I’m thrilled to introduce you to one of our standout coaches of The Client Attraction Business School™, Jen Levitz, The Strategic Automation and Marketing Consultant for Automate With Love. Please welcome Jen as a guest contributor to the Client Attraction blog. As always, we’d love to hear your feedback. Please post your comments and questions below. ~ Fabienne. Connect with Jen on Facebook here.
When it comes to marketing automation, the first big question is usually: “What system should I use? MailChimp or AWeber, GetResponse or ActiveCampaign, Ontraport or InfusionSoft?” The truth is that if you’re focusing on the technology, you aren’t focusing on the right thing. You see, the technology is just a tool to help you get a specific task done.
Here is what I’d like you to do instead. Think of your automated marketing system as the first employee you are going hire for your business. The job title is going to be “Director of Customer Relationships.”
Now before you hire someone – and even before you start to interview candidates – you’ll need to figure out what exactly this role entails in your business. And ideally, you’ll look at what your business needs now and what it will need in the next 12-24 months.
You see, just like a real person in your office, your automation system is going to need some training in order to be able to do the job you want it do. And if you are going to be investing resources in training, your candidates should be able to handle your business as it grows.
One of the best tools for this process is to create a flowchart that will map out your current customer experience. This will allow you to follow the flow of an ideal client from when they join your email list all the way through when they buy a product.
Everything you do to serve your ideal client should be on this flowchart or map. This includes phone calls, emails or even manual tasks like sending a gift once they hit week 4 of your program. A side benefit of a super detailed map is that you can see where you can improve in order to create even more sales and build even better relationships with customers.
What also happens in this process is that you discover the features of the software that you need to have in order to successfully automate your client experience. Because you will know what you need, you will feel empowered as you interview different software companies.
So you see, the brand of software that you use for your marketing automation is really not as important as first knowing what you want to do with it.
Your Automation Assignment
Have you mapped out your client experience yet? Make a flowchart or map so you can start identifying opportunities for better sales and ways to build better relationships with customers. Also note that your customer experience map isn’t static. It’s dynamic and changes over time. This means that it will need to be changed and updated from time to time.
Jen Levitz is a Strategic Automation & Marketing Consultant and founder of Automate With Love. Through her workshops, courses, speeches, and coaching programs, Jen helps her clients to effectively use technology to build strong client relationships and sustainably grow their businesses. She integrates and optimizes technology systems so that rapidly growing businesses can launch successful marketing endeavors throughout the globe. To hear more from Jen and learn how to serve more clients, make more money, work less hours, and have more fun, visit: www.AutomateWithLove.com
Something we are always teaching our students of The Client Attraction Business School is how to create an email newsletter, or “ezine,” to send out to an email subscriber list. Whenever I speak or teach on the topic of email list building or email marketing, people ask, “Derek, how do I put my ezine together? What should I include and where do I begin? How often should I send out my newsletter and which format is best?”
Sending a consistent email newsletter to your subscribers builds trust and value over time. You’re conditioning your readers to consume and appreciate the value of your content (and ultimately get to know, like and trust you).
Your email newsletter should be focused on building a connection between you and your readers. (Click here to tweet this.)
Your ezine is your go-to, stay-in-touch online marketing vehicle. It keeps you on your list’s radar screen. It helps build a connection and deepens the relationship between you and your readers.
There are three very important factors to consider when planning your ezine:
- Content
- Frequency and timing
- Format and layout
In today’s video strategy, I cover: Content. Find out the essential components of an effective and memorable ezine by tuning in below.
[youtube]http://youtu.be/cUDdqj9l3Q0[/youtube]
Your Client Attraction Assignment
Conduct an ezine audit, specifically around your content. Looking at your own ezine, what areas are missing or lacking in some way? How can you improve on your content? Share below… I’d love to hear about it! And remember—if you need guidance, don’t hesitate to look at our Client Attraction ezine.
Next time I will share key strategies on timing and frequency for email marketing. Until then, Happy Client Attraction!
Today I want to talk to you about building your list with your website. If there’s one question I get asked all the time by our clients and members of the Client Attraction community it’s this: “Derek, what is the best way to build my list?” Often, people expect some form of a magic bullet answer or a simple shortcut that will help them attract tons of ideal clients and prospects to their list overnight.
Well, as you can imagine, it doesn’t always work like that. In fact, it doesn’t work like that at all. If it did, everyone out there would have thousands and thousands of subscribers on their list, which we all know is not the reality. So, what does it take to build your list with ideal prospects, loyal fans and tons of subscribers that love your high value free content and your paid offerings? (Click here to tweet this.)
First, it’s important to understand a fundamental principle when it comes to building a list of email subscribers. This principle is lead generation versus lead capture. Lead generation is all about where you find ideal clients, either online or offline and how you attract them to you in ways that will want them saying, “This I exactly what I’m looking for.” They happily opt in to your list. There are probably hundreds of ways to do this and we’ll dive into many of those lead generation strategies in future videos.
Let’s look now at lead capture, which is the process by which someone actually joins your email list once they land on your website. In the online world, this is where practically all of your prospects will land when they find you—your website.
Chances are you’ve been focused exclusively on lead generation or what’s known as driving traffic to your site, but not necessarily focused on the critical elements and strategies of your website that will actually capture those leads onto your list once they land there. So here is the formula that contains the three most important elements of a client attractive website that will effectively and easily build your list of email subscribers.
The formula is the following: video, opt-in, offer. That’s it. Those are the three most important website elements to have in place to build your list and I’m going to explain how each one of them works for you right now.
1. Video – Unless you’ve been living under a rock, considering everything we have at our fingertips with technology and online video, there’s really no reason to not be using video on your website. Video is essential for developing a connection with your visitors. Being able to have someone watch you and look into your eyes allows them to get a real sense of who you are. It builds likability and a trust factor that is very compelling when you’re asking them to enter something personal like their email address.
Look, for example, at ClientAttraction.com. You’ll see just this in the video from Fabienne. She introduces the free CD and what it’s all about and how to get it. It’s very compelling and it leads them to joining our list.
2. Opt-in – The opt-in is a must have on you website. Again, at ClientAttraction.com you’ll see how we’re asking our visitors to enter their first name and their email address. It’s very visible. It’s very clear to them how to do it and it’s not being lost elsewhere on the site. It’s right there in the upper right for them to see and we spell out exactly how to do it with very simple-to-follow instructions. Keep it simple for your visitors and your list will grow.
3. Your offer – This is what is often overlooked the most. Many websites I see don’t have a compelling offer but instead offer to “join my newsletter.” Listen, I’m here to tell it to you straight, people don’t want to just join another newsletter. It’s just more email in an already crowded inbox. What do you they want? They want something that is irresistible, something that’s compelling and something that’s free with great content that’ll have them jump at the chance of getting it and happily provide their contact information to receive it.
Just look at ClientAttraction.com and see our free CD. It’s high value. It’s high content. And for someone who’s looking to attract clients, it’s in perfect alignment with what they need so they opt in happily to get it.
Your Client Attraction Assignment
Now, here is your assignment. I’m going to ask you to do an assessment of your current website. Do you have all three of these elements in place? If so, fantastic, you’re probably getting some great results and you’re building your list with highly qualified leads.
But, if you’re missing one or two or even all three of these elements you want to go ahead and change that. You’re missing a huge opportunity. Add that video to your homepage. Create and irresistible and compelling offer and make sure your opt-in boxes are easily displayed with simple and easy to follow instructions.
Here’s the thing. Building your list is critical if you want a steady flow of clients and customers, but we need to make sure your website is designed in a way to support that.
Now, imagine this scenario. If I were to send you 1,000 highly targeted and ideal clients to your website today, how many will actually join your list? If you’re being honest with yourself, the number will probably surprise you. Your success in business and attracting clients is dependent on a website that builds your list and these three strategies I just shared will help you do that.
