Websites, newsletters and lead generation
While a website can be a great showcase of your work, client testimonials and updates it can also be used to generate leads through email newsletter lists. People are increasingly buying from smaller companies they like and trust. Useful newsletters are a good way for people to get to know you.
Building your list
Nobody is going to enjoy constant adverts and hard sell, so offer them something genuinely interesting. Have a clear privacy policy and an easy to use unsubscribe option. People are understandably wary of sharing their email addresses due to the tide of spam we all get. To persuade them to sign up, there has to be something in it for them.
Don’t buy a list of email addresses, ever. A small, targeted and voluntary list is always better than a massive generic and paid for list.
Offer relevant free stuff
Work out who your idea clients or customers are and what they would like to read about. For a dinner party catering company their potential customers are interested in good food so would probably like free recipes. Think about what info you already have and see if any of that would make good newsletter content. If you add regular blogs on your website you could re-use those.
Choose a newsletter system
There are loads of newsletter systems out there, but a Mailchimp account lets you send thousands of emails a month for free so will be perfect for most small businesses. They give you the signup code to put on your website, offer an easy to use email template editor and then manage the newsletter broadcast for you when it’s time to send. Mailchimp also provide delivery, open rate and click statistics so you can see what’s working well.
Website and social profiles
When putting the newsletter together you can put links back to your website to encourage people to read more and your social media profiles to increase your ‘likes’ and ‘follows’.
Summary
By sending regular useful info to your list, you show that you know what you are talking about and they also become familiar with your business. In time, they may become customers or clients.
Need help setting up your website and newsletter system? Call us on 01636 812 551 or drop us a line.