The Day The Lights Went Out on Facebook...

 

...And Instagram. And YouTube.

 I got a bunch of text messages and phone calls from people panicking because FB and IG being down meant they were losing money because they have no other way to communicate with their audience. They were having an absolute MELTDOWN and had no other way to function. It's rather disconcerting, actually, how dependent on social media so many of us have become. Including me to some extent. I was just thinking the other day that I couldn't recall the last time I used my phone for it's actual intended purpose...as a PHONE! I am very lazy about getting phone numbers from people. If I want to talk to someone I usually make calls on messenger. And it was down too!

But the one thing I have always done for 23 years now is get my best people onto my newsletter. And I have my blog. So I can ALWAYS communicate. The only two things you actually control online are your email list and your blog.

And if you are reading this then maybe you are beginning to understand why focusing your marketing just on social media...ANY social media...is not a good idea. It's a very dangerous game.

I know blogging isn't for everyone. But building an email list isn't difficult. Isn't it time you learned these skills once and for all so you are not at the mercy of a platform you can't control? If so, there are several options. Let me introduce you to the email marketing coach that taught me. Come hang out in the Smart & Sassy Business Women Facebook Group, where I will briefly go over some email marketing stuff periodically. Or do it yourself.

Beginning to build an email list is VERY simple and anyone can do it. Even YOU!

So while Facebook was down, I hopped over to Twitter...

(I know...technically it's "X" now, but it will always be Twitter to me)...

To read all the latest conspiracy theories.

Then after entertaining myself with all the foolery, I wrote my clients and team members and checked in on them. Now I'm writing this blog post and asking you how can I help you? Because losing money over things you can't control is definitely not a good thing at all. 

Let's face it. We're all hooked. Even me. I admit it. I spend way too much time on my phone. 

But writing an email is a 10 - 30 minute activity that can put you into profitability quicker than you think. And today may have been the day that makes you realize that having one is not optional if you want to have a successful, stable business. So leave a comment or hit me back on social if you are being beaten into submission today.

We can talk about whether the $9 a month my coach charges is worth it to you. Or whether hanging out in a group where I teach marketing stuff for free is the answer...as long as you're willing to wait until I decide to teach email. Or if doing it all yourself is how you roll.

Personally, I don't care which way you go, as long as you do something! Having an email list is more important than ever. Today just proved it.

 

Some Tips and a Question

First...

Before we get to the tips and the free stuff, I need your help making more content that will help you. What are you struggling with most? itdoesn't need to be a long paragraph. Checklist style will work. I'm gearing up to create more trainings in 2023 and want to make it exactly what you need

Now, how about some email marketing tips:

• Just do it. Can't put it any more plainly than that.
• Get to know your audience better. In 2023, make it a priority to really get to know your audience. Don't just know who they are. Know what makes them tick.
• Be more transparent. Don't try to be sneaky about getting email addresses. Don't add people who didn't opt-in. You'll alienate your audience and damage your brand.
• Reward more. It pays to include free content in your emails. These types of resources are great for improving engagement.
• Send at the best time. Timing matters a lot. Tuesdays and Thursdays are best. Realistically, you will need to do your own testing to determine the best time to send your email. Make that a 2023 goal!
• Clean up your list. If you haven't deleted inactive subscribers, it's time. You should update your list twice a year. If you don't it can negatively impact email deliverability.
• Simplify. The new year is a great time to declutter. And that includes your email design. Minimalistic designs are popular. Look at your colors, fonts, and layout. Do you have enough white space? These are all things you should reevaluate in 2023.

Got any questions? Just post them in the comments and we can chat.

One more thing...

If you're actively building your business online, and you're not generating the leads you need, you might want to tune into our FREE walkthrough showing you the exact lead generation method used by the most successful online businesses in any industry.

It's a simple 3-step model for finding and connecting with your ideal prospects.

Plus it is totally duplicatable (OMG, there's that word. The one ever MLMer knows all too well).

I use it in my own business so I can promise you, it works.

If you're ready and you want to level up your game, join me tomorrow on a no-cost training.

Register here

You've got nothing to fear...for Pete's sake, you already read my blog so you know I'm not some crazy stalker chick!

How to Find Bundles to Participate In

I REALLY wanted to grow my email list quickly once I got it set up. I’d heard that bundles could be a good way to do this. With a bundle, several contributors get together and offer a product. Sometimes, the products offered are free, requiring that customers simply opt-in to your mailing list.

However, with some bundles, the products might be paid. Typically, the products are deeply discounted so customers are saving money. Since the customers will use your shopping cart to make the purchase, you’ll get their email address, causing your mailing list to grow.

Bundles are fun to participate in and once you know how to create a product, they can be profitable, too! The challenging part can be finding a bundle to participate in. Here are a few tips to help you do that…

Ask Around

If you’re already part of groups on Facebook or LinkedIn for bloggers or business owners in your niche, simply ask. There might be group members who know of upcoming bundles and will point you in the right direction.

Don’t be discouraged if someone posts about a bundle that’s already over. Keep a list of these bundles as many creators offer them regularly. That means they might be looking for a fresh round of contributors in just a few weeks or months.

Do Your Research

Before you get involved with a bundle, take some time to do a bit of research first. You want to make sure that the creator and the contributors are worthy of your audience. If it seems like there’s something fishy or if the contributors don’t honor their deals, then don’t sign up.

Just like in real life, you will be painted with the same brush as those you associate with. If you hang out with scammy marketers, your audience will think you’re the same way. They won’t trust you and you’ll need to spend extra time repairing your reputation.

Connect with Bundle Creators

Once you’ve found a few bundles that look legitimate, connect with the creators behind-the-scenes. Follow them on Twitter or Instagram. Subscribe to their mailing list and comment on their blog posts. Get a feel for who they are and the community they’re trying to create.

Engaging with them and their audience gives a creator a chance to get to know you. Many bundle creators carefully consider who they let contribute. That’s because they don’t want to be associated with a business owner who lacks integrity and puts together shoddy products.

But when you show up in their community and you bring value, you automatically set yourself apart from the crowd. Now you’re no longer a faceless contributor but a business owner who cares about serving your mutual audience.

Bundles are a wonderful way to grow your mailing list. But don’t just join up with the first one you see. Take your time to do your research and only participate in bundles that will benefit your community.

It's So Predictable!

I am cracking up right now...seriously!  What's so funny?  People.  People are funny.  

Here's the scoop...

If you are part of my mailing list, you got an email the other day.  In it, I invited guests to attend a webinar with Mark Harbert.  Yes...THE Mark Harbert.  The topic was how to put your lead generation on autopilot.

It was an awesome webinar.  Really high level stuff.  Mark shared the exact funnel he uses to attract new prospects all day long. People pay big money for the information he shared, but he gave it to my folks for free.  So that's not what has me laughing so hard.

The reason I am cracking up right now is that the subject line of the email I sent was NO BULL INVOLVED...

I explained to my coaching class why I used that subject line and why it was so irresistible.  And no, I'm not sharing that in a blog post.  It's for my folks only.  Sorry!

But right now I am giggling as I just saw that the open rate on the email was over 50%!!!  That is unheard of!  And I knew it would happen.  A good email open rate is 37% and yet I consistently get open rates of 50% or higher.  And I am not an email marketing expert.  So if I can do this, so can you.

I spend my days on a crusade to teach people that you do not need to be an internet pro to get silly results.  You don't need to know much about hits, clicks and analytics to make money.  The answer lies in understanding PEOPLE and what drives them.  Once you understand that, the rest is easy.

I don't worry about driving people to my website with SEO or crazy marketing funnels.  Sure, I use them.  Every marketer should use all the available tools.  But I focus mostly on my email list and this blog.  Why?  Because they work.

There are only two things online that are totally yours.  Your blog and your list.  Social media platforms can come and go.  Algorithms change.  Technology changes.  But your blog and your list are yours.  So if you are listening to the people that tell you email marketing is dead or that blogging is unnecessary, you are listening to the wrong people.

And once you have these tools set up and running, you can use them to focus on your PEOPLE and on learning what makes them tick and giving it to them.

So let me ask you...do you know why the subject line NO BULL INVOLVED was so darn irresistible?  If not, you need to brush up on your study of people.  (Maybe that's the topic for another blog post).

If you do understand why NO BULL INVOLVED grabbed attention, then good for you!  You are farther along than 98% of other marketers.  But let me ask you this.  Are you truly using this knowledge to expand your business?  Very few do.  The extent that you resist your greatness is the extent that you are ruled by other people.  Someone said that.  I don't remember who.  But it is true.  And what is so predictable...besides my email open rates...is the number of marketers who continue to resist stepping into their greatness and building their dream.  

Over 50% of my list opened my email.  A large portion of them registered for the webinar.  Many of them even attended.  But what's sad...and predictable...is that very few will actually implement what they learned.  Isn't it time that you realized that to a large extent the only thing holding you back is you?

Are you ready to stop resisting?  Are you ready to become UNPREDICTABLE?  You know you are!  Just say YES!  Then take the first step...sign up for my email list so you can be the first to hear about incredible trainings by people like Mark Harbert. 
P.S. Are you following me on Twitter?

Selling Your Newsletter

We all know the money is in the list.  And one of the easiest ways to build a list is to offer a regular newsletter.  But just because you plan to publish a newsletter, it doesn't mean your visitors will subscribe.  So you may need to sell them on the idea.


"Sell my newsletter?  How do I do that?"


The same way you make any other sale, whether it's your products, your services, your business opportunity....whatever!


1.  Stress the benefits.  How will subscribing to your newsletter help your reader?  What value does it offer?  Why should they give up their personal information to read what you publish?


2. Design a great offer.  Most people won't give up their personal information for nothing.  What can you offer to entice them?  We call these "lead magnets" and they can be almost anything - e-books, reports, videos, training, product samples.  The only requirement is that it have a perceived value to your prospective reader - enough value to persuade them to give you their personal information in exchange.  And it should be relatively inexpensive for you to provide.  If you suddenly get thousands of subscribers, you don't want to go broke from your lead magnet!


3.  Add a clear CTA (call to action).  Believe it or not, some people need to be told what to do.  They LIKE being told what to do.  So make it obvious by including a call to action.  "Subscribe Now!"  "Click here to subscribe."  "Subscribe here."  "Click here to get your free report (or book or whatever)"  Your CTA can be anything you choose as long as it is obvious what you want your prospective subscriber to do.


4. Create your subscription form.  This will probably depend on what autoresponder you use so I won't get into detail here.  But do make sure you only ask for pertinent information.  For example, I am signing up for an electronic newsletter so unless you are using a physical product as your lead magnet, you shouldn't need my physical address.  If you ask for it, I may choose not to give you any information at all and you've lost a subscriber. 


If you are doing business with European Union residents, be sure your form is GDPR compliant.  There's been tons of information posted by all of the major autoresponders on how they are meeting this requirement.  So again, I'm not going into detail here.  Use the tools your autoresponder provides.


"Why am I having to sell my newsletter?  It's FREE!  Why won't they just sign up?"


Good question.


Your newsletter may not cost money, but it's not exactly free either.  You are asking for something that many people consider extremely valuable - their personal information.  That is something many people do not give away easily.  And it's going to cost me time.  So if I'm going to give you my valuable information and then devote my valuable time to read what you send, you had better show me that it's worth it!


And make sure your subscribers know that you will not use their information for any other purpose.


Take your time setting up your newsletter subscription page.  Getting it right can have a huge impact on the size of your list. 


Are you ready to build your business even bigger with your newsletter?  I'm ready to personally teach you everything I know about making money via List Building and Email Marketing.  I'll be showing you some things you may not have even thought of!  Register now.  Click here!

Secrets of Building Your Email List

I'm so excited!

 

I've been working on something for a bit and I can't wait to share it with you.

 

But first some facts:

...

 

• The most successful online marketers build lists and leverage the power of email marketing. 

• Building a list is the surest way to catapult your position in the marketplace. You'll ATTRACT both customers and partners.

• Having your own list = ongoing, compounding, dependable income for LIFE!

 

And now the reason for all the excitement...

 

List Building Secrets is now OPEN!!

 

 

I'm sure you already know many of the basics of building your list.  So I'm not going to waste your time with the VERY obvious tips like "put an op-in form on your website." (That does work, by the way...)

 

Nope!  Instead I'm going to cover a few things you make not have thought of.  You'll get the tip.  And you'll get shown how to implement.  And you will even be given the opportunity to practice your skills. 

 

We'll be really thinking outside the box.  Not just doing what everyone else is doing.  Try one of the ideas, or all of them.  Figure out what works best for you and your business. 

 

I'm ready to personally teach you everything I know about making money via List Building and Email Marketing. I'm super excited to see how your life gets TRANSFORMED by this coaching as you turn into a Super-Awesome-List-Building-Machine!
 
I can't wait to hear your feedback on how your "New Life" feels now that you have the security that a targeted LIST can give you. All while helping you reach new income levels in your business at the same time!

 

Space is limited so I have time to work closely with participants. So I'm offering it to you first so you don't miss out.  Register now.  Click here!

Get the Constant Contact Advantage!

How can you grow your business with email campaigns, manage event promotion and registration, turn fans into customers, and get new customers with local campaigns - without spending lots of time, money, and energy?  Get the Constant Contact advantage! 

When I first started my own business, I had a list of approx 10 people. So it was easy for me to send my own emails and newsletters.  I never dreamed of hosting my own events.  Facebook was someplace my kids hung out.  And the local campaigns craze had taken off yet. 

Fortunately, things have changed since then.  My list has grown substantially. Events have become second nature.  I am actually on Facebook.  And even I have used services such as GroupOn and Living Social. 

Unfortunately, all of this has made it necessary for me to have help.  Luckily, I was already prepared for this. Because I discovered a great resource called "Constant Contact". I was fortunate enough to learn about them back in 2007 when I was just starting. And I have been impressed with them ever since.

Constant Contact offers email marketing, social campaigns, and other products and services. The email marketing service is one of the best I've seen. The templates are easy to use. And they have an anti-spam checker so your email actually gets delivered.

Do you host events for your business?  Constant Contact's EventSpot provides all of the tools necessary to manage your events online.  Create invitations, registration forms and event webpages, process payments, and track RSVPs all in one place.  I wish I know about this when I was an event planner.  I would have recommended it to many of my clients!

I have only recently signed up for the Social Campaigns service. Social campaigns are special landing pages created and published to your Facebook Business Page. If you don't have a page yet, they will even create one for you! I must admit, I am not a huge Facebook fan. But I do understand its value. So the Social Campaigns service is perfect for me.

In addition to email and social campaigns, there is a new service call SaveLocal. SaveLocal lets you sell shareable deals to your customers that they can then share with others who may not yet be customers. It sounds like a great way to build more business. I can't wait to give it a try.

Constant Contact's leading email marketing, social media marketing, event marketing, and local deals help all types of small businesses and organizations find new customers, drive repeat business, and generate referrals. Today, more than half a million customers worldwide trust Constant Contact to help them drive success.  I am one of them.  You should be too.  In fact, I am so impressed with them, that Constant Contact is one of the affiliate products I promote.  So if you do click on the link and sign up for their services, not only will you have made a wise investment in your own business, you will help me earn a commission.  Thanks!