The next thing I would do, if I were starting again from scratch, taking my business online or creating a new business online, knowing what I know now….Having already done the following ………….
1. Set up my email signature with an affiliate link or two
2. Set up my Facebook page, Twitter account and linked the two
3. Installed my WordPress blog onto the “blog” sub-directory of my new domain name
4. Set up my mailing list host, aWeber for prospects/subscribers then Total Business Cart for customers. (see right hand side bar for links)
5. Set up a squeeze page in my root directory with a free gift in exchange for names and emails.
6. Learned how to use Google Website Optimizer.
Is…………….
Decide how I’m going to follow up with subscribers and build a “know, like & trust” relationship with them.
Because follow up you must!
Even if you hate to write, you need to contact your subscribers ideally every day for a week, then perhaps every 3-4 days for a month, then at least weekly.
The follow up can be largely automated but must be good content and of interest to your “ideal future customer”. You should also add your follow up to your blog, and think about leverage, if it’s unique content, then you can submit it to EzineArticles.com to link back to your new blog.
Talking of EzineArticles.com, you will see if you click through to my Expert Author biography here http://ezinearticles.com/?expert_bio=Nicola_Cairncross I’ve been a member since 2005 – wow! I can hardly believe it.
The deal with Ezine Articles.com is that you are allowed to use any article – in a blog, ezine or email – as long as you credit the author, and leave their Author Info and link intact.
There you go, instant content.
Or, if you really want something a bit more special, you could use Martin Avis’ brilliant “Newsletter Success Formula” which you can find out more about here >>.
I really rate Martin, he’s a successful internet marketer, writes really well, makes most of his money from his regular ezine Kickstart, and has tons of fans. Martin also runs the London Lunch, for internet marketers to get out from behind their computers and meet each other. Why not come along? Experienced online entrepreneurs rub shoulders with complete newbies and many famous faces turn up when in town. Get on the mailing list for that here >>>
Anyway, if anyone knows how to do automated follow up with a heart, it’s Martin.
Years before I met Martin, I decided that I wanted to create an automated follow up by email, inspired by the founder of the Coaching movement, Thomas Leonard. I planned out a 101 day series, all around Wealth Creation and started writing. I got to Day 15, and knew that I would never finish unless I had an incentive.
I announced the series on my Google Group (I’d had a box on my little website and many people had joined) and loads of the Google Groupers moved onto my mailing list to get the Wealth Creation tips.
I knew that I only had a 15 days start on the group and that kept me writing the next tip pretty much every day. I’ll never forget the day I finished it and thought to myself………..OMG I seem to have written enough for an ebook.
So I copied it all into Word and turned it into my first ebook, which sold from my site for a couple of years before I saw Debbie Jenkins from Bookshaker speak and secured a publishing deal with Bookshaker who took my little ebook onto Amazon and into all good bookshops.
You could also write a weekly ezine, like we do, or you could simply write a weekly blog post, rounding up your week, lessons learned, observations made, etc., and then mail out a short message to your list, with a link to your blog post, to keep in touch and bring them back to your blog.
One things for sure though, and I want you to PAY ATTENTION!
This is the hurdle at which many people fall. They make the site, set up the list, give away a gift, build a list………..but they never bother to follow up regularly.
Shame, because it’s really true that the money’s in your list.
Whether it’s affiliate marketing, selling your own stuff, setting up a membership site, or promoting Joint Venture Partners’ products, services or seminars (which gets you in free by the way!) the quality of your relationship with your list is absolutely key to your success online.
That’s it – that’s my “7 Quick Tips To Build Your Business Online” and I really hope you enjoyed them.
