Once you’ve got your account set up, you need to create a new “List”. This is the heading under which all your email addresses will be stored.
During the List Setup phase, give your list a name – something like “New Book Releases” or “Readers Group”.
After you’ve set this up, in the List Options, click on “Signup Forms”, then “General Forms”.
This section will allow you to customize your signup form – I’d recommend putting in a header that shows off your branding.
Something like this:
Next, you need to configure the signup form to send all your subscribers an email once they’ve confirmed their details – this email will contain a link where they can download their free book.
To do this, select “welcome email” from the dropdown box here:
And change the text to let people know where to pick up their free book. Like this:
Finally, copy the link to the signup form:
And use this link for the big, bright button on your signup page. Like this:
Your button will now link directly to your signup page.
Now, you’ve only got one more thing to do...
So that people can download their book, you’ll need to create a download page. To do this, simply log in to your Wordpress blog and create a new page.
On that page, put some text thanking people for subscribing and then provide a link where people can get their books in different formats.
I use Amazon’s S3 cloud storage to store my book files for download. But if you’re looking for a free solution, Google Docs or DropBox or OneDrive can work just as well.
These services will store your book files for you, and give you a link to share with whomever you like.
You’ll want your download page to look something like this:
LINK: http://noorosha.com/paydown-download-page-2/
And make sure you include instructions! Not everyone knows how to download a mobi or epub file and load it onto their devices. If you don’t put up detailed instructions, you’re going to get a TON of emails asking you for help.
We could all do without that.
So – that covers the first section: how to find readers and get their contact details.
But that’s only half the work.
Once you’ve got your readers’ email addresses, what do you do with them? In the next section I’m going to show you how to maximize your email marketing approach to get the best conversion rates.
After over a year of experimenting, I’ve got this down to a fine art. I actually get emails from readers asking me to make sure they were added to my newsletter!
They’re so excited about being part of my email list – they don’t want to miss out. And when I run a promotion or launch a new book, sales go through the roof.
Read on to find out how...
PART TWO
EMAILS THAT SELL
THE BASICS
First up – nobody likes spam.
This book is not about hammering people with email after email after email trying to get them to buy.
That’s not going to work.
These readers have trusted you with their contact details, and rule number one is DON’T ABUSE THAT TRUST.
Your number one job is to give your subscribers value. Make them glad they signed up. Build a relationship with them, and you’ll reap the rewards.
I made the mistake of focusing on selling when I first started – and the opposite happened. Everyone unsubscribed.
If that happens too often, you run the risk of getting your email address blacklisted.
So play nice! Be respectful and always offer value. It’s what YOU can do for your readers that’s important here – not the other way round.
Got it?
On to business!
Put yourself in your subscribers’ shoes. They’ve just read your free Funnel Book and enjoyed it. They’ve gone to your website, entered their details, and got the next book for free too.
What’s next?
Give them some time to settle in and read the next book, then start sending them emails. You can do this using Mailchimp’s segmentation feature whenever you set up an email campaign. Like this:
I like to leave it a week or two before emailing for the first time. And I try never to send more than 2 or 3 emails per month. Why?
• Any more than that, people start to get annoyed.
• Any less than that, you run the risk of people forgetting who you are.
Both those situations lead to people unsubscribing. And you worked hard to get those email addresses! So, I’ve found 2 or 3 emails per month is a comfortable limit.
If you aren’t releasing a new book every couple of weeks (and who has the time to do that?) you’ll want to find something else to email them about.
Remember – always add value.
Here’s one way to do this: I ask my subscribers for their book recommendations. In the very first automatic email I send, I ask them to email me back with their favorite books and authors.
I keep an eye out for similar books going on offer on Amazon – at $0.99c or Free. Then, if I don’t have a promotion or book launch going on, I’ll email everyone on my list and tell them about another author’s book.
One that I know they’ll love.
That’s right – I recommend OTHER AUTHOR’S books. Not just mine.
Why? Because I’m always looking to add value. I want to build trust with my audience – and recommending other authors to them (ie: not being selfish) is a great way to do that.
It’s win-win. Readers get an awesome book at a low price, and I build up my relationship with my fans.
I get emails every day from readers thanking me for turning them on to a new author. Many of them are baffled – they don’t know why I’m recommending a “competitor’s” books.
But many people don’t appreciate that authors aren’t in competition with each other.
This is not a zero-sum game.
Just because someone bought another author’s book, doesn’t mean they won’t buy mine.
In fact – because I’m recommending books I know my readers will enjoy, they’re actually more likely to buy from me as well.
Because they trust me.
And rightly so. I put my readers first – always. And you need to do the same.
But let’s be clear: I’m not saying “don’t sell”.
In fact, when you DO sell, you should push hard. But selling or asking for reviews shouldn’t be your number one priority most of the time.
Here’s an example of what a typical reader gets from me when they sign up to my mailing list: