Week 1: Choosing a Service | Week 2: Setting Up Your Account (MailChimp)| Week 3: Writing a Welcome Message | Week 4: Setting Up RSS Blog Delivery | Week 5: Creating a Goodie for Subscribers | Week 6: Adding the Sign Up Form to Your Blog | Week 7: Promoting Your List
You now have a mailing list set up in Mailchimp – Now what? How do you get people to sign up?
Last year I participated in the Biztopia List Building Challenge. This helped me grow my list by identifying what I offered subscribers. I also learned a lot from other business mentors like Darren Rowse of Copyblogger, Michelle Shaeffer, Caylie Price, Nicole Dean and Hubspot.
How I Grew My List From 30 Subscribers to 1,000
- Call-To-Action – I put call-to-actions in multiple locations (See 5 Opt-in List Building Opportunities You MUST Have on Your Blog by Caylie Price)
- Blog Tour – When I released the 2nd Edition of Hooking for Cash: 10 Ways to Make Money with Your Crochet Blog, I wrote 15 guests posts for 15 blogs spread over 15 weeks. In each of these posts I included a link to my mailing list. (idea courtesy Nicole Dean) [see crocheting a business blog tour]
- Multiple Offers – I developed multiple offers for different problems. For example, I have an offer for those seeking to identify their target market, an offer for those wanting to improve their crochet blog, and an offer for people who want to sell crochet as a business. (idea courtesy Michelle Shaeffer)
- Blog Challenge – Twice a year I host a blog challenge. Many subscribers elect to subscribe to my main list once the challenge is over. (inspired by Michelle Shaeffer’s Ultimate Blog Challenge and ProBlogger’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge)
- Landing Pages – I finally learned how to make landing pages (courtesy Darren Rowse) and directed all traffic to them instead of my blog homepage.
- Action – I learn from other successful business bloggers and then take Action (hubspot academy)
The Secret Ingredient to all of the tools I used last year to grow my list is ACTION. I refused to stop even when I felt like quitting. When results weren’t as quick as I wanted or when I started comparing myself to others I continued ahead.
My Advice for Newbies:
- Take it one subscriber at a time
- Don’t stress when people unsubscribe (it happens)
- Always provide quality content
- Learn to stay on target. Remind yourself what you promised your subscribers and deliver it
- Ask for responses. Ask for the email reply or ask for the click in your email
- Take feedback seriously
- Continue what is working and STOP doing what isn’t
What’s Happening Now?
This year I’m doing something new. I decided to participate in a business giveaway to increase subscribers. I am curious about how this works and whether subscribers stick around after they receive their free gift.
This event is hosted by Crissy Herron of IndieBizChicks with over $345 worth of free resources and business tools. I’ll report back to you at the end of this quarter with the results.
Your Turn: What have you done to grow your list? Have you ever participated in a List growing Challenge or Giveaway?
A couple of things to note for #31CBBC peeps: (all are optional)
- Comments are welcome and encouraged
- Visit the FB group and add your post for the day to the pinned post if you’d like to receive at least 2-comments on your post.
- Join the Crochet Business Blogger G+ Community
- Community Event: Crochet Bloggers Comment-a-thon #4
- Add your blog url to the #31CBBC linky (not the post url) – this will help you identify who is participating
- As you are visiting other bloggers, take note of any similarities you have or complimentary projects/services you have. This is a great time to jot down the blog name and get to know the blogger behind the blog.
- Don’t stress on writing a post each day. A picture with your thoughts, a video, a top 5 list, or simply a quote on why you like crochet all counts as a post.
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