This might be an unsettling and far-off question for many business owners to answer, but what would happen if the most dependable and favorited social media channel, the one that houses the most followers and customers, was all of the sudden as of tomorrow, POOF! GONE!
We get it, this seems a little crazy and fairly unrealistic to happen. But we’re here to protect you and your profits.
Maybe a more realistic scenario to consider is the growing social media detox. Loyal followers and customers (and potentials!) of your business may decide to take some time off or cut back on their checking-in and usage. It could happen and has… thanks Cambridge Analytica.
So, what’s the solution to keep new and loyal followers engaged and connected? You bet, it’s your email list. And we recommend quality versus quantity here. Why? Because quality subscribers are usually more likely to buy — it’s the rule of 80/20.
Here are six strategies to not only grow your list, but also make sure that it’s packed with quality subscribers as well. This will give you a little peace of mind, just in case that social media apocalyptic scenario actually happens. (Just hopefully not tomorrow.)
1.Be in the Know:
You’ll want to know which channels are frequented most by your followers, and participate in channels and groups that are most relevant to your business and brand. Make sure the groups that you participate in are active, and already have engaging posts and content.
2. Your Premium and Free Content Should Be Gated, but the Links Should be Highly Visible:
Double check that your email signature, bios, covers and banners, or relevant posts have links to the free content you are offering (a newsletter, ebook, tips, webinar, article, etc.) This content should be gated and require an opt-in. This content should also be something of value to your audience. Also consider this for contests and/or giveaways you may be offering.
3. Encourage Them to Share:
After the contact opts-in and takes advantage of the free content, redirect them to a Thank You page. The Thank You page is a great place to encourage your audience to share your content with their friends. Giving them a call to action (CTA) not only expands your reach with your content but also gives you a better idea of what type of content your audience values. If you’re not really wanting them to share the link, you can encourage them to do another action like visit your blog, sign up for your monthly newsletter, or go watch your most recent Facebook Live video. Your goal here is to keep the ball rolling.
4. Distinguish Your Business From Others:
If your business is so fresh and so new new, or is getting a bit obscure, make sure that you’re increasing your brand’s awareness, but do so strategically. Provide relevant and engaging content and participate on other platforms and in groups, this will drive shares and reactions, and grow your authority and followers. Make sure you’re using Facebook’s Sign Up button as well. Next, is learn from what the data is telling you. Explore and gain insight on how your audience is reacting — how many shares, likes, comments, retweets, etc to determine which way you’re moving the progress needle and pivot accordingly.
5. Cross-Channel Promotion
Reminding your followers is key. By utilizing multiple social media channels, you are reminding your followers of your authority and expertise, and they are more likely to see the offer of the free content again and opt-in. Different pieces of your audience hangout at different places on the interwebs, so cross promoting to different channels similar content is encouraged. Now, you have to cater your content for that particular channel however. For example, sharing a link on Facebook page is different than sharing a link on Instagram. Hint: Instagram only gives you a clickable link within the bio — not in the text of your post like Facebook.
6. The List
Nurture your list and keep those loyal customers and clients connected and informed, provide them with utmost value, and also try to warm up those growing cold contacts. Hold their hands and walk them down the buyer’s journey from awareness to consideration to decision. Meet them where they are in the journey. Please avoid pushing subscribers to unsubscribe, should be a given and yet I see several businesses emailing like crazy. Automated or not, find a balance of content that’s right for you and your audience without being spammy. Keep strategy in mind here like always. You can gain insight from your email’s analytics. The first two analytics to consider are 1. Your open rate and 2. Click Through Rate (CTR), or how many people took action and clicked on a link within your email. From there you can pivot and adjust your email frequency, time of day you send, subject lines and value of content within the email.
Having thousands of email subscribers is pretty impressive. But if those subscribers aren’t quality ones, they aren’t going to be of any value to you, and essentially you’re just wasting your time and efforts. Aint nobody got time for that — literally. By using social media strategically and keeping your ideal clients and customers in mind, your list overtime will be a gold mine.