Category:

Email Marketing

How to Create a Freebie that Rocks!

by Jen Snyder June 6, 2017

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy here. Thank you for your support!

This year my daughter brought home a new kind of math. Common Core they call it. A new way to learn math that is supposed to make it easier to learn and faster to process. I like to call this the “fuzzy” math for kids and adults alike because I often look at it and think “What the actual heck is this?!”

Are you thinking, wait Jen, I am here to learn about opt-in offers. Not hear about Common Core which also stresses me out.

I hear you– stay with me for a couple more seconds. 🙂

Here’s the thing with Common Core math. These kids are learning it in school. They are learning the process and breaking it down step-by-step so it makes sense to them.

Now when I say the words “opt-in offer” do your eyes glaze over because you have no idea what I am talking about? Or do you feel anxious in your chest because you know you need one but you have no idea how to get there?

I get it. This is how I feel about Common Core. But just like our kids get ideas broken down for them in school, we bloggers need the same thing. We all want to learn more to grow our blogs and we all need steps on how to get there. I am going to start by helping you break down one of my favorite subjects: opt-in offers.

The Basics

What is an opt-in offer?

An opt-in offer is something that you offer your readers for free in exchange for their email address. An opt-in offer is also known as a freebie or a lead magnet.

Why do I need one?

You need an opt-in offer if you want to grow your email list. As a blogger, growing your email list needs to be one of your top priorities. Creating an opt-in offer is one of the best ways to grow your email list.

Why?

Because we don’t just hand our email addresses over to anyone. We get way too much email in our inboxes. Way too much. We don’t need another email that we have to open or delete. We don’t have time for all the emails we already get! This is why we aren’t going to just subscribe to an email list without getting something valuable in return.

Enter your opt-in offer.

Give something of value away to your readers and you will have people signing up for your list like crazy. Sounds like fun doesn’t it?! Yet if you have tried to create a freebie and had no success with it, you know it’s not that simple. It’s like Common Core math. A good idea in theory, but hard to do, unless you have the steps to do it right.

Let’s break down the steps of how to create a successful opt-in offer that converts like crazy. Let’s make this fun again!

Do you need a good freebie for your blog? Is your blog opt-in offer not working at all?! Check out these 7 steps to create an awesome blog opt-in offer that rocks!

Step 1: Listen to Your People

The number one mistake most bloggers make when creating an opt-in is not listening to their readers. They create an opt-in offer they think people want, not what they actually need.

In plain language, they assume what people want, instead of ask them what they want.

How do you avoid making this mistake? Get in there, talk to your readers, and listen to their answers!

The best way to find out what your readers want to learn more about is to ask them! Send out a survey, take a poll, or email with them and ask the following questions:

What are their problems?
What do they struggle with?
If they could wave a magic wand over _____ what result would they like to see?
What are their goals?
What are their dreams?

The best way to stop assuming what people want is to slow down and ask them what it is they actually want. Create a poll in a Facebook group or send out a survey to your current subscribers and ask them to help you. You are also welcome to post your survey in the Women Winning Online Facebook group!

Step 2: Analyze What Your People are Saying

Once the answers start flowing in, keep a record of what people are saying. I like to track all the answers in a spreadsheet. If you are sending out a survey, I suggest using Google Forms. It is free and easy to use. Best of all, there is a button that will automatically convert the answers into a spreadsheet for you.

It is important to keep track of what people are saying when they answer your questions. This is how you learn what people actually want to learn about instead of guessing. Create a list of responses and then start analyzing the data. What’s the common theme you see coming up over and over? Make a note of the top three things that people are struggling with. Group them together and highlight them. In that list is the answer to the perfect opt-in that will convert like crazy!

Bloggers often ask me, how many responses should I collect before I start analyzing? Obviously as many as possible would be ideal, but I like to start with a minimum of 20 responses before I start to analyze the data.

Step 3: Brainstorm Opt-in Ideas

I know I said this in step one, but it bears repeating. The best opt-in offer that converts is one that people want, not something you think that they want. Even after analyzing the data I see bloggers veer off and create something that is the opposite of what people want.

It is so important to sit with the data and really look at what it is telling you. This isn’t just data, these are your people, your readers. They need your help and are telling you exactly how to help them. Listen to them and create an opt-in offer that they want and that solves their problem.

Once you are done analyzing the data, brainstorm five new ideas for an opt-in offer. Write down each idea and then look back at your data. Does your idea match the data? Does it fit like a puzzle piece? If yes, start writing!

Step 4: Decide on a Format

Now that you know what you are going to write about, it’s time to decide how you are going to create it. There are so many options out there for opt-in offers!

You could create a:

Free report
Ultimate guide
Resource
Checklist
Planner
Mini course
Video series

The key is to make it as useful as possible for people. Think about your audience. Are they busy moms that need a checklist to help them meet their goals? Then a freebie checklist would be perfect for them! Maybe your audience is people that work during the day, but can digest a video series over their lunch break. If that’s the case you could create a 5 day video course and market it as something they can easily accomplish over their 30 minute lunch break.

When you create your opt-in offer you want to deliver it in a format that works best for your audience. You don’t want to give them a book if they don’t have time to read it. If they don’t read it they won’t see just how helpful you are. You don’t want that! If you take the time in the first step to learn about your audience, you will have a good idea on the best format for your audience.

Step 5: Make It Look Pretty

Now that you have decided on the format for your opt-in offer you want to make it look good! We are a very visual society so you want to make your opt-in offer stand out!

When I am creating a freebie that people have to download I always make sure to make it look good with design and graphics. I use Canva to create all my freebies. Canva has awesome templates that I can manipulate to fit my style and my brand. This makes my life so much easier!

I also use two amazing websites for all my images that I use in my freebies: Haute Chocolate and Posh Stock. These are two paid sites that I love to use because they give me professional and good looking stock photos.

There are free options out there like Pixaby but I stopped using them for a couple reasons. First, I started to notice my images looked like everyone else’s. I wasn’t standing out at all and that’s not good in a crowded marketplace! Second, I don’t have time to come through thousands of bad photos to find the one great photo that will work for my freebie. With sites like Haute Chocolate and Posh Stock, I know I can find the perfect photo within a few minutes. As a busy mom of 3, anytime I can pay for something to make my life easier, I am all for it!

So for printed freebie I use a combination of Canva plus the two stock photo sites to make my freebies look good. I always include an image of what people are getting when they download my freebie. I include this image cover on my landing page for my freebie and in the photo that people see when I share the link. I think that has been one of the main reasons I have been able to build my list so quickly. People love to get a preview of what they are getting when they give you their email address. Plus it entices them even more to sign up!

Here is an example of how I did this with my social media opt-in offer:

(Click here to see how I used this image on my landing page for it too!)

When it comes to making your opt-in offer don’t skimp on making it look good. The better it looks, the more sign ups you will get!

Step 6: Deliver it Automatically

The next step in creating your freebie is setting it up with an email service provider. You will want to use a good company that will automatically deliver your freebie right into your readers’ inboxes. I have been doing email marketing for 10+ years and I have tried them all. From free ones like MailChimp to paid ones like AWeber and ActiveCampaign. After much time spent on all of these platforms, the one that I love the most is ConvertKit!

ConvertKit is a blogger’s dream come true! It is easy to use, so user friendly and is affordable. I love their reporting features. I can easily tell if people are signing up for my freebies and how many are opening my emails. I love that I can schedule when my emails get sent. I especially love that I know my freebies are getting delivered. I had issues with this with all the other providers I used and it has not been an issue since I joined ConvertKit.

I especially love that ConvertKit is for bloggers by bloggers. The team at ConvertKit knows exactly what we need to grow our email lists and our blogs. They have put together an email marketing system that is just perfect for us bloggers.

To sign up for ConvertKit, please check them out here: https://womenwinningonline.com/ConvertKit

I also want to talk about the elephant in the room. No I don’t think the free email services like MailChimp and MailerLite cut it when it comes to growing your email list. Why? Because you get what you pay for. I know for a fact that MailChimp has huge issues when it comes to delivering the email that you first send out with your freebie. If people are signing up for your list and not getting your freebie, that’s not good! I have also heard as of late that people are seeing the same issues with MailerLite.

I recently made the switch from ActiveCampaign to ConvertKit after having huge delivery issues with my emails. I know hindsight is 20/20, but I wish I would have started out with ConvertKit. It took a lot of time to switch everything over to ConvertKit. It was worth it, don’t get me wrong, but it took a lot of time.

I know that spending money isn’t always easy when you are first starting out. But I truly believe that investing in a good hosting company and a good email company are a must for all new bloggers. Your email subscribers will be the lifeblood of your blog. This is why signing up with the right email service from the start is so important!

For tips on what to send out in your first email to your subscribers, check out my post about Welcome Emails here!

Step 7: Get Eyes On Your Freebie

Alright you are on a roll! You have surveyed your niche to learn how you can help them. You have written an awesome opt-in offer that you are ready to show the world. Your email system is up and running. There’s just one question remaining for your freebie.

How do you get people to see it?!

Here are my top 11 strategies for getting more eyes on my freebies:

Facebook group promo days
Putting my opt-in offer on a landing page
Pinning it on Pinterest (my board and group boards)
Doing a content upgrade in a blog post
Placing it in the header of my blog
Adding it to the end of my blog posts
Sharing on my social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Asking other bloggers to share it
Using it as a URL when commenting on other blogs
Doing a Facebook ad (only if it’s converting super well!)
Guest posting on other blogs

Basically I take my freebie and I put it EVERYWHERE! I want people on my email list. The more people on my list, the more people I can help. It truly matters to me more than pageviews or any other blogging metric.

Conclusion

Creating opt-in offers that convert is a lot of work, but when they start to convert, it’s a lot of fun too! The key is to follow a simple plan to create the best opt-in offers for your audience. This plan looks like this:

Step 1: Listen to your people

Step 2: Analyze What Your People are Saying

Step 3: Brainstorm Opt-in Ideas

Step 4: Decide on a Format

Step 5: Make It Look Pretty

Step 6: Deliver it Automatically

Step 7: Get Eyes On Your Freebie

The best way to implement a plan to create the perfect freebie that converts is to schedule time to make it happen. Take 30 minutes out of your day and work only on your freebie. It will be done in no time and you will be on your way to building an awesome email list for your blog!

Did this post help you? If so please pin it to check out again and share with others. Thank you so much for your support! Click here to pin this post!

Looking for more information on opt-in offers? Check out the video I did here: https://womenwinningonline.com/create-opt-offer-converts/

What has been your experience with creating freebies? Have you had luck creating ones that convert or are you stuck? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below! Thank you!

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9 Effective Tips for Your Welcome Email

by Jen Snyder November 1, 2016

written by Jen Snyder

For bloggers email marketing is the number one way to connect with your tribe. That connection begins with the first email you send them after they sign up for your list. Does that first email make you nervous? Or are you confident you have an email that is engaging and building a relationship right from the start? If you aren’t sure here are a nine elements your welcome letter must have to build a relationship from the start.

9-effective-tips-for-your-welcome-email

1. Greeting

Even before you begin writing your welcome letter picture one of your subscribers. This person is a real person, with problems and a life. They aren’t a nameless, faceless email address. There is a person on the other side of the @ symbol.

I think this is good to remember when starting your welcome email. So many welcome emails are polished and stuffy and well boring. This isn’t a corporate email. This is one real person talking to another real person. Start with a simple greeting like “Hi Jen,” or “Hey Jen.” Your welcome email should be informal so don’t start with “Dear Jen.” It sounds unnatural and doesn’t build a connection. Take the time to be genuine and yourself!

2. Thank You

I start every welcome email I send with a simple “Thank you for subscribing to my email list. I promise not to go crazy in sending you emails.” Why? Because I am grateful that someone was willing to give me their email address in exchange for my freebie. We get so much email that we guard our email addresses with our life. If someone is taking the time to give me their email address I am thanking them for it. Plus it’s just a nice way to start an email!

Here’s what my greeting and thank you look like:

greeting

3. Question

The next thing I do in my welcome email is ask people a question about themselves. I do this for two reasons. First I do it to engage my subscribers. I want to get to know them and make a connection right off the bat. Too often we are stuck behind social media not making any real connections. But on email that is different. On email we slow down and we can have a one-to-one conversation. I have heard some of the best stories by doing this!

So I ask a question and take it one step further. I also answer the question for myself in the welcome email. This breaks the ice and makes it more inviting for the subscriber to email me back their answer.

The second reason I ask a question and ask for a response is more strategic. When the person replies, their email inbox (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) now sees me as a friend. As a friend I am far less likely to have my emails go to the spam folder. It’s a win-win all around!

Here’s what my get to know you looks like:

get-to-know

4. Opt-In Offer Link

Once I have thanked the person and asked a get-to-know-you question, I give them a link to my freebie. I never, ever put this link on the thank you page after they fill out my landing page form. If you do that someone could give you a fake email address and still have access to your freebie. By including a link to the freebie in your email you have a better chance of working with a real subscriber.

Here’s what my opt-in offer looks like:

the-report

5. Invitation

After the opt-in offer link I extend an invitation into the Women Winning Online Facebook group. I want to connect both over email and give them the support that our Facebook group provides. Extending this invitation makes people feel even more valued and not just like another email subscriber.

What if you don’t have a Facebook group? You could take this opportunity to invite them to read different blog posts that will help them. Or share one of your favorite tools or tips. The more value you can provide in your welcome email, the more your new subscriber will trust you.

Here’s what my invitation looks like:

6. What to Expect

After the freebie I include a “what to expect” blurb. This is the area where I set expectations for emails going forward. I think this is important because you need to tell people this isn’t a one time thing. You will be emailing them going forward. Let them know what you are going to send them after this initial message. Give them something to get excited about when they see your email in their inbox.

Also reiterate here that you won’t overdo the emails. You won’t send them 5 emails a week. Set the expectation about when you send your messages. I let my subscribers know they can expect at least one email from me every weekend with marketing tips to help them grow their blogs. I think by doing this up front you set the tone for a respectful relationship. Then you also don’t feel like you are spamming them when you send emails. You set the expectation and people will look forward to your messages.

Here’s what my what to expect looks like:

7. Don’t Forget

Next I begin the closing section of my email. I briefly thank the person again for joining my list. Then I remind them about the question I asked them in the beginning. I ask them to please send a response. I also let them know I respond to every email I get.

Here’s what my don’t forget and closing looks like:

one-more-tip

8. Closing

Finally I close my email with the same informal tone I used in the beginning. I sign off with “Take Care, Jen.” I know others will use “Cheers” or “Talk Soon” or something similar. Use a phrase or a word that feels right to you. I stay away from “Sincerely,” “Best Regards,” or “Regards.” That feels to corporate and formal to me. I want to leave them with a friendly feeling!

9. P.S.

I love using P.S. in emails! We loved them when we were kids and passing notes in class and that love affair with the P.S. continues into adulthood. Use the P.S. field to invite people to check out your course. Use the P.S. field to invite people into your Facebook group.

Or just use the P.S. to remind people that you would love to hear the answer to your question. I think this one is the best P.S. to use and will really build that relationship with your new subscriber!

Email marketing is the best way to get to know your followers. To start the relationship off on the best foot create an engaging welcome email. Take the time to get to know your followers and ask them questions. Be informal in your tone and let them know what to expect. This will build a connection and turn a subscriber into a loyal follower!

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Bloggers need more email followers? Here's a list of 7 reasons how landing pages can help!

Email Marketing How to Find Your People

The Top 7 Benefits of Landing Pages

by Jen Snyder September 20, 2016

written by Jen Snyder

What if I told you there was a marketing tool out there working every single day on your behalf to bring you new email subscribers? What if I told you that once you set it up all you have to do is promote it and it will automatically work for you?

Well I have good news for you. That marketing tool is called a landing page. A landing page is a single page on your website. It is a distraction free zone without a navigation menu, sidebar or footer. The goal is to convert your website visitor into an email lead.

Landing pages are my favorite marketing tool. They work for me every day to generate email subscribers and connections for my blog. They are what helped me to grow my email list to over 800 subscribers in just a few short months. The reasons above are just a couple of my favorite features about landing pages. Here are seven more that will show you why as a blogger a landing page is a must to grow your email list!

Bloggers need more email followers? Here's a list of 7 reasons how landing pages can help!

1. Always Working

Your landing page works for you even when you aren’t working on your blog. That is the beauty of a landing page! You set it up for one niche and advertise it. Then people will come to your website to download your freebie opt-in offer. This all happens automatically without any extra work on your part. It happens while you are working on blog posts, spending time with your family, and even sleeping. It is not unusual for me to wake up to 10 new subscribers that signed up for my opt-in offer while I was sleeping. It feels so rewarding when that happens!

2. Ongoing Lead Machine

Your landing page is an ongoing source of email subscribers for you. These email subscribers can and do turning into paying clients. When you create a quality landing page you will generate leads from it all the time. If you want more potential clients, do more advertising for your landing page. If you have more clients than you can handle dial back your advertising. A landing page isn’t something you put up once and only get subscribers from it one time. It is your prospect machine working in the background to bring you clients every single day.

3. Credibility

Your landing pages give you instant credibility with your website visitor. When you build a landing page you base it on solving one problem for one niche. Your website visitor will notice this and you will earn their trust up front. They will see you as a trusted resource that understands their problems. This gives you credibility and is the beginning of a relationship with your new email subscriber.

4. You’re the Boss

On your landing page you are the boss of your visitor. You are in charge of where they go on your website. They aren’t poking around on your website looking for information and then clicking away. Instead the website visitor is following a clear path you laid out for them. They see your headline addressing their problem. They realize your opt-in offer is the exact solution to their problem. They give you their email address to get the solution delivered to their email. You have now told your website visitor exactly what you want them to do. You have led the website visitor down the path to give you their email address. You are the boss of that lead.

5. Increase Your Odds

Your landing page will convert more visitors into leads than any other page on your website. You may worry that not giving a website visitor access to your entire blog that you will lose the lead. The exact opposite is true! When a visitor is looks around on your blog there is a good chance they will get information overload. Or worse they won’t find any information that relates to their situation. At that point they will leave your website without bothering to give your their email address. This is a wasted opportunity for you.

A landing page does the exact opposite for your website visitor. When they visit your landing page they can quickly see that your solution is for them. That you are catering to their needs. The website visitor won’t be on information overload and will see you as a solution to their problem. They will gladly give you their email address at that point. Your landing page will convert more website visitors into real leads. More than your home page, about page or contact pages combined.

6. Improve SEO

As a blogger you are always looking for ways to improve your SEO. An intrinsic benefit of landing pages is they give your blog an SEO boost. Landing pages improve your SEO rank with Google, Bing, Yahoo and the other search engines. The search engines’ goal is to give relevant content in their search results. They favor organic content that is not used on other websites. Landing pages do just that. Adding landing pages to your site with good content will increase your search engine ranking. I have a few of my landing pages that put me on the first page of Google. Isn’t that something we all want so bad?!

7. More Opportunities

Landing pages give you more opportunities that you may not get through your traditional website. Landing pages show that you are an expert in one niche area. By showcasing your expertise you could be asked to speak at local or even national events. You could be asked to present at local groups that need your expertise. You could even get picked up by local media and asked for quotes in their stories. Landing pages provide extra opportunities for you because you are standing out from the crowd. You are showing your expertise in your niche and doing it better than your competitors. You will get recognized for that!

Landing pages are a gold mine of opportunities for your blog. They take your normal website and kick it up a notch. Landing pages work for you and show that you are a trusted adviser for your website visitors. It is a way to stand apart from others in your niche who aren’t offering something of value for your niche. Give your website visitors what they want with a great opt-in offer and a dedicated landing page. Do this and you will have more email subscribers than you can handle!

Are you getting email subscribers from your blog? Have you tried landing pages and seen success? Or are landing pages a new concept for you? Please tell me about your experiences in the comments below!

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3 surprising reasons landing pages will help you grow your blog!

Email Marketing How to Find Your People

3 Surprising Reasons Bloggers Get More Subscribers with Landing Pages

by Jen Snyder September 13, 2016

written by Jen Snyder

Over the last year I have fallen in love with landing pages. They have changed the way I do business and more importantly the way I generate subscribers and clients from my blogs. I have generated thousands of subscribers for my first email list in only nine months using landing pages.

But I often get the question “what is a landing page and why do I need one if I already have a website?”

Good question. First let’s look at the differences between a website and a landing page.

Basics

First a website is a bunch of different pages that make up your site. These often include blog posts, about pages, product pages, testimonials, blog posts, contact pages, etc.

A landing page is one single page on your blog.

Goal

The goal of a blog is to educate your visitors through your blog posts. Your blog also lets visitors get to know more about you and about the services and products you offer.

The goal of a landing page is to convert a blog visitor into an email subscriber. Why do you want email subscribers? Because email subscribers are loyal, will visit your blog and be the first to purchase your products and courses.

Focus

A blog is general and the target market is pretty generic. For example if you are running a blog that talks about parenting, saving money and blogging you have a lot of things to focus on.

A landing page is specific. A landing page is focused on one niche like paying off debt or getting kids to sleep at night. The entire page is geared towards one target market or idea.

Structure

A website is a group of pages under one domain name.

A landing page is a part of the main website but looks different from the other pages on a website. A landing page will not have a navigation menu or a sidebar. It won’t have the distracting items that will be on the main website pages.

Why do I need a landing page?

The next question I get is why do you need a landing page if you have a blog? The reason for this is simple. A blog alone will not give you as many email subscribers as a landing page.

I know that seems hard to believe because on a blog you are speaking to everyone. That reason alone should mean more leads. But that isn’t the case. A dedicated landing page will give you many more leads than your blog. Why is that? I think there are three reasons why this is true.

3 surprising reasons landing pages will help you grow your blog!

1. Direct Attention

When someone lands on your blog they click a few pages and then move to the next blog. Why is this? Because you aren’t giving them a reason to stay. You aren’t telling them what to do. They click on the posts they want to read and then leave. They aren’t drawn to a special opt-in offer so they leave without giving you their email address.

Research says that we have the attention span of a goldfish. That’s about three seconds long. You have three seconds to capture someone’s attention when they visit your blog. That’s pretty hard to do.

Instead with a landing page you have the opportunity to catch their attention immediately. You do this by creating an attention grabbing headline. A headline that speaks to their issue and the problem they are facing. Right away you solve the goldfish attention problem. Your headline draws them in and gives them a reason to keep reading. It’s this small action that leads to visitors filling out your email form.

2. Niching down is rare

Most bloggers want to capture every email subscriber that they can. I get it– so do I! But I also know that the more I cater to specific niches in the blogging world, the more email subscribers I will get. Most bloggers worry that if they don’t try to capture everyone they won’t capture anyone.

But the good news is that you will actually get more leads by targeting one market. Why is that? Let’s say you run a blog about parenting, getting out of debt and starting a blog. Well you will have parents that visit your site that don’t care about starting a blog. You will have bloggers that love your blogging tips but aren’t interested in personal finance.

So if you have an opt-in that is about parenting, the bloggers won’t sign up for it an vice versa. Instead you should have a landing page for parents, one for bloggers and one for personal finance. If they land on a page that is just for them they feel compelled to find out more.

Plus people are busier than ever. They don’t have time to search the internet to find answers to their questions. If you can give them all the answers and wrap it up in a nice guide they will give you their email address.

3. Look like a hero

When someone visits your blog do they have a reason to subscribe to your email list? More than just “Sign up for my email list to get blog updates!” People aren’t going to find value in that. Sure they like your blog, but we guard our email addresses with our life. We need to know if we hand them over there is value on the other end.

Landing pages are great because you provide immediate value to your niche. You solve one specific problem for one niche. You create an opt-in offer geared towards first time parents or new bloggers. You speak to them, you speak their language. You find out what their pressing issues are and you write a solution. When you do that you become their hero. You solve their problem and they trust you. They are happy to give you their email address in exchange for this information.

A Common Fear

Unfortunately most bloggers won’t take my advice. They won’t create landing pages for one niche. The main reason for this is fear of losing out on leads. Fear of not capturing all the people that visit their website. Fear of alienating potential followers by not including them on the landing page.

If this is you, I have great news for you–you can do more than one landing page!

In fact I recommend that you do many landing pages on your blog. For this blog I plan on having 5 landing pages about different topics. I also plan on adding more as this blog grows!

The key is to market them to different niche groups. Create a landing page for first time parents and then advertise it on Baby Center or in Facebook groups for parents. Or create a landing page dedicated to home DIY’ers and add it to your Pinterest boards. The great thing about landing pages is you can have as many as you want as long as you are niching down to a target market!

To get email subscribers from your blog you must direct your traffic. You don’t want to direct them to the home page of your website and give them too many options. You don’t want them clicking around and reading posts without ever giving you their email address. Instead be the boss of your website visitors. Use your marketing to show the visitor where you want them to go on your site. Even better give them the exact information they are looking for. This is how you to can generate an unlimited amount of your own blogging. This is how to make your blog actually work for you!

Where are you directing people to on your website? Are you just doing a catch-all method on your home page and hoping that people will give you their email address? Please share with me how you are getting leads from your blog in the comments below! Thank you!

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Email Marketing How to Find Your People Tutorials

How to Create a Landing Page with Thrive Landing Pages

by Jen Snyder August 16, 2016

written by Jen Snyder

Now that you have installed Thrive Landing Pages it’s time build your first landing page! Here is the step-by-step process to create your first landing page using Thrive Landing Pages!

How to Create a Landing Page with Thrive: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

This post contains affiliate links.

Create Your First Landing Page

1. Create a new page

Go to Pages—>Add New

Enter your page title and click Publish.

2. Create landing page

Back in your WordPress page click Edit with Thrive Content Builder.

A new page will pop open. It will look like a typical starting page for your website. To the right you will find a toolbar for Thrive Landing Pages. Click the dropdown and select Choose Landing Page.

Next a window will pop open giving you a lot of options to choose from. I recommend narrowing it down to either a lead generation page or a download page. If you hold webinars or are selling a service you will choose sales or webinar pages. Choose one that you like, scroll down and click the green Load landing page button.

Your landing page will now be available for you to edit!

Edit Your Landing Page

1. Edit Text

Editing your landing page is a very simple process! Thrive Landing Pages are drag-and-drop and click-to-edit.

For example, to change any text click on the text. A gray box will appear. You can change the text size, color, font and spacing. To change the actual text itself delete the text just like you would in a Word or Pages doc.

2. Edit Images

To edit an image click on the image and the gray box will appear. Click the Change Image button. Your WordPress Media Library will pop open. From there you can add a new image or upload an new image. You can control the size of the image, spacing, links and more from the gray box.

3. Change Background Color

To change the background color, click the area that you want to change. The gray box will pop open. Click the color palette to open your color options.

When you are finished click the green Save Changes button. Click the Preview button to take a look at your page.

Add New Elements

If you want to add new elements to your landing page it is easy to do with Thrive’s drag-and-drop feature. Go over to the toolbox on the right and put your mouse over the element you want to add to your landing page.

Your mouse will turn into the four crossbars. Holding your left mouse button down, “drag” that element over to your landing page. In this case I added an image. You can see it in the example below.

There are a lot of options for elements with Thrive Landing Pages. Scroll down on the toolbar and experiment with each one!

Changing Rows and Elements

1. Duplicate rows or elements

There are times you may want to duplicate your elements or your rows. I do this often when I like the layout of my current row or the fonts that I have used for an element. To duplicate a row or element, hover over that row or element. Then click the green paper button on the top left hand corner.

2. Move rows or elements

Once you start designing your landing page you may want to move your elements or rows around. This is easy to do! To move a row or element, hover over that row or element. Then while holding your left mouse button drag the row or element where you would like to place it.

3. Delete a row or element

If you want to remove a row or element hover over that row or element. Then click the red X button.

4. Publish your landing page

Once your landing page is ready to go it is time to publish it! Click the green Save Changes button. Then close the window. Go back into your WordPress page and click the blue Publish button.

5. Edit existing landing page

If you want to go back in an edit your landing page go Pages and find your page. Then click the Edit with Thrive Content Builder link. The landing page software will open up in a new window and you can edit your landing page.

You now know the basics on how to setup your first landing page! I would love to see hear how this tutorial worked for you! Please share in the comments below!

2 comments

How to Install Thrive Landing Pages in 5 Easy Steps

Email Marketing How to Find Your People Tutorials

How to Install and Setup Thrive Landing Pages

by Jen Snyder August 15, 2016

written by Jen Snyder

Thrive Landing Pages are my top choice when it comes to creating landing pages. It is easy to use and they look modern and professional. Plus it is an inexpensive option for landing pages and a one-time fee as opposed to an expensive monthly fee. A win for landing pages all around!

How to Install Thrive Landing Pages in 5 Easy Steps!

This post contains affiliate links.

Five Steps to Install Thrive Landing Pages

1. Purchase Thrive Landing Pages

The first thing you will need to do is purchase Thrive Landing Pages. Please click this link to go to the purchase page for Thrive Landing Pages: https://womenwinningonline.com/thrive. Click the Get It Now button.

2. Check your email

Once you purchase Thrive Landing Pages you will get an email with your login information for their site. It is on their site where you will download their software. The website address is http://thrivethemes.com/members/main/.

3. Download Thrive Landing Pages

Scroll down to the Plugins section. You will see an option to download the Thrive Content Builder and Landing Pages.

Click the button to download the plugin. Save it in a folder that you will remember on your computer.

4. Automatically Upload Plugin

Now you will want to upload the Thrive Landing Pages plugin to your WordPress site. Login to your WordPress site and click on the Plugins on the left side of your menu and click Add New.

Then click Upload Plugin

Click Choose File and locate your Thrive Landing Pages zip file. Please upload the zip file only. Then click Install Now.

After the installation is finished click Activate Plugin.

5. Activate Thrive License Code

Finally you will need to activate Thrive in your WordPress site to be able to use it. To do this you will need to get your license key from Thrive. Go to your Thrive Member dashboard from step 1. At the top right click My Account and License Keys.

Now you will need to copy the license code. To do this highlight the code with your mouse, right click and select copy.

Then go back to your WordPress site and select Settings—>ThriveLeads.

Finally enter the email address you used to sign up for Thrive, paste in your license code and click the blue Activate License.

Congratulations! You have now installed Thrive Landing Pages plugin. In the next tutorial I will show you how to create your first landing page!

2 comments

Email Marketing How to Find Your People Tutorials

How to Build an Email List of 500 People in Only 2 Months

by Jen Snyder August 9, 2016

written by Jen Snyder

I knew the key to having a successful blog was to create an email list. This was my number one focus when I started Women Winning Online. Email subscribers are loyal and will visit your blog. They will buy your products. They will join your Facebook groups.

Yet when I started blogging I was getting about 5 subscribers a month. I was sad. I used to get 54 subscribers in one week with my old blog! I knew I had to make a change to grow my email list. Here is what I did to add 500 people to my email list in only two months.

1. Made it a Priority

The first thing I did to grow my email list is I made it a priority. What you focus on will grow. I was too busy focusing on social media and even blogging. I had to get serious about my email list. I had to actively participate in making it grow.

In April I decided to make my email list a priority even over blogging. I stopped writing my blog, put up a landing page, and went out there to collect email addresses.

2. Created the Best Opt-in Offer

When I first launched my blog my lead magnet freebie was a list of 29 things you need to do before your blog goes viral. Good, but not setting off any bells and whistles either.

I went back to the drawing board. I went into Facebook groups and looked at the questions bloggers were asking. I kept seeing people ask about what to send after someone subscribed to their list. They had no idea.

Well even though I wasn’t blogging I was still sending out emails. I had about 150 people on my list at the time. My unsubscribe rate was less than 1%. Unheard of with email newsletters. I knew I was doing something right and even better I knew I could teach it.

I stayed up late one night and crafted 10 Step Worksheet to Create the Perfect Email People Want to Read.

3. Created a Pretty Landing Page

Once I had what I believed to be the perfect opt-in offer I created a pretty landing page to show it off. I didn’t overdo it or over think it. I use Thrive Landing Pages and I used one of their awesome templates to create my landing page.

I wanted to set up a landing page because I wasn’t actively writing on my blog. I made this page my home page. I then set off to promote my new freebie.

4. Facebook Group Promo Days

You know how in Facebook groups you can share your latest blog posts or freebies on promo days? I went crazy with this! I shared my email worksheet in about 15 Facebook groups over the course of two months. I never, ever shared a blog post. Only my email worksheet.

The result? 422 people signed up for my list using this promo tactic. In only two months!

This is a strategy that paid off for me big time. Yes I could have sent them to a few blog posts I had published and they could have signed up for my list using the sidebar widget. But this was a crap shoot. I had a better shot of sending them to my landing page and having them sign up.

5. Pinned on Pinterest and Twitter

In addition to Facebook groups I also shared my post on Twitter and on Pinterest. This didn’t drive as much traffic for me as it wasn’t my main focus. I was finding more luck in Facebook groups than I was Pinterest and Twitter. Using Pinterest and Twitter I had 78 more people sign up for my email list. For not focusing too hard on that strategy I was happy with the 78 new subscribers!

Key Takeaways

Know Your Niche: I think the one unspoken thing that I did during this process was I got to know my niche. I researched them. I studied their questions. Then I created a plan to help them. I got to know them and provided value. This paid off big time plus I had the bonus of helping people which I love to do.

Make it a Priority: The next thing is I made my email list a priority. I didn’t worry about social media, heck I didn’t even worry about blogging. I just focused on growing my list, knowing that if I did, my blog would grow too.

Make it Look Good: I then put everything together in a pretty package with my opt-in offer and my landing page. I wanted people to feel like they were getting something valuable for free. I didn’t just throw together a Word doc and put it on a boring page on my website. I made it look good and I put it on a page who’s only goal was to convert my visitors into email subscribers.

Promote, Promote, Promote: Then I promoted the heck out of it! I did promos in 15 Facebook groups week after week. I would read Facebook posts about email marketing and offer my advice, plus my newsletter where appropriate. I never let up on promoting my email list!

If you are serious about blogging and building your tribe, you must build your email list first. This list will be your loyal following. They will read your posts and share them. They will buy your products. Get to know your niche. Offer them something for free they can’t pass up. Put it behind a landing page and then promote the heck out of it! Before you know it you will be like me and have a thriving email list of over 500 people!

What are your thoughts about building an email list? Do you have one or is this something you are still working on? Is this a hard task for you? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. Thank you for taking the time to comment!

47 comments

Why your email list is the best thing for your blog!

Email Marketing How to Find Your People How to Start a Blog & Online Business

9 Reasons Every Blogger Needs an Email List to Be Successful

by Jen Snyder July 19, 2016

written by Jen Snyder

One of the keys to being successful in blogging is to have an email list. Now you may say, “Jen, seriously? Why do I need an email list when I have Facebook, Twitter and everything else social media?”

I know this will shock you but did you know that email outperforms social media more than five times over? That means that you will get five new clients from email marketing compared to every one client from social media. That is just one of the reasons you need an email list. Let’s dive into a few more!

Why your email list is the best thing for your blog!

1. Builds Loyalty

Generating an email list and sending out regular email marketing builds brand loyalty. The goal of your emails should be to give information that makes people’s lives easier or better. Or information that educates them or entertains them. The more they can connect with you the more loyal they will become to your blog or your business. This is helpful if you are building a group of followers or launching products.

2. More Personal

One of my favorite things about email marketing is that it is more personal than any other form of marketing. When someone subscribes to my email list the first email I send out is a “get to know you” email. I send them my freebie and then take the opportunity to engage with them. I ask them a question about themselves and then answer the same question about me.

It goes something like this: “What is the most unique food you have ever eaten? For me it is definitely alligator. It was chewy and tasted like chicken but I liked it!”

Why take the time to do this? Because it starts the connection with your email followers and builds brand loyalty.

3. Keeps People Coming Back

We all have those websites we follow on social media but never seem to make our way back to. Their messages get absorbed in our feeds until we don’t see them anymore. Their message is good but we start to ignore what we see over and over.

This is where email marketing is different. Emails are actionable items. You have to do something with them in your inbox, either read them or delete them. You can’t scroll past them if you want to achieve inbox zero.

People read your emails and remember why they signed up in the first place. Then they go to your blog and read more posts. Or they check out your services and think about working with you. Email marketing keeps people coming back to you and your website.

4. More Page Views

As a blogger the number one thing you want is more traffic and more page views! Email marketing helps you accomplish this goal! When you send out an interesting email and include links back to your website people will click on them. Then once they read the post on your site they will check out other posts they might have missed. You could easily get 10 new page views per person on your email list. Not bad for a day’s work!

5. Great for Sales

People on your email list are more loyal than your social media followers. So when it comes time to launch a product you can count on your email list to come through for you.

Why?

Because you have already built up trust with them. They know you, they like you and they enjoy your website. You have consistently shown up in their inbox with great information. Why would your product be any different? Not only that your email followers will be excited to support you if your product meets their needs.

I have done several product launches with my email list and every time they show up for me in a big way. They join my webinars, they buy my course and they share it with their friends.

6. You Own It

The number one reason I rely more on my email list than social media is that I own my email list. I make the rules when it comes to what my followers see and how often I show up in their inbox.

The same is not true about social media. We all know that Facebook likes to change the rules. A lot. When business pages started your page would automatically show up in people’s news feeds. Now unless you pay to play it is almost impossible.

With your email list you set the rules and as long as you are spam free, your emails will show up in their inboxes. Your list, your rules. That is my kind of marketing!

7. Target Marketing

Another reason you need an email list is you can do target marketing. For example, let’s say you have a business that targets people who want to learn more about blogging, parenting tips and saving money. There is a lot of information that can be covered in those three categories!

With email marketing you can split your lists into different groups. You can create one list for each category. That way the bloggers only see blogging info and the parents only see the parenting info. Your readers are happy because they only get the information they are interested in.

This is good for your business because you can segment your lists for product launches. When you go to launch a new product you can send the information to the lists it pertains to. The more you can target your marketing the more successful you will be when you launch

8. Less Competition

There is a lot of noise on social media. People on these sites are engaging with their friends and interacting in groups. They are watching funny videos and reading articles. That’s a lot of competition. Your post has to be pretty amazing to cut through all the chatter on social media.

Email marketing is the opposite and has far less competition. If you create a good-looking email newsletter with good content people will take the time to read it. At that point you have captivated your audience without the worry of any competition.

9. Increase Followers

Having an email list is the number one way to increase your followers on your blog. Your focus should be to create an opt-in offer that people want to read. They they must give your their email address to get your free report. Your opt-in offer has to be amazing and something people are dying to get. Once you create that magic people will subscribe to your list. The more subscribers you get the more loyal followers you will have.

Creating an email list is the most important marketing step you can take for your blog or website. An email list build trust and brand loyalty. It helps remind people that you are in business and will increase your page views. When it is time to launch a new product or webinar your email subscribers will be your number one supporters. Even better you own your list and can do highly targeted marketing when it is time to launch your product. Email marketing has less competition than social media. Your email list will be your number one source for generating new clients!

What has been your experience with creating an email list? Do you have one and it is stagnant? Or do you have a thriving email list that brings you in business every day? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below! Thanks for sharing!

2 comments

Do you do email marketing for your blog or want to start? Make sure you are avoiding these 8 deadly sins for blogging email marketing.

Email Marketing How to Find Your People

8 Deadly Sins of Email Marketing

by Jen Snyder March 21, 2016

written by Jen Snyder

What is the number one mistake every successful online marketer says they made? Not starting an email list right away.

Why?

Because email marketing is a powerful tool in converting leads to clients. No other tool allows you to connect more personally to hundreds of people at the same time. Not even social media.

Email marketing allows you to connect with your subscribers on a deeper level. It is your chance to show them who you really are and why they should work with you. It is your opportunity to get to know your prospects better and stay in touch with your past clients.

0 comment

Do you struggle to figure out what emails you should send to your blog followers? Here are my 6 tips to creating the perfect blogging email campaign that will get your emails read!

Email Marketing How to Find Your People

How to Create the Perfect Email Campaign for Bloggers

by Jen Snyder March 15, 2016

written by Jen Snyder

Email marketing is alive and well which I know is hard to believe in our social media world. I am one of those people who loves email marketing more than social media. I have built more personal relationships with my readers and clients through email than I have social media. It allows me to have a one-to-one conversation instead of a one-to-many conversation. Finally whenever I send out a new blog post or launch a product my email subscribers show up for me in a big way! My email subscribers are the most loyal people on the planet. I am blessed!

Is it possible for bloggers to build an email list? Is it worth it? The answer is yes and absolutely you should build an email list! As a blogger you want to build a loyal following and email marketing does this. You can develop deeper relationships with your readers through email marketing. When you need to survey your audience you can reach out to your email subscribers. When you want to launch your own product your email subscribers will be the first ones to purchase it. As an added bonus email marketing is a pretty inexpensive marketing option for you to pursue.

Does the thought of starting an email marketing campaign overwhelm you? There is so much to do and you want to make it a success. Here are six steps to create the perfect email marketing campaign that will get your emails opened and read!

4 comments