Content Is King...
But Only If It Serves Your List
The money is in the list.
In fact, your list is your number one asset for your business and you must treat them as such.
Your list is going to naturally segment themselves into engaged content consumers only, buyers and consumers and inactive contacts.
Your job is to keep your subscriber engaged until they become buyers.
You’re going to have people who buy from you immediately.
And those who need a little more nurturing until they’re ready.
There are 3 things we’re going to tackle today.
- How do you build a list?
- How do you keep your subscribers on your list?
- How do you keep coming up with new content?
How do you build a list?
Well, this is a really broad question so we’re not going to talk technical aspects. There are courses upon courses on what to do to actually build your list.
It drives me nuts though when my students say “ I have to build my list” but they have nothing to use to actually give that potential new subscriber.
You can’t just slap up a blog and assume your list is going to grow like crazy. It just doesn’t work that way.
Listbuilding is a big massive effort that must be combined with targeted traffic.
You can't have one without the other.
So we’re going to focus on what you should offer to encourage your visitor to sign up for your list.
Think of it like this- when you go for a job interview, you want to look your best right? First impressions are everything!
Especially in the online world. People are becoming more and more protective of their email address.
When building your list, you want to offer the very best in your free offer. This is YOUR first impression.
So the free offer must be highly valuable. It doesn’t have to be huge and it doesn’t have to be long. It just has to be GOOD and USEFUL.
In fact, more and more marketers report that offering massive packages as the free offer has lower conversion rates.
Why do you think that is?
Think about it.
People look for simple and quick. They need an easy and fast win. And if 
you can give them that win, you’ve just built your credibility. And credibility is key to achieving the next two items on our list!
That’s why templates and checklists convert so well.
Give people something they can use. Immediately.
Save your long video training for later.
Think about what your area of expertise is in. Now how can you create a free offer based on that area of expertise? It’s going to allow you to stay congruent with your long-term funnel.
And congruency is key to item # 2.
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How do you keep your subscribers on your list?
People don’t want to sign up for your free product about nutrition and health and immediately receive content about spiritual growth.
Now you and I both know there is a correlation. But you really have to make that introduction to new content through a well-laid consumption path.
So how do you keep subscribers on your list? 
First, you want to wow them and beat their expectations of you and your business.
BUT you must give them content (whether free or paid) that directly relates to how they came onto your list to start with.
So wait FREE OR PAID content?
That’s right. Free or paid.
Remember you must monetize your list in order for your business to survive.
And if someone signs up for your free product they are obviously looking for a solution.
It’s your job to give them that solution and it can be in the form of a paid product.
Right now you may not have a paid product and that’s ok. Make sure you’re creating content to nurture that new lead.
What kind of content could you create?
- Blogging is a great way to nurture your list.
- Email auto-responder series are good too. ( Email is not dead! Don't believe that rumor)
- A monthly newsletter (this is a way to only commit to once a month content!)
- Free reports, checklists and video training (all of which you can use as a lead magnet for people who aren't on your list as well)
You can easily change out your call to actions within this content so when you are ready to launch your product, they will already have a good rapport with you and you can start selling your products.
OR even better, if you don’t have your own products yet, use this time to hone your selling skills and promote some affiliate offers inside your content.
How do you keep coming up with new content?
I don’t think coming up with new content is that hard...if you plan. 
This is where a content calendar really comes into play.
Everyone’s business is different but I’ll tell you how I come up with my content.
In the MyNAMS Insiders Club, we have monthly topic-specific challenges. So I write all of my content to focus on those monthly challenges. Then I give myself some slots on my calendar that don’t have a topic yet assigned so I can fill in with TIMELY content. Ya, know the stuff that’s hot right now. Or sometimes we get some really great questions in our support desk that everyone would benefit from my response.
So I would use this approach for your own business.
If you’re just getting started, don’t let yourself get overwhelmed with trying to come up with content for a year or even 6 months.
Do what’s comfortable for you. But make sure you have a plan. If you don’t, it can look like you’re just throwing things out there.
The worst thing is when you’ve promised content to your list and you have no idea what it’s going to be and it’s the day before.
If you have a general content plan, then you can let the ideas swim around in your head before you actually have to write.
I guarantee you have more content than you think you do. Take a look on your hard drive. Look for private label content you can easily change and adapt to your own voice or do a little research for idea starters from content you've already created.
I bet you'll find you have enough there to create both your nurture content and maybe even a low-cost product so you can focus on turning those subscribers into buyers.
After all, we'd all rather have a list of buyers who engage and consume content and products than a list of freebie seekers.
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