Have you ever heard someone say, “The money is in the list”?

The money is in the list means that the bigger your list of potential clients (AKA leads you have gathered), the greater your opportunity to make money. In the online world, the average expectation is that you should be able to generate one dollar per month for each name on your list. So if you have a list of 1000 names, you should be making roughly $1000.

But I know that you’re about more than just money. So consider this…

As you grow your list, you expand your influence and your ability to good in the world.

The bigger your list…the bigger your influence.

If you’re like me and you’d like to make a living while changing the world for the better, you need to do everything you can to grow your list each and every day. The best way to get started is with a free offer to help potential clients learn more about you and your business and then to share it in the following seven ways.

#1 Offer a FREE Download from Your Website

Every website you own should have what’s called an “opt-in form”. That’s the form that asks you to enter your first name and email address in exchange for free information. But you’ve got to do it right. Your free giveaway should be MORE than an invitation to subscribe to your newsletter. It should be a book, an audio, a video, a checklist, a guide or even a webinar. The goal is to educate prospective clients so that their lives can be better and so that they can get to know you better.

#2 Offer FREE Information via Your Business Card

So many people leave the back of their business cards blank! This is the perfect opportunity for you to extend the same invitation to enjoy free information that you do on your website. Use the back of your business card to say something like this:  “Please Accept My Free Gift! Download Your FREE Life Purpose Discovery Guide: 7 Tools to Help You Get Clear About Why You Are Here at www.GodandBusinessToday.com/Guide.”

#3 Collect Contact Information When You Give Presentations

Being on stage give you credibility. It also gives you the opportunity to offer additional educational information for free. You can use the same free giveaway you use on your website. Or it may be more appropriate for you to create something related to an offer you are currently promoting.

The best way to collect information is to arrange for your assistant or someone at the venue to hand out a form you’ve created in advance. Audience members will fill out the form and return it to you at the end of the presentation. You’ll then take the forms back to the office and enter them into your email system one at a time.

#4 Offer FREE Information in Your Print Ads

Next time you get the mail take the time to look through one of the flyers that lists multiple companies hoping to persuade you to do business with them. What you’ll most likely see in the ad is a pretty picture, a nice headline, and a phone number or address with the invitation to do business. The majority of the advertisers are wasting their money because they are asking people to buy something immediately.

On the other hand, imagine what might happen if a company offered a free guide instead. If you’ve been thinking about installing a new water heater, are you more likely to BUY a water heater or download a free guide called, “5 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Your Next Water Heater”?

If you’re currently using print advertising, add a free offer component right away and see how your response rate changes.

#5 Collect Contact Information Using Your Smart Phone

Certainly you meet people everyday who would be interested in learning more about you and your business. While you can recommend they visit your website, you can’t be sure they’ll actually do it.

When you meet someone in person who is interested in learning more, pull up your opt-in form on your mobile website. Then either allow them to fill in the form themselves or ask for their information verbally and fill out the form for them.

(NOTE:  You MUST have permission to fill out forms for people. Adding names and emails to your database without permission is SPAM and violates FTC regulations.)

#6 Build Your List with Postcards

If you know what organizations your ideal client belongs to or the magazines to which they subscribe, you could rent a mailing list and send postcards. Just like your website, your print ads and your business cards, the postcards will introduce your business and invite readers to learn more by downloading your free offer.

You can simply include your web address, including the /locationoftheguide (i.e., www.GodandBusinessToday.com/Guide) or you can include a QR code that allows them to scan it with their smart phone and go directly to your free offer.

#7 Grow Your List with Social Media

You should be sharing your free giveaways on all your social media channels. I once thought this should be an occasional promotional effort, but a coach of mine recently said you should be posting a link to your free giveaway EVERY SINGLE DAY on every single channel. Now don’t be overwhelmed! This process can be completely automated using a system like Hootsuite.The more exposure you achieve, the more leads you will generate.

Call for Help If You Need It

Don’t wait another day. If you’re not using at least 2-3 of these list-building methods, make a goal to get them in place in the next week or two. If you need help coming up with ideas for your free giveaway, give me a call at (530) 378-4769.

If you’ll let me spend 15-20 minutes asking you some questions on the topic of life purpose (for some research I’m doing for a new coaching program), I’ll spend the same amount of time with you discussing your business. (Seriously!) You can also schedule a session in my calendar by following this link:  https://www.timetrade.com/book/4L88G