What do you do when Opt-ins are slow? So you've got everything optimized, it feels like you're doing all the things right. But you're goin' okay; why isn't my list growing? Because even though we're focusing on quantity over quality, some point you're probably going to need more people to join your list, in order to make more money. That's just a reality. So again, first off, if opt-ins are slow or you feel like your list is not growing, first we want to check in. Are you optimized for list sign-ups? On your site and in your check-out process. So make sure that button, Yes. (laughs) is auto-checked. And then are your opt-in incentives right for your audience? So if that first-to-know opt-in incentive is not really working for you? So maybe you move that above the fold first. See if that works. If it doesn't, change it. See what happens if it goes to free shipping instead. And then are you making regular calls to action on social media or in person. So if you are doing all of these ...

things and the answer is yes, then at some point you have to take a step back and focus on traffic or audience growth strategies in order to grow your list. 'Cause if you're trying to grow your list and you've tapped out your existing audience, you're gonna have to bring new people in. Right. So, if you were in my class: How to Build a Business While Learning You're Craft. We talk a little bit more about Audience Growth Strategies. So just to recap a few of the big ones that you could use; are you could do shows, right. So shows are actually a great list-building opportunity, if you're actually cognizant of it. If you show up at a show and you forgot to put up a sign-up form and you never tell people about the sign-up form, they're not a great list-building activity (laughs). But if you're doing all those things and maybe you've also put a call to action; you know you have your postcards stacked, that people take at the show. Put a call to action on there, that tells people to join your list. So if they get home and they're like: oh, well if I join her list I get free shipping. Okay, cool. Like I'm going to do that. You can use search and some of these strategies, are actually gonna be better served by getting people on your list post purchase. So if you've gotten search. If you watched that class and you paid attention to Tiffany; and you have a product or several products that people are landing on from search, I would not put a pop-up there. Because they're getting there from a buying frame of mind. So in this case if you're focusing on somethin' like search and people are purchasing, then you're just gonna focus on getting them on your list during the purchase process. And this is not a do all of these things. If you didn't watch that class, spoiler alert, this is a pick one kind of game. And the same thing with press. If you have a lower price point product and you're getting consumer press; don't put up barriers to buy. Let them buy and then let them join your list after. Or you might focus on Visual Content Creation. So Instagram or Pinterest. Are you driving traffic from one of those places? So if email opt-ins are slow you need to think about using an Audience Growth Strategy to move your business forward. And as I mentioned, I go way more into detail about this in: How to Build a Business While Learning Your Craft. So we're not gonna talk about that here. Other than to acknowledge that if your list grows this slow, you're gonna have to pick something. And focus on that. The other thing to keep in mind is that blogging is also a great way to generate traffic. And, I gotta class on that comin' up right after this one. In case you were wondering. So that's another strategy, and I actually use blogging as a form of Visual Content Creation. So, whoever said that they were pretty... I think it was Michelle that said she was pretty blown away, that your email can pretty much be image based. Spoiler alert: open your Blog. So keep that in mind too. Alright. So, what you're going to do is, if you need to grow your list, your gonna focus on one primary Audience Growth Strategy. And then make sure you're optimized to collect emails in that strategy. So as I mentioned, if your Audience Growth Strategy is search, make sure your website is optimized for email capture during the checkout process. Let them buy but make sure they're on your list so that you can continue to sell to them later. So where should you focus your time. If you're like, now I feel like we're gonna simplify things and you just put 20 things back on my to-do list, Megan. Let's talk about where you should focus your time. This is particularly if your email list growth has stalled. Okay. If you are new and you haven't been pushing people onto your list, you can ignore this for a hot minute. You can buy this class and come back to it later when your list growth stalls again. But this is particularly if you need to focus on growing your audience and growing your traffic. So what you should do first is decide on an Audience Growth Strategy and then make sure you're optimized for email capture in that Audience Growth Strategy. But get it done quickly. No analysis-paralysis. If you cannot figure out how to very quickly bring that opt-in form to the top of your page, maybe then you just add it to your site nav and move on. Right. Do these things quickly. Then you're actually gonna put your time into your Audience Growth Strategy. But you're going to make sure that you're utilizing recurring calls to action if it makes sense with your AGS. So if you are, say, focusing on Instagram, then you better make sure that you're regularly reminding people to join your list. What you want to do is think about you're Audience Growth Strategy as a way to funnel traffic into your list, right. That's its goal. If we're focusing on Instagram, it's not because we want a big Instagram strategy, right. It's because we want more new people to then introduce to our list, to then sell them products. But most importantly, regardless of list size, I want you to commit and focus on emailing your list regularly. We're gonna talk about what that looks like a little bit later on. But this is the most important thing. Even if your list needs to grow, we always wanna be connecting and communicating with the people already on it. 'Cause they're important. So don't, even though I put this at the bottom, don't do all of this at the expense of this one. Make sure that you're actually committed to your list.

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Megan Auman

Megan Auman is a designer, metalsmith, educator, and entrepreneur who has built a multi-faceted business around her passion for great design and sustainable business. Her eponymous jewelry line is sold in stores across the US and online. Her designs have been featured in Design Sponge, Better Homes and Gardens, Cooking Light, and more. In 2009, Megan founded Designing an MBA to help designers and makers develop their business skills. Since then, she has created a number of successful e-courses, including Marketing for Makers, Wholesale Academy, and Do/Teach. She is a frequent speaker on pricing, wholesale, and business thinking for creatives.

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Ratings and Reviews

user-cceb33

What a great class. It's easy to watch thanks to the bite-size classes (in some of your other courses, segments are too long) and Megan's almost every sentence is packed with easily actionable, immediately implementable tips. She knows what she's talking about and delivers it with super likeable confidence. And I learnt SO MUCH invaluable stuff. Super recommend this class to all creative makers that desire to connect with their audience and sell sell sell

Gina

This class is amazing! Megan is fantastic! She really relates information in such a way to give you a real understanding of the subject and breaks down each step. I took pages of notes to implement right away. She really motivates and gets you excited about growing and building your business! Thanks so much Megan!

a Creativelive Student

I've been emailing my list weekly consistently for more than a year, and I still took away a ton of great information! I learned so much that will help me plan more quickly, get the emails written faster, and - best of all - make them more effective at converting into sales. Thanks so much, Megan!

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What to Do When Email Opt-Ins Are Slow

What to Do When Email Opt-Ins Are Slow

Lesson Info

13. What to Do When Email Opt-Ins Are Slow

Lessons

Class Introduction

Email Marketing Myths that are Causing You Stress

Challenge: Find Your Email Marketing Role Models

Why Email Marketing Matters

Setting Process-Based Goals for Your Email Marketing

Getting Your Email List Set Up the Right Way

Tutorial: Setting Up Your List in Mail Chimp

Challenge: Personal List Invite

Picking an Opt-In Incentive for Your Email List

Tutorial: Creating a Welcome Email (Auto Responder)

Strategies for Getting People to Join Your List

Hot Seat: Optimizing Your Website for Email Capture