In today’s internet age, there is a great deal of buzz about list building. The bigger your list, the greater your wealth. That is why you hear about so many courses to help you learn how to build yours.
Experts say — and I agree — that you should offer a free gift in exchange for joining your ezine in the first place. You can write articles for online article directories that invite readers to opt-in to your list. You can create auto-responders that invite new followers on Twitter to join your list. You can host teleseminars and webinars that require listeners to opt-in to benefit. You can stage a contest next time you speak live and collect business cards by permission to enter to win (and join your list.) You can create networking business cards thatq entice new people you meet to visit your site, enjoy your free gift, and benefit from your ezine. And, you can joint venture with like-minded partners who have established communities of people who can benefit from your subject matter expertise. All of these approaches work to grow your list. All of them are among the strategies I employ. My list size has doubled since January, so the results are measurable and clear.
However, if you are early on in your business and don’t yet have a big list, it can be slow going to attract joint venture partners. The big players with the big lists are likely going to be reluctant to invite you to play with them because you haven’t yet earned the influence to make an impact that they can feel in their online shopping carts.
So, with all that said, what is a business owner to do when the desire is to attract lots of interest when your own list is still small?
One idea is to issue a press release over a wire service to enjoy widespread distribution of your news. This press release should offer information that is timely, newsworthy, relevant, interesting, and remarkable as opposed to a “buy this service or product now” kind of message. If, for example, your company has something to offer that is timely for the “back to school” theme, tell that story, offer tips and information to inform the reader, and offer a way for the reader to learn even more — by opting into your ezine list to benefit from your free gift that offers a check list of everything you need to be ready for back to school with ease.
And, if you were to create a schedule of compelling news releases — perhaps once a month — to share your unfolding news with the world, readers would have additional reasons to visit your website or blog, opt-in to benefit from your ezine, and get even more familiar with the products and services you offer. Once people join your list, you can send them a series of auto-responder messages that generously share tips and resources to guide them to enjoy success with your company as a trusted resource. In short order, many of these new subscribers just might make the wise decision to become your paying clients or customers.
Does it cost a few bucks to send a press release over the wire? Yes. But look at it this way. The lifetime value of one perfect client is more than enough to achieve return on that modest investment.
I have had excellent success inviting media interviews and new ezine opt-ins by sending press releases over the wire. That is why I can make this recommendation to you with confidence. This service does a great job for me. Check it out to share your news, grow your list, and invite more perfect readers to get excited about what you have brewing.
