LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE:

Social media is a great way to build a following. 

However, it comes with several downsides.

No matter what social media channel you use:

• You don’t own your list of followers
• It’s hard to monetize your list of followers
• Your list of followers could be deleted by tomorrow

While it may be easy to build up a list of followers on social media, it’s hard to build a business on it for the reasons mentioned above. 

Luckily, there is an easy way to ensure you never lose your followers. Better still, you can turn followers into customers all while owning your list. 

On the latest episode of the Inner Edison Podcast with Ed Parcaut, we discussed how to create an email list from scratch so you can turn your social media followers into income-generating customers. 

We spoke with Shreya Banerjee and Paul Counts. They are the co-founders of Marketing Counts — a marketing agency based out of Seattle. 

They shared some tips to help you grow your email list.

What You Need to Create an Email List in 24 Hours or Less

Banerjee and Counts explain that If you want to learn how to create an email list from scratch, you’ll need a few resources to get started.

You’ll need: 

1. Landing Page – think Clickfunnels, Lead Pages, or Carrd.co
2. Email Marketing Software – think Aweber, MailChimp, or ConvertKit
3. Gmail Account – for Google docs. 

Here’s the great news: email software like MailChimp and ConvertKit allow you to start for free as you build your email list up to 1K to 2K subscribers. Also, Gmail is free to use which gives you access to Google Docs and other Google products.

The even better news: You can create up to ten landing pages through Carrd.co for only $19 per year. That’s right, per year.

There’s literally no reason why you shouldn’t start today. With a little time and energy, you could be on your way to building a list that brings in revenue for years to come. Here are the steps Banerjee and Counts suggest to get started: 

Step One: Build Your Landing Page

While social media can help you expand your reach, you don’t own your list of followers. To ensure you never lose your followers, you need a place off of social media to funnel your followers to for years to come. 

That starts with your landing page. 

A landing page is a one-page website designed for one specific action. You could use a landing page to sell products or services or to grow an email list. 

Here’s what Banerjee and Counts suggest for your landing page: 

• A compelling headline that clearly states an enticing offer
• Email capture to collect your follower’s name and email address

Some other things you may want to include are a hero image, social proof, and a clear call to action. 

Step Two: Create a Lead Magnet for Your Landing Page

The easiest way to grow your list is to offer your followers something they will value. Banerjee and Counts suggest creating bite-sized actionable content your followers will love to get them to opt into your email list. 

Here are a few examples of bite-sized lead magnets you can use: 

• Checklist
• Spreadsheet
• How-To Guide
• 5-Minute Video

The point is to create something that excites your followers and entices them to opt into your email list. 

Step Three: Automate Your Email Sequence

Once you have your landing page and lead magnet set up, it’s time to put it to use. Here’s where the real magic happens.

Banerjee and Counts state the next step is to create an automated sequence that goes out to any follower who opts into your email list. 

The first email will deliver on your promise by sending your lead magnet. Email marketing software makes this step easy.

PRO TIP: If you can, use a Google doc or Spreadsheet, it will move your marketing email to the top of your follower’s inbox. 

After that, send a series of three emails that add value or market products, courses, or services to your list. 

STEP 4: Share Your Link

Now that you have an automated way to grow your list, it’s time to share your landing page link with your followers. 

Banerjee and Counts suggest sharing the link at the end of posts, videos, and other social media posts. 

Need Help Growing Your Email List

While you can start your email list in 24 hours or less, with guidance you can decrease your learning curve.

Marketing Counts is here to help. Contact us today to learn how we can help you! 

As always, for more great interviews about business, entrepreneurship, and more, please follow the Inner Edison Podcast with Ed Parcaut.