need to connect an email software and also host your videos on another platform as ThriveCart Learn doesn’t do any video hosting.

Creating Courses in ThriveCart Learn

It’s easy to create courses in ThriveCart Learn.

You can copy a previous course or start from scratch. You can create simple courses or classes.

I host the recordings of my one-hour classes in ThriveCart as well as my larger multiple module courses.

ThriveCart Bonus – Courses & Credits

It’s been a long time coming for me to find an easy to use shopping cart and course delivery system that I can recommend to my customers and clients.

I LOVE ThriveCart for this.

It’s an intuitive and easy to use software program.

I want to help get you set up and learn how to use it so you can start creating courses and products quickly.

If you buy ThriveCart through my affiliate link you’ll get access to my ThriveCart Learn Course area and courses I’ve created to support you as you setup your digital business.

The bonuses are:

• $200 in Coaching Credits
• ThriveCart Salespage Templates ($100 value).

ThriveCart Templates

The templates I’m including in the bonus are pretty simple but I’ve created them that way on purpose.

So many templates are pretty and complicated and full of multiple components that you need to change and customize. This ends up being a lot of work.

Simple ThriveCart Templates are easier and quicker to use.

My templates also TEACH you via the content on them. Telling you what to add to create a salespage that actually sells your offers.

Here is a screenshot of each template:

Simple ThriveCart salespage template:

Longer ThriveCart Learn Template:

ThriveCart is my favorite shopping cart.

It allows you to create digital download products (such as PDFS, printables, workbooks, ebooks, etc).
You could create courses, classes, workshops, etc.
I’ve even used ThriveCart to create a growing membership site.

When you are looking for a cart to build your business with it’s really worth considering ThriveCart and upgrading to ThriveCart Learn to get access to all the wonderful features.

If you’d like me to help you get setup through my bonus $200 in courses and ThriveCart templates just sign up below and I’ll hook you up. You’ll also get my ThriveCart course, ThriveCart Kickstart, Free!

If you already have ThriveCart and are feeling a bit overwhelming in learning how to use it then I invite you to check out my training called ThriveCart Kickstart:

The post ThriveCart Learn Tour for Online Courses appeared first on Living Lifestyle Freedom with Angela Wills.

How to Build an Email List Without a Website:
The Overview

You don’t need a website to build an email list. 

All you need is a good email service provider, an offering interesting enough for someone to sign up to, a way for them to sign up and a form for them to fill in. 

In this article I’ll walk you through every step of this process. 

It’s always a good idea to have a website so I wouldn’t forgo the site altogether but there’s no need to stall or hold up your list-building efforts if you don’t yet have a site! 

Start with a Good Email Service Provider

The first step in how to build your email list without a website is finding a great email service provider. 

An Email Service Provider, or ESP for short, is a company that has created a software that you use to store your email list, create forms for signup and send out emails to your subscribers. 

You need this kind of software because you can’t send bulk email messages out from your regular email list or you’ll be quickly marked a spammer. 

Instead you use an email service provider who’s got great deliverability, easy to use and other features that make them a great tool for your business. 

What to Look for in an Email Service Provider

• High Deliverability (you can check this site for the deliverability rates of many providers).
• Pricing (many start off free, some are geared to creatives and solopreneurs, others for corporations). 
• Ease of Use (if it’s too complicated to use you probably won’t and then you’ll get nowhere with your email efforts). 
• Statistics (you want to know how your list building efforts are going so you’ll need good statistical info from the provider). 
• Email designer (where you write your emails in the software shouldn’t make it hard to send emails, if it does then find another provider). 
• Automations (most programs come with the ability to send both broadcast emails and automation emails). 

How to Choose an Email Service Provider

Carefully think about what YOU need for your business. This is the best way to choose an email service provider. 

Once you know what you need you can take a look at the email subscriptions in your own inbox. See what provider they are using. It can often be found at the bottom of the email or if you hover over the unsubscribe (but don’t click!) you might be able to tell. 

I like to look at companies that I like, who I believe are doing well and who might make smart choices about these kinds of things. 

Then I’ll check out the Email Service Provider myself. 

Many have a free trial. 

Popular Email Service Providers

Here are some of the more popular Email Service Provider options out there:

• ConvertKit (this is the one I use)
• Aweber
• MailerLite
• Active Campaign

It’s important to note that most Email Service Providers make it very easy to move into their system. So even if you get a start in one system and find you don’t like it, it’s not too difficult a move out if you don’t have a lot of detailed automations set up. 

So in summary for this step of how to build an email list without website traffic what you want to do is take some time to find a good provider and get setup – then move on to the next step! 

Choose a Free Offer to Attract People Like You

Our next step in learning how to build an email list without website traffic is to choose a free offer to attract people like you. 

Why people like you? 

That might sound odd as most people will teach you to create an offer to attract a Target Market, a client Avatar. 

Well, the problem with target markets and avatars is that they’re very restricting. This is why most people have a huge struggle in picking them out and settling on them. This is why it can take weeks, months and sometimes even years to launch something!

Attracting Your People with Core Values and Messages

I teach and love to focus on the Core Values and Core Messaging approach. 

If you look to attract people like YOU, with similar or same core values and you do that through core messages then the people who join your list will be “lifers”. 

This is because they weren’t drawn in by a single focus… they were drawn in with a common value and interest. They get to know YOU and as you continue to share your values and messaging they will get to know, like, trust and LOVE you! 

Crafting an Email Opt-in Offer

People often struggle with what to offer at the opt-in offer and look for someone to tell them what the “best’ thing to offer is. 

Don’t fall into this trap! 

There’s no one universal best free offer. 

The offer should suit YOUR Core Messaging and be something that people who are drawn to that message would love to pick up. 

This could be something as simple as a one-page PDF with links to all your favorite things to help you with your business. 

Your free offer can be anything. But here’s the BEST way to do this. 

Before you decide your offer skip down to the section of this post called “Send Traffic to Your Landing Page / Opt-in Form” and CHOOSE a method. Then find a specific source of traffic. 

For example: 

If you decide to choose to participate in a joint venture bundle sale then find a sale. Most sales have a specific topic. Find one that fits your business and join it. THEN craft an opt-in offer specific to that sale. 

Why? Because general, this is for everyone kind of offers get mediocre results. You’ll do much better to have a very targeted offer. 

Do this when it’s worth it. When I join bundles I end up adding 50 to 1,000 plus people to my email list so it’s worth taking the time to make a very specific offer for that specific list-building method. 

Attracting the RIGHT people to your email list is always worth the time. If you are speaking to the right people then everything is easier… clicks, conversions and long-term customer relationships. 

So let’s get that going and move on to the next item in how to build an email list without a website… building your landing page on your Email Service Provider

Build Your Landing Page on Your Email Software Provider (ESP)

Every Email Software Provider is different so you’re going to need to go into your software of choice and look for “landing pages” or “opt-in pages” or “hosted pages or forms” or some wording to that effect.

What you’re looking for is an email sign up form that you setup and get a link to. 

That link is what you’re going to use to send people to your sign up without any sort of website setup or presence required. 

Now of course if you DO have a website you can embed the form onto there if you want. That will require a few more steps. 

Any good Email Software Provider will also provide you with good training on how to do these things. 

Here is the process in my ESP, ConvertKit…

First you click on the landing page link:

Click the big red button:

Choose landing page:

Choose a template and customize:

Click “Publish” after you’ve customized your form:

Pick up that landing page URL and use it to build your list!

Setup Your Follow-Up and Welcome Emails

Once someone signs up for your opt-in offer they are going to need to GET the offer. 

You set this up within the software by adding follow-up emails that they get after they fill in your opt-in form. 

This is called an email automation and it will happen automatically when anyone signs up through your form, when you set it up correctly. 

So what you want to do is send out an email immediately after sign up that delivers on what you promised. 

Give them a link to the download or the page where they can claim it, etc. Whatever you offer do your best to make it EASY for them to claim it! Don’t make people jump through hoops and if you do, expect them to not bother. 

You want your new people to claim and consume the freebie you offer them. 

This is their introduction to you and what you have to offer. 

So include MORE follow-up emails after the initial to help them do just that. 

You may also want to include a welcome email.

If you need help with the entire welcome setup for a new subscriber I have a class on that that is free with sign up to Email Practice Club. You can see the details of the class here. 

Test Everything With Your Email List Freebie Offer

Test everything. 

Not everyone knows that if you have a Gmail email you can use a dot (.) inside of the email and it will look like DIFFERENT emails. 

This is great for testing so that you can test and tweak without having to use a ton of different emails to do it. 

Here’s how it works. These are all the SAME gmail email but to the Email Software Providers they are different emails and so you can use this one email many times:

myemailaccount@gmail.com
m.yemailaccount@gmail.com
my.emailaccount@gmail.com
mye.mailaccount@gmail.com

See the shifting dot (.)? You can do this all the way down the email to test your opt-ins until they are just right! 

Next let’s get to the good part of how to build an email list without a website – getting traffic and new subscribers! 

How to Build an Email List Without a Website:
Send Traffic to Your Landing Page / Opt-in Form

This step is where people freeze.

Don’t do that! 

Choose a method for building your list and get going! 

Here are some of the most effective and popular ways to get traffic to that opt-in form (which you get the link for through your Email Service Provider). 

Build an Email List With Bundle Sales & Giveaways

Partner with a group of other business owners to bundle together freebie downloads or actual products so that you can build your list. 

I prefer to always give away actual products, ones I created to SELL, so that my new subscribers get high value, are impressed and want to continue to learn more from me. 

Participating in these kind of joint ventures can add a lot of new subscribers (hundreds) to your list in a short time period. 

Podcast Guest Appearances

Podcasts are in abundance! It might be easier than you realize to get on relevant shows that speak to your ideal people who share your core values. 

Make sure to find podcasts that allow you to offer a free gift with a link direct to your opt-in form. 

Guest Blog Posting

Posting on other people’s blogs who connect with your ideal audience is a great way to build your list, IF you’re strategic about it. 

Again this is the time to create something CUSTOM that matches the content of the blog post. This is often called a content upgrade. You offer an opt-in related to the blog post but upgrades it to give you more info. 

This is how you get highly targeted new subscribers to your list. They read something relevant to your list and your business and opt-in because of that. 

Giveaways

People LOVE giveaways! 

I heard of a brilliant list-building and sales strategy for giveaways on Pat Flynn’s podcast about 12 years ago. 

Here’s the strategy:

You host a giveaway on your blog and you ask people to go READ your salespage for the product you offer as a giveaway. Then they need to comment on WHY they want to win the product. 

People who enter the giveaway get signed up to your list (make sure they know they will be subscribed). Then, when the giveaway is over you can send a coupon code to buy the product. 

It works REALLY well – people become invested in your product and the idea of owning it. So you build your list and get sales. Nice, right? 

Social Media

There are plenty of ways you can build your list through social media. 

There are so many social media sites. 

The best thing to do is take a look at where you have the biggest and most engaged audience on social media. Engage there. 

You could do a giveaway. Host live videos. Post about your free offer. Test out various methods and find what works best for you! 

Free Webinars

A webinar is a natural list-builder because you need people to opt-in through your landing page form. 

Also anything with a deadline is how you super-charge your results because people are much more likely to take action when they know that time is limited. 

You can partner with another website owner who has traffic to send those people to your webinar. 

Promotion Swap 

A great direct way to build your list is to swap promotions with another business owner who’s list is a similar size to yours. 

Even if you both have relatively small lists this can be a very effective method! 

Use that landing page link to get them direct to the opt-in form. 

Telesummits

Telesummits are another joint venture. The great thing about events like these is that people tell you exactly what they need. 

You find a telesummit that fits, fill in the form to apply and then watch as your exposure and list grow!

So there you have it – may ways to build your email list and a step by step plan on how to build an email list without a website. 

I hope this helps you take immediate action to grow your list and your business! 

More posts you might like:

• Email Marketing Platforms – Free vs Paid
• Cross Blog Conversation about Email Marketing
• Email Marketing is a Practice

If you’re interested in an email list and marketing challenge < check here

The post How to Build an Email List without a Website appeared first on Living Lifestyle Freedom with Angela Wills.

If you wonder how often should you send email marketing then keep reading… the answer might surprise you!

Email Marketing is one of the most underused marketing methods I have seen in my 21 years of selling online.

I’ve seen people with huge site traffic not building their lists.
Or bloggers with lists of thousands of people but never sending an email.
And business owners with a list, a great product but no strategy to promote that product via the list!

I’m on a mission to help you understand the answer to the question: How often should you send email marketing?

The short answer is: as often as you want to make money and help your people!

If you send an email out that is one opportunity to connect and offer your product for sale. If you don’t ,it’s not.

I’ll never forget the time I really considered this. I was sending about an email per week, sometimes every two weeks.

It’s simple math:

One email a week is 52 emails a year.
One email a day is 365 emails a year.

Which one do you think will get more sales?

Usually, the 365 emails.

Why Sending Emails Ever Day Works

It is a common thought that if you send an email to your list every day they’ll get angry and unsubscribe.

If you send garbage, YES, true.

However, send valuable stuff every day and you will have a list of people EAGER to open your emails each and every day. No problem.

Matter of fact I’ve had people opening my emails daily for ten years. TEN YEARS some people have been consistently subscribed to my email list opening most every day. Is that insane? You can NOT buy that kind of loyalty!

When you email daily your subscribers feel like they really know you. This is powerful especially if you are using those emails to establish your credibility as someone who they can trust to deliver on the offers you are making to them.

Sending Regular Email Marketing Looks Like This…

It creates a lifestyle that many dream of. 

It allows you to not be tied to your computer. 

It lets you live life on your terms. 

In 2014 when Ella (my daughter) was born I made $42k. Doesn’t sound like amazing money but I know for a FACT the first few months I worked HOURS a month. I’d be lucky if I worked 3 hours a week in the first few months. I paid about $500 for two VAs to help me and a few hundred dollars a month for my expenses. 

By 2016 I was still only working maybe 15 hours a week and I’d upped my income to $79k. Then up to $121k in 2018. She was four years old by then and I had spent a LOT of time being a mombie (mom zombie) from lack of sleep yet I still grew the business. 

Those years proved to me without a doubt that money I earn was not directly related to hours I worked. I had worked about 50-60 hours a WEEK when I quit my job in 2007-2008 and became a VA, and in 2008 I made only $35k.

To summarize:

• 2014 – 2018 —> Raising baby & Raising business up to six figures on between 3-15 hours a week ($121k in 2018) because of regular email marketing.
  
• 2007-2008 –> Working my but off for clients at 50-60 hours a week and earned about what I made working 40 hrs a week for someone else ($35k in 2008)

The stark contrast really had me decide that I will never again try to earn money by sheer determination of “hard work”… I had to work, but I would work SMART. 

That is where digital offers, recurring income and email marketing gave me a turn around and life I wanted. 

Email Marketing Creates Huge Time Leverage. 

It sure didn’t happen by accident, either. 

I was a prolific email marketer by the point Ella was born. I was emailing daily for many years.

I’m not talking about pushy sales, either. 

Simply offering people what I have and letting them choose to buy it if it fits. Also, recurring income through a membership is a major part of the reason I kept growing and growing my income. 

I planned for nine months of pregnancy expecting I’d have less time (but I didn’t realize I’d have that much less). 

Email marketing is there for those times in life when you can just do the BARE MINIMUM – when that happens… email can be your one and only thing. 

With Regular Email Marketing Life can look like this:

• Generate income even when LIFE happens (babies, illness, etc). 
• Being present for the important moments while working in emails on your schedule. 
• Being location independent. Digital Nomad if you wish, yes, but even if you just want to work from the coffee shop, at a friend’s house or a coworking space – email is easy to do anywhere (even on your phone if you want). 
• Lifestyle FREEDOM – I choose not to let clients dictate my hours, work or anything. My income is generate by hundreds of people buying my products, not a few clients who bought my time. My time is MINE and that is lifestyle freedom to me. 

If you are just getting started with email marketing it’s important you choose a good, solid email software host. They should have great deliverability (so your emails get into the inbox), great support and understand you’re a marketer. I recommend Kit and the $33/month (or you can save big with annual) option, NOT the free option.

Email software can be a major driver of your business so you want the best version and the paid one gives you support from Kit, which is something we all need but especially when we’re new.

If you need more info on why I highly recommend avoiding email marketing platforms free and go for paid check out this post: email marketing platforms free vs paid

The post How Often Should You Send Email Marketing?.. Email Marketing Practice appeared first on Living Lifestyle Freedom with Angela Wills.

Asking “what are the benefits of relationship marketing” will get you so far but it’s more important to think of how YOU can bring value. Then lean into the belief that by giving and creating TRUE relationships you will be able to help each other in a real, authentic and sustainable way.

Basically I’m saying… be a true friend, build marketing connections without expectations and just keep moving forward without trying to create the benefits of relationship marketing. Just let go and let them happen naturally.

What are the Benefits of Relationship Marketing?

The number one benefit and so often overlooked of building a business that leverages positive relationships and connections is that it FEELS GOOD.

Imagine a business where you don’t need any tricks, strategies, tactics and methods that you do just because you “have to”. So many people running businesses believe they have to do the “necessary evils” in order to achieve the good of the business.

This is such a slippery slope and it’s just not true!

The big benefit is a joyful, growing business that FEELS GOOD. But the benefits don’t stop there.

Benefits of Relationship Marketing to Customers:

• You get repeat customers who LOVE you and buy again and again.
• Customers stay a long, long time (brand loyalty).
• You will gain new sales and equally loyal customers through FREE customer referrals.
• You’ll easily find partners, affiliates and cross promotions that are win-win situations.

List of Ways to Achieve Marketing Connections

Your potential customers, partners and affiliates will feel a sense of connection with you if you do certain things effectively and consistently.

The list below gives you some of the activities I’ve seen proven time and again to build relationships in business.

Relationship Marketing in B2B and B2C

Think about people first, not the bottom line. The business grows when people feel like you are actually in business to serve them. That’s what a business is all about.

Consistency in Marketing & Giving Value

Some businesses show you that they’re consistent in trying to get your money but are they consistent in CARING and GIVING VALUE.

This can be as simple as the content you put out there demonstrating how you understand the needs of your customers. This truly builds better relationships and GOOD WILL to your potential customers and customers.

Being of Service in Business

It is so easy to spot a business that cares only about profits versus a business that is actually in line to be OF SERVICE to it’s customers.

If you want to learn what the benefits of relationship marketing are and the power of marketing connections then you’d do well to switch the mindset from “what can I make money from?” to “how can I best serve my customer?”.

So many businesses get this wrong! We see it all the time in bad customer service and that’s just the beginning of a businesses culture. If the customer isn’t being treated right you can best believe that the company doesn’t have being of service as top of mind.

It’s easy to stand out as a stand up business just by adopting this attitude: Be of service.

Authenticity to Create Marketing Connections & Customer Relationships

I’m told all the time that I am “real”. I personally don’t know any other way to be. I’ve recognized, however, that this gives me an incredible advantage for building marketing connections and building my business.

Nobody wants to talk to a fake person. It just doesn’t feel good. Nobody leaves happy. Not you (who’s trying to be “professional”) and not your potential partner or customer.

What does feel good is authenticity. If you are hiding who you are in your business this will just make you FEEL inauthentic. That feeling will translate into your energy and how you present everything you do. It’s always better to be who you really are.

How Building Relationships in Business Helped My Business

When I first started a business online I just wanted to sell soap from my website.

I figured I’d just put up a website, sell to strangers on the internet and go about my daily life.

Then I started looking for help and advice and I found these little online communities of people in forums (back in 2002) who became my friends. This was long before Facebook made it super easy to connect!

I had no idea at the time how very important and valuable those friendships would be to my long-term success!

You’ve heard it before that people do business with people they KNOW, LIKE & TRUST. It’s not just a catchy thing to say, it’s TRUE.

It’s multiple times harder to sell to an audience who doesn’t know you. So I highly recommend you start now building marketing connections and doing relationship marketing within your business. No agenda… just relationships. THEN when you find a good fit you reach out and it feels magical and right.

Here are some of the amazing marketing and business connections I’ve made over the years:

Cindy Bidar of CindyBidar.com

Jenn Hazlett of AltAdmin.ca

Akosua Brown of WhatsYourStoryAuthorServices.com

Steps to Building Marketing Connections & Customer Relationships:

• _{Step 1: Connect with people you like and have something in common.}
• _{Step 2: Build an actual, real, beneficial relationship with them.}
• _{Step 3: Offer ways to work together when it makes sense.}

In the end relationships can bring so much value to your life and your business.

The key is to always be authentic, let go of expectations and think of others (the partners, the customers). SERVE first and think of how you can add value. This is key to marketing connections, customers relationships and a business that makes people good to buy from!

All the best as you grow your business by building relationships.

Other posts you might like:

Email Marketing Platforms – Free vs Paid

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The post What are the benefits of relationship marketing? appeared first on Living Lifestyle Freedom with Angela Wills.