In Part One we discussed how very valuable email is to our platform, and why using an email provider such as Aweber, MailChimp, Active Campaign, or others, was the best way to experience continued growth. Let’s continue the discussion in this article.
Is There a Charge to Use an Email Provider?
Virtually all bulk email providers offer a free level to start. Fees are based upon how many subscribers are on your email list.
The more subscribers–whether they open your emails or not–the higher your monthly fee. But don’t fret. For most of us, it takes years to get enough subscribers to warrant a significant monthly fee. (NOTE: It’s relatively pain free to move to another email provider if you so desire.)
Though free, don’t use Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo to send emails to your subscribers. In the early Internet years, these services were safe and free. They were the cool kids in town. 🙂
Years ago the marketplace, weary of spam, made room for better options. Along came MailChimp, Aweber, Constant Contact, and Active Campaign, among others.
Email regulations became stricter as the decades added up. The latest round of regulations, released in February of this year, tightened email requirements even further, in part to reduce spam, which is rampant.
So…Is It Hard to Learn How to Use Email?
The Big Dog email companies like Active Campaign, Constant Contact, etc., offer free training, usually via video, which I prefer. You, too?
As you research these companies for yourself, consider not only their cost but also their customer support. Sooner or later, you’ll need help. So find out what each offers before you sign up. This will reduce frustration ahead of time.
Is their support available 24/7 or only Monday-Friday? Can you reach them by phone day or night? Is there an additional charge for one-on-one assistance? Or do they only offer help via email? This information could make the difference between email success or failure.
Also be aware that some email providers only offer help via text on FAQ pages, so it’ll be up to you to dig through their documentation to figure out how to use their service. I don’t care for that approach. I’m guessing you don’t, either.
After choosing a provider, don’t let your new account lie fallow. The majority of these companies offers a free 30-day trial period. Take advantage of that time to learn the basics.
And conduct trial runs during this time. Ask up to 6 friends to be Test Subjects (guinea pigs). 🙂 Go through the full process of writing, uploading, scheduling, and sending perhaps 3 emails over a week’s time to these volunteers, to get comfortable with the process.
You’ll experience glitches here and there. We call that “learning.” 🙂 Give yourself grace, keep moving forward, offer great content, and your audience will grow.
Last step?
Close your computer and take a well-deserved break. Happy emailing!
Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.
This 3-part series focuses on growing your author platform in 2024, specifically, via an online community such as a private Facebook group. Note that each article applies to any group, online or offline.
You’ll be surprised how valuable serving your audience in Christ’s name can be to both you and your audience.
It’s easy to feel we’re simply delivering the message God’s given us and letting it fall upon the ground where it may, as in The Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13.
But in a group where members join because they want your message, it’s a bit different. You can offer your knowledge without hesitation or equivocation, knowing it will fall upon good soil. Your readers, listeners, or visitors want your message, and want to apply it. That frees you to communicate with more confidence, creativity, and boldness than you may have previously communicated. To answer a question and receive a heartfelt thanks in minutes is more than gratifying. It energizes your soul!
Let’s explore six specific ways serving your audience in Christ’s name directly benefits you.
Benefit #1
Promising to show up regularly will pull you out of your writer’s cave mentally, physically, or both. The more that thought makes you squirm in your chair, the more necessary it is you do it. Your audience–and mine–needs us to engage with them. And though we may not realize it yet, we need to engage with them, too, as a Christian communicator and as a human being.
Benefit #2
By definition, such a group gathers like-minded people together. Both parties are blessed. As you and I show up to serve our audience, they show up to learn from us.
In that back-and-forth process, they serve us by asking additional questions, requesting further clarification, sharing insights we haven’t experienced, and by talking amongst themselves, which confirms our point was understood (or not).
Benefit #3
As members apply your message (which is really God’s message in you) their lives begin to change. They’ll mention that to those they know, some of whom are also in your target audience. Thus, your community grows, and in some cases, your expertise is recognized even outside the group.
Benefit #4
Some both serve and promote their products or services in their group.
Benefit #5
Whatever your preferred method of serving, it fits a group: in-person, online, via posts on your social media only, short or long videos offering short or long content or training…and so on.
Benefit #6
All of the five options above refine your message. How so? No matter how often you’ve sat in your office reviewing your content in your mind, there’s no substitute for discussing it over and over (and over).
As new members join, they’ll ask the same questions “old-timers” asked when they joined, giving you yet another opportunity to share your applicable answer. Over time, this polishes your message in ways that delivering it once, such as in your book or speaking presentation, never will.
The result?
Your message becomes deeper, richer, and more on point. You’ll share it more succinctly, with new, clearer examples than before. You’ll notice patterns previously unseen, and the organization of it will become a visual in your mind, ready to be drawn upon instantly.
Those benefits will make you a better communicator, which in turn will make you a more interesting interview guest. And dare I say it? That gives you an opportunity to grow your audience even further while also–if Christ allows–selling more books.
No wonder so many successful Christian authors host a private Facebook group!
(This concludes this short series.)
Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.
The most engaging blog posts have five elements: content, a title, subheads, images, and white space.
If you haven’t already, break your primary topic down into 6-8 secondary topics, those subjects you consistently offer your audience. If you use WordPress, these subjects can become your blog categories.
Then dissect each secondary topic into a tertiary topic as a “mini topic.” These can become your blog’s tags…still a vital part of your message but lower on the food chain.
If you’re new to blogging, first create blog posts about your primary topic, then each secondary subject, and finally, your tertiary material. Working from the center out allows you to offer a broad range of helpful information without straying from your primary message.
After you go broad, go deep next. Choose one of your three content levels (primary, secondary, or tertiary) and take your reader on a deep dive focused on a single point. A short blog post that’s utterly clear is more valuable than a long one that bounces back and forth, getting nowhere.
There are no rigid rules here. This is a simple way to offer valuable content without covering your office walls with content ideas. Even a content plan as simple as the one mentioned above can keep you on track. Offer what you know your readers want to know, and they’ll return, bringing their friends.
Create a Great Title to Catch Your Reader’s Eye by Revealing Your Content’s Direction (Not the Content Itself)
Be careful your title doesn’t include every pertinent morsel or your reader won’t need to, well, read it. 🙂
Here’s a fictional example for an article about a prisoner’s escape and subsequent financial gain: How I Escaped Alcatraz and Became a Millionaire.
No reason to read that article! The title reveals all the main points.
What if we changed it to… The Last Man to Escape Alcatraz. There’s some intrigue in that headline, yes? The title reveals enough about the article’s content without revealing everything. Curiosity would draw readers to this article.
Why Are Subheads Important?
Everywhere we turn, we’re exposed to content. Usually it’s too long, too boring, and disorganized. So we’ve learned to scan before reading.
Subheads–bolded words sized slightly larger than your content’s text–seen above–show readers your post’s structure at a glance.
Without subheads, readers have two options:
#1: read the entire article to discover what it’s about, or
#2: leave your website.
Guess which one they’re more likely to do? Subheads help readers scan. Use them.
Images Support Your Content
Photographs, diagrams, maps, and so on increase your content’s value by supporting it. Even a basic visual is better than none, “pulling” readers down the page so (say it with me) they will keep reading.
Why Readers Like “White Space” Even if They Don’t Know What It Is
Blank, empty space gives readers a visual break. We’ve both landed on a website crammed with paragraph after paragraph of single-spaced text. Don’t we leave immediately? Our eyes need space to differentiate one point or paragraph from another.
White space increases readability. We’re more likely to understand-and share–content when we can read it, right?
These five elements, used together, can transform a “so-so” blog post into one your readers will savor for years. Write one. Then another. And another. And watch your audience grow.
Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.
It seemed like such a great idea. Last summer, with four Lead Magnets offered on my website’s Home page, I created five more (private) Lead Magnets, each coordinating with one of my five-part continuing sessions at a Christian writers’ conference.
Nine active Lead Magnets! Sweeeet, right? Read on!
Content, design, and creation went smoothly. At the end of each continuing session at the conference, I shared the link to that session’s Lead Magnet with class attendees. (They were not made public.)
A few conferees opted-in for one session-related Lead Magnet. Some for three. Some for all five. It was smooth sailing until (cue the scary music)…my 4-part Welcome email series, unique to each Lead Magnet’s topic, ran its course.
That’s when I realized I’d goofed. BIG TIME! My email well had run dry because though I’d worked ahead and had my Welcome email series uploaded, I stopped working ahead without realizing I’d pay for it.
One bright morning, having already posted a well-thought-out email for each of my four Home page’s Lead Magnets each week, it hit me…I’d need an email for each of the five new Lead Magnet subscriber groups, too.
Nine weekly emails, each requiring content unique to that Lead Magnet’s topic. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9. Every week. Along with my many other duties. Ack! But I met my obligation.
I rode that horse for four months. Then, exhausted, I merged all nine Lead Magnet subscriber groups together and sent the same email to everyone.
But that’s not a long-term solution. In my *Welcome email series, I’d promised to guide new subscribers deeper into the topic of their chosen Lead Magnet. I couldn’t keep that promise if I stopped writing nine separate emails.
In a revolving door of poor choices, I had to choose one.
So I’ve been sending one weekly email to all subscribers of all nine Lead Magnets, rotating topics each week. Not just a short paragraph or two; a fully developed article. But only one per week. Not nine.
Subscribers are getting powerful content, but it’s not focused on their unique interest, revealed by the Lead Magnets they requested. Sigh. 🙁
I’m asking Christ for a better solution. (He is The Perfect Marketer, you know.)
Unintentionally trapping myself into this content corner is a valuable lesson I’ll not forget. Plus, it’s embarrassing. Then why share it here…publicly? To help you avoid such a slip-up.
Does That Mean You Should Only Offer One Lead Magnet at a Time?
No! Lead Magnets are your most effective marketing asset…and they’re FREE! Done well, each one helps you grow your online platform by showcasing a different slice of your knowledge to your ideal audience. Show them you know “your stuff” via this short content piece, and they’ll want more from you including, perhaps, your just released book. 🙂
Here’s the Secret to Getting It All Done on Time
Create your Lead Magnet: design, content, and great title. Next, write your Welcome email sequence. Then plan and write your next 4-8 weekly emails. Upload everything…BEFORE promoting your lead magnet.
Continue working ahead. This healthy habit gives you room to breathe, to address unexpected issues in your personal or professional life, and to enjoy peace of mind. BIG payoff there!
This is how you can avoid the costliest email mistake I’ve made in 20+ years.
Click here read part 1 of my Welcome Email Series and here for parts two-four.
Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.
Lead Magnets, those 3-10-page PDF files offering readers a simple yet profound change for free, are perhaps my favorite marketing tool.
They’re short. Nimble. Easy to create. And audiences LOVE them…once they’ve experienced a great one from us.
Here’s what we often miss: our Lead Magnet’s title is more important than our content because readers decide to sign up for it–or not–based on the title. They’ll never see your life-changing content if your Lead Magnet’s title doesn’t attract them in the first place.
Information alone doesn’t cut it. Insightful information is what our audiences want. Help to move beyond where they are now to (at least) the next step. With a title that is obviously applicable to them and (bonus points!) promises a specific result.
First, you must know your audience and their needs. Generalizations aren’t good enough. Lead Magnets, like any type of content, should address your unique audience, not “everyone.”
So…which questions is your audience asking? Choose one of their most pressing questions and answer it in a Lead Magnet.
Or what problems are they experiencing? Choose one of their most painful problems and offer a solution in a Lead Magnet.
Share wisdom from your God-given message that helps your audience get “unstuck.”
Let your title drive your content, not the other way round.
To create your Lead Magnet’s title, choose ONE topic within your overall message. Then choose a single question or problem within that topic that often surfaces when chatting with your audience.
Next, put on your thinking cap and choose a specific question or problem they’re grappling with, and you’ve got a great start on a Lead Magnet that will attract your audience’s attention and inspire them to sign up for it, thus helping them move one step closer to their goal while growing your email list. See how it works?
Enjoy the 3 fictitious examples below.
Example #1
Writer or Speaker: MaryAnn, whose audience is Christian women over 40 and pregnant with their first child, but not in perfect health.
Audience’s Problem or Question: With my health problems, will I be able to carry my baby full term?
Weak Lead Magnet Title:Take Care of Your Health During Pregnancy
Strong Lead Magnet Title: Pregnant and Over 40: 3 Warning Signs You Should Go to the Hospital NOW!
See why it’s imperative to know your audience and their needs? Imagine if MaryAnn served teens pregnant out of wedlock. That single difference would completely change her content. The title, Take Care of Your Health During Pregnancy fits any pregnant woman. While Pregnant and Over 40: 3 Warning Signs You Should Go to the Hospital NOW! is perfect for her specific audience, because this issue is top of mind for them.
This Lead Magnet title may attract other pregnant women outside of MaryAnn’s core audience. What to do? Focus on the audience Christ has already identified and serve them with excellence while inviting other pregnant women to become readers, too.
Leave it to Him to inspire others to sign up or not. But MaryAnn shouldn’t veer from her core audience to accommodate other pregnant women unless the Holy Spirit leads her to do so.
Example #2
Writer or Speaker: John, whose audience is Christian men ready to give up on their marriage.
Audience’s Problem or Question: How much longer does God want me to keep trying?
Weak Lead Magnet Title:Don’t Give Up on Your Marriage Yet!
Strong Lead Magnet Title:5 Questions to Ask God Before Calling a Divorce Lawyer
Each of John’s audience members is married, so he serves two people per couple: one directly and one indirectly. Both need his message but only one may be open to it. He can’t change that but he’s wise to be aware of it.
Don’t Give Up on Your Marriage Yet! is more specific than generic, but is it specific enough to get his audience’s attention as they scroll through social media or visit his website?
The title sits on the page like a dead fish, doesn’t it? It’s not particularly engaging or intriguing. Worse, readers may interpret it a thin chastisement just when they’re seeking encouragement to stay the course.
The title, 5 Questions to Ask God Before Calling a Divorce Lawyer subtly invites John’s reader to push the pause button before contacting an attorney. It’s not judgmental in any way. It reveals John will share Christian content. And he won’t preach at them. Whew! His readers need all that information to feel safe enough to sign up for his Lead Magnet.
But shouldn’t the title be vague so if the reader’s spouse sees it, it won’t create strife? Perhaps. Then again, if the title doesn’t clearly identify the Lead Magnet’s content, it won’t get his ideal reader’s attention, so his content–fantastic as it may be–won’t help anyone.
Example #3
Writer or Speaker: Frances, whose audience is recently widowed Christian women of any age.
Audience’s Problem or Question: Will I ever be happy again?
Weak Lead Magnet Title:Be Happy in Jesus Today!
Strong Lead Magnet Title:3 Surprising Ways God Will Fulfill the Role of Your Husband
The Lead Magnet title, Be Happy in Jesus Today! is so vague it’s useless as it could apply to any human being. Even though Frances’ audience members span age groups, they still want specificity to know her message is uniquely designed for them.
The title, 3 Surprising Ways God Will Fulfill the Role of Your Husband is specific (3 ways) and includes a promise (God will fulfill the role of your husband). It’s important to note that Frances is not making that promise. God makes it, in His Word. Frances knows her audience longs for this reassurance, making this a strong Lead Magnet title. It will surely attract new subscribers.
It’s worth the effort to develop a title that identifies or implies your audience AND promises a result. Your audience will thank you and your email list will grow. 🙂
Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.
Last month I shared Email #1 of my 4-part Welcome email series example. Here are the remaining 3 emails and the strategies associated with each. Create your own Welcome email series and include whatever you’d like. Be sure they’re short, clear, and welcoming to your new subscriber.
Why bother? It sets the stage for your email relationships. Be helpful. Be yourself. And connect serve your new subscriber.
In each of the three successive emails below, you’ll first see the content of my fictional email series plus red asterisks to identify which words / phrases / paragraphs have a specific strategy. Then in a separate section directly below each email, one-by-one, the strategy itself.
Here we go!
Strategies for Email #2
In the Strategy List below, you’ll find a duplicate of every sentence above shown with a red asterisk, then my strategy, so you don’t have to scroll up and down the page constantly. You’re welcome. 🙂
#1: [*Info you requested]
When sending information your new subscriber requested, it’s very important to include this phrase, or one like it, as part of your title.
Why? They may have forgotten their request. Can that really happen…after all, it was only 24 hours ago! Yep. It happens. Not because they’re stupid…they’re B-U-S-Y. We need to cut through the never-ending noise in their mind to get their attention.)
#2: **Slide Deck
This tells the subscriber what to expect when they open this email. Scammers have taught us not to open emails that don’t explain what’s in them first.
The phrase “slide deck” does that. It’s not cute. It’s clear.
#3: Publish (send): One day after Email #1 (***unless it’s Sunday, then send on Monday)
(Shown to the reader in the Welcome Email #1, this need not be shown to them again. It does show you–as MY reader–when to send your second Welcome email to YOUR reader. 🙂
#4: ****As promised, here’s the download link to the Slide Deck.
Clear as a bell so the reader cannot miss it but some will. See #XXX below.
#5: *****What’s your biggest frustration when creating a title?
My goal here is to start a dialogue. I don’t want to be the only in this two-way conversation. We can’t make our readers respond, but we want them to know we welcome it.
#6: ******Tell me what’s challenging you in this area and I’ll respond in a future email that will help everyone.
This sentence explains what will happen if they do respond. They’ll help other readers by asking me a question others might be timid to ask.
#7:Enjoy the slide deck, and *******I’ll talk to you in a few days!
A duplicate link to the slide deck so my reader doesn’t have to hunt for it.
After they’ve received the promised / delivered Slide Deck, what can they expect going forward? They can expect me to continue staying in touch with them!
Some send the promised resource then never send another email. Bad! B-A-D choice!
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Strategies for Email #3
#1: *When We Do Our Part We Set the Stage for God to Do His Part (See Strategy #3 below.)
#2: Publish: **3 Days after Email #2 (unless it’s Sunday, then send on Monday)
This point has been mentioned already. Repeated here for clarity. Yes, you’ll see it again in Email #4. 🙂 (Shown to the reader in the Welcome Emails #1, this need not be shown to them again. It does show you–as MY reader–when to send your third Welcome email to YOUR reader. 🙂
#3:***It’s another beautiful day to serve Jesus!
New subscribers see immediately that I write for Christians. They can guess I’m a Christian. This is core to my message, so I reference God three times before the content even begins. That doesn’t have to be your strategy. Follow His leading. What or who is most important to you related to your audience? Identify that person or concept early on in your email relationship.
#4: ****Questions? Comments? Hit reply and I’ll answer.
Another invitation to new subscribers, letting them know I’m open to a two-way relationship.
#5: *****In case you haven’t had time to download my FREE RESOURCE TITLE GOES HERE yet, here’s that LINK GOES HERE again.
Many of us intend to download that great “thing” we requested, but we get distracted and forget. So I’m gently mentioning it again to help my reader remember…without badgering or chastising them.
Strategies for Email #4
#1 (Last time to see this… *3 days after Email #3 (unless it’s Sunday, then send on Monday)
This point has been mentioned already. Repeated here for clarity. 🙂 (Shown to the reader in the Welcome Emails #1, this need not be shown to them again. It does show you–as MY reader–when to send your third Welcome email to YOUR reader. 🙂
#2: **Grab a pen and paper so we can make two short lists.
In this fourth Welcome email, my reader sees that I don’t offer fluff. We’re here to work while having a good time. I’ll walk them through the task step-by-step so they can 1) see the value of it and 2) know how to do it themselves next time.
#3: *** Write down 3 (three) strengths your audience has on the first list and 3 (three) weaknesses they have on the second list. (See #2 above.)
#4: **** Now, create one piece of content (blog post, social media post, email, Reels, whatever) for each strength and each weakness. (See #2 above.)
#5: ***** Do you have another free or a paid resource that could help further? Mention it and share the link to it.
Many people have content already created in a blog post, an interview, a free resource called a Lead Magnet, but they don’t think to offer access to it in another medium. Do it! 🙂
#6: ****** No resource that fits? That’s okay. Find someone else’s applicable content on this topic and share the direct link on their website.
My reader may be brand new to writing / speaking, or highly accomplished. Sharing someone else’s content–if applicable and spot on–tells their subscriber they’re primary goal is to serve them, not impress them.
#7: *******P.S. Last invitation to download my FREE RESOURCE LINK GOES HERE Enjoy!
The goal is to give readers every chance to download the free resource. Added this last time separately, away from other content so it’s not lost to the reader.
If you haven’t used a Welcome email series before, give it a try!
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Welcome Email Series Ends
Regular Email Content Begins Next Email
Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.
Nondescript, the small store named *Joe’s Mattress! lay nestled in between two, more active businesses. Its blandness caught my eye, inspiring me to study it while waiting for its next-door neighbor, a popular restaurant, to open.
A tasteful Labor Day Sale notice written in the same white text as the store’s name was unviewable because of the Handicapped Parking sign. Nothing about the sign attracted attention, a guarantee that few noticed it. Their “marketing” is making them our area’s best kept secret.
Back in the Dark Ages when I was a child, my parents purchased new mattresses from the leading hometown department store. Yours probably did, too.
Then 20 or so years ago, direct from the factory mattress stores popped up across the country.
Local “Mom and Pop” retailers are tired but still in there pitching. Factory-direct stores have an advantage over local locations with regional or national marketing. Deeper pockets offer opportunities unavailable to the “wing and a prayer” marketing approach. But often, locals prefer to do business with home-town folks.
Do you have deep pockets to fund your book’s marketing efforts?
How far is your “wing and a prayer” approach taking you?
Which low-cost marketing efforts are you utilizing?
Do you present short “live” trainings on social media to attract new audience members?
Do you promote your book on a regular basis via email without wearying your subscribers?
Do you belong to one or more online groups where up-and-comers and professionals join together to create an event that can, collectively, promote each member’s book more than if each were to go it alone?
Do you request a guest spot on podcasts that fit both your audience’s needs and your message?
The beauty of online marketing is that most of it is free, or nearly so.
Social media videos are short and can gain a lot of traction–and an audience–quickly.
Ignore the myths suggesting you must have years of video hosting experience…your target market wants to see the real you, not the “perfect” you.
Goofs, slip-ups, and hitting the wrong button when closing out your video help your audience get to know the real you. Ask me how I know. 🙂
You can become a pro on video without paying a professional video company.
Do you vomit at the thought of being on camera? Ask Christ to give you opportunities so you can become comfortable. Video communication is here to stay. Don’t get left behind.
If you need to, ease into video. Open a free Zoom account. Want to be benefit from video but not ready to be interviewed yet? Interview others instead! Practice with friends using a free Zoom account. Share those videos or don’t, as you wish. The first goal is to become comfortable on camera and with the software.
Host a webinar or other live event offering content to benefit your audience. It can be a public event or in a private Facebook group…yours or someone else’s. Either way, promote it!
This has a double benefit. As you help others become comfortable sharing their message, other interviewers are more likely to invite you to be their guests. Now you’re talkin’ baby!
What are you doing to help your audience find you in the crowded marketplace?
Or will your book be the best kept secret online?
*(Names were changed to protect the innocent.) 🙂
Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.
A Lead Magnet is a marketing tool. “Lead Magnet” is marketing speak for what is typically a 3-10 page PDF. It should answer a single question or solve a single problem 1) your audience is experiencing that 2) ties into your message.
No need to give away a fantastic resource that has nothing in common with your topic. Sharing the first 10 questions for readers to ask when booking a ski lodge won’t attract your ideal target market if your message focuses on homeschooling. Can I get a witness? 🙂
You’ve seen scads of Lead Magnets throughout your years online. A 5-day challenge. A 3-part video training. A webinar. Some other type of event (the sky’s the limit) that your ideal target market will find useful. Plus, the basic standard mentioned above (a 3-10 page PDF).
By default, Lead Magnets are free.
Why go to all that work only to give it away to strangers?
Because our goal is to attract people who do not yet know they’re in our target market!
Marketers give away valuable resource(s) to draw the attention of new readers. We want them to sign up to our email list so we can stay in touch with them consistently (not constantly!). The long-term goal is to develop a relationship via email.
As we serve our subscribers regularly, offering practical, actionable information to make their life easier (related to our message), they get to know us, and vice-versa. We serve them. Serve them. Then serve them some more.
And occasionally, we share our latest or greatest CD, book, product, or course. Whatever we’re offering for sale at that time.
It’s much easier to share such info with a friend you’ve helped every week for years, isn’t it?
Pitching our products to people we don’t know and who don’t know us is an expensive, uphill battle.
Make it easier for yourself and your reader by giving them a taste of your knowledge, personality, wisdom, and so on, in only 3-10 short pages filled with content that HELPS THEM.
This could be the start of a beautiful relationship. 🙂
Including a free Lead Magnet offer on your website’s Home page “above the fold” is wise. More visitors look at that section of your website than any area other. If they like what they see there, they’ll explore further. (See last month’s article to discover what to include in your Home page’s “above the fold” area.)
Creating a Lead Magnet isn’t rocket science, though it can seem to be when first starting out.
A few examples I’m offering right now listed below. Each is a short PDF.
Title: Platform Audit
Subtitle: Discover your platforms assets and liabilities in 6 key areas.
Title: Write Emails That Get Opened!
Subtitle: 35 Content Prompts to Write Great Emails Every Time
Title: Podcast Prep 101
Subtitle: 20 Questions to Nail Your Interview!
Title: Your First (Product or Program) Launch
Subtitle: Steps 1-5
There are more. That’s enough to give you an idea of the free resource’s content and your interest level in it.
That’s what we want to do with all our Lead Magnets.
Great title and subtitle. Helpful content that matters to your audience and is directly tied to your message, and an invitation to sign up for it using one of those itty-bitty boxes called an “opt-in” box. You’ve filled out 100s of them.
“But what if my Lead Magnet turns out to be a flop?” I’m often asked. It happens!
Get up off the floor, dust yourself off, and try again.
Keep creating new, fresh Lead Magnets until readers respond to first this one and then that one. Their response–or lack of it–shows you what they’re interested in. Make more like that.
And watch your email list (and your platform) grow!
Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.
Are you pleased with your website’s Home page? The way it looks, its design, and most important, its effectiveness? If not, read on!
Beneath your Menu bar (sometimes called the Navigation bar–it’s at the top of your web page) is yourmost important real estate anywhere online. It’s referred to as the area, “above the fold,” or “above the scroll,” meaning the part of your Home page readers can see without having to scroll further down the page to see it all.
More visitors will see this area than any other on your website. Ever. It has a vital job: to get your visitor’s attention and inspire them to sign up for your free resource (called a Lead Magnet in marketing speak).
Within this “above the fold” area, the most effective websites include two columns. They’re not visually separated into columns, but you want each column’s contents to take up approximately the same amount of width and height.
Include the following elements in either the right or left column areas:
A great, color photo of YOU that takes up that area of the page “above the fold,” along with your name and title (Author, Public Relation Expert, whatever’s applicable). That should fill the entire “above the scroll” space but not spill out from it.
In the second, opposite column, include four short areas of text and an opt-in button:
#1: a short description of your audience (my audience is Christian writers and speakers).
#2: your main headline for this area addressing the frustration or goal your audience seeks to change, OR a strong statement that will resonate with your audience.
#3: a single line of text shaped in the form of a promise or a result.
#4: two short paragraphs–only 1-2 sentences each–identifying the frustration or goal you know your audience is seeking to change.
Plus:
– an opt-in box that includes two small text boxes, one each for your reader’s first name and email address, and
– your CTA (call-to-action) button for readers to click or press after they’ve “signed up” for your free resource (added their name and email to receive it).
You’ve seen 100’s or 1,000’s of these opt-in boxes through your many years online.
It’s very important that the text on your call-to-action button is not the word, “SUBMIT.” No one wants to submit. To anything. Particularly not to a total stranger.
The Website Police aren’t going to drag you out of your home at 3AM if you use SUBMIT, but since we know readers find it offensive, why use it?
There are so many other, non-offensive options! In fact, text that’s related to your giveaway (called a Lead Magnet) is much wiser.
Say you’re giving away a checklist of various sizes and uses of skillets for gourmet cooks. Your CTB button text could be, “I need to use the right skillet!” Or if it fits your personality, consider, “Gimme the checklist!” or, “Checklist, please!”
You could also use a phrase as simple and direct as, “Sign me up!” or “I need this info!” Use whatever seems best to you.
Note that your website theme may have a limit on how many characters (letters) your CTA button allows. So, if you have a fun phrase but it has too many letters, simply experiment until you find a shorter version and you’re all set!
Studies show that filling your Home page’s area “above the fold” with an offer your audience considers a “must have” will spur growth.
Fill the balance of your Home page with pertinent content that seems right to you.
The options are limitless. Research competitors and near-competitors for fresh inspiration. No need to copy anyone. Christ is creative enough to give each of us a unique viewpoint for the message He’s gifted us to serve.
But keep your Home page’s area “above the fold” exclusive, using it only to showcase your current free resource (Lead Magnet).
Try it! You’ll like it! So goes the Alka-Seltzer marketing phrase from the early 70’s. 🙂
Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.
(NOTE: This doesn’t apply to multiple audiences. They rarely have sustainable, overlapping needs.)
Serving multiple audience categories via email is one of our most challenging goals as marketers. So why is it necessary?
“THAT is the right question, Detective Spooner,”
(I,Robot reference there). 🙂
Unless you’re a brand-new marketer (if you are, welcome!), you likely have more than one audience segment, sometimes called an audience category. If we regularly send one-size-fits-all emails, subscribers won’t stick around long. There are too many others who will offer them what they specifically want. Generic won’t do.
Let’s back up and start at the beginning with an oversimplified example.
Let’s say our audience, in one word, is “mothers.” And our topic is also one word, “relationships.” There are roughly, oh, about a gazillion intersections between those two descriptions, agreed?
So, let’s break it down further, separating all mothers in our audience into groups called “categories” or “segments” in email lingo.
We want to identify the strongest commonality between them.
That might be their age, ethnicity, nationality, marital status, income…the list goes on and on. When we dig deeper, we see a clear distinction not in their ages, but in their children’s ages.
We can further separate them into–in this case–three groups: moms with toddlers, moms with elementary age children, and moms with high school / college age children.
In this fictional scenario, these mothers want contentrelated to their children’s relational development.
While each group has unique differences from the other two, collectively, they have intersecting needs, goals, pain points, and interests, too. Instead of one generic email that doesn’t fit anyone, we can send a single email to focus on one specific question, goal, etc., the entire groupis asking or working toward. It will fit each of these mothers individually…with only one email. Sweeeet!
But how we identify their common points of interest?
Picture a 2-circle Venn diagram. Each circle is independent of the other, except for a small area where they overlap. That overlapped area is what both groups have in common.
Now add a third circle to make a 3-way Venn diagram. Each circle is still independent of the others, yet there’s one 3-way overlap (it’s obvious if you ask Google to show you an image).
That single section where the three circles overlap represents your audience’s common challenges, obstacles, dreams, joys, etc., for their children and their children’s relationships.
If your goal is to write ONE email that’s applicable to each of your three audience groups, draw from that small, intersecting area in your 3-way Venn diagram for an idea, and it will fit every reader in these three categories to a “T.”
Suppose you want to send a Special Notice of some kind to only one of your three audience groups, and you want the remaining two groups to get a “regular” email?
Send that specific group a unique email (separate from the other two groups) with the Special Notice that pertains only to them.
Follow your normal process (based upon your 3-way Venn Diagram’s overlap) to write one email for the remaining two groups and send.
Next time, return to the overlapping obstacles, dreams, etc., shown in your diagram, and continue sending readers your best content!
Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.
The age-old question, “I’ve covered everything under the sun! What else is there to write a blog post about?” trips us up regularly.
See if any of the suggestions below prompt new ideas for you.
Make a list of your message’s foundational points. Cover one point per blog post.
Make a list of FAQ from your audience or readers. Answer one question per blog post.
What about themost common challenges your audience/ readers face? You guessed it! Address one challenge per blog post and help them overcome it.
Write a bulleted list of helpful, insider tips or DIY instructions related to your message.
Share how God called youto your ministry and invite readers to share their stories with you via a return email or a comment on the social media post you create to promote this blog post.
Share how you knew this ministry idea was from God and not from last night’s pizza. 🙂
What’s going on in the news that ties into your primary message?
Have a new project coming up?Share the behind-the-scenes activity.
Which new book have you reador heard about recently? Why might that be a good fit for your readers?
What’s the history of your favorite holiday? How can you tie that into your message?
Share a gift idea for those you serve (that their loved one might give them).
What startling or just released statistic relates to your message and your audience?
Book launch coming up? Invite readers to support you as book launch team members or ask them to post just once.
Been to a conference lately? What was the most valuable info you learned?
Conference–who wasthe most interestingperson you met, and why?
Conference–who wasthe best presenterand what made them the best one?
Conference–what’syour overall opinion of it and would you suggest your audience attend?
Conference–does the conference aboveoffer scholarships and if so, how does that process work?
What else can you tell your audience about the conference mentioned above or any other conference?
Write a long “roundup” blog post highlighting all the other blog posts you’ve written on that same topic. Be sure to share the link to each article as you highlight it!
Share book reviews you’ve written, explaining what you did (and did not) like about the book.
Writea blog postlisting your favorite blogs about your topic.
Writea blog postlisting your favorite podcasts about your topic.
Explain your research process for books, projects, or courses.
Share a list of quotes that apply to your topic.
Share a heartwarming story about your child or grandchild that ties into your topic.
Share your favorite writing or speaking tools, platforms, or resources, and why they’re your favorite.
Share three common mythsrelated to your topic and explain why they’re not true.
Share your daily schedule and invite readers to share theirs.
Share how you manage your time and invite readers to share their schedule.
Share your process to find the perfect title for your books or products.
Share your primary goal(s) when posting on social media.
Explain what a blog tour is and how your readers can be part of one.
Make a list of the influencers you follow and why.
Describe how you hope your message impacts your audience.
Whew! That’s a lot of ideas! Praying more than one is helpful. 🙂
Growing your audience can seem like an uphill battle. Hosting online workshops will help you reach your goal faster.
Step ONE: Decide On Your Offer
Choose Your Offer: Some would suggest choosing your topic first. That’s logical. But you’ll have more attendees if you begin with the practical result your audience will receive. Everything should revolve around them. What will they be able to DO after your workshop that they couldn’t do BEFORE? And do they want that new result? If not, redirect immediately.
Let’s pretend your topic is ice fishing. What can you teach your audience about ice fishing that they can put to practical use on their next outing? Teach that. Market that. Deliver that.
Based upon that criterion, I’ve selected catch more fish. This is more than a topic. It’s a result.
A Concrete Marketing Promise
Join my workshop and you’ll be able to CATCH MORE FISH. Don’t promise that they’ll catch more fish (which you cannot control) but that they’ll be able to catch more fish. They’ll have the necessary knowledge and skills to do so. What they do with that newfound knowledge and skill set is up to them.
During your workshop, forget about sharing the history of ice fishing. Don’t spend time highlighting the many types of ice fishing rods on the market and the intricacies of each. Omit an in-depth discussion on the remaining essential gear, the best places to get it, and how to use it.
All that information is valuable, but it will draw attention away from the promised result. Our singular focus is to teach ice fishermen (or those interested in ice fishing) how to catch more fish. Bada-bing, bada-boom!
You might choose to teach them a different skill instead.
Be careful not to add unrelated information to make your workshop more interesting. Information doesn’t get results. You can’t market information alone (well, you can, but who wants another lecture)?
Choose a skill that will require a change in your attendees’ behavior. Results change when behavior patterns change. Should they start earlier in the morning or stay out on the ice later? Purchase new, updated equipment and learn how to use it? Return to the old ways? Research the location where they go ice fishing, looking for information about the water’s non-winter flow (which will affect the water flow in winter, too)?
Notice that these are topics. Information. Didn’t I just suggest you not focus on information? Yep. Here’s the key difference.
This information is directly tied to your promised result.
It moves viewers one step closer to catching more fish–which is what you promised they’d be able to do–while unrelated information does not.
This is the first of 8 steps to grow your audience using online workshops. Next month we’ll discuss how to title your workshop so that it attracts the attention of your ideal audience. Bland or confusing titles are worthless, as are “cutesy” titles. Our audience wants to catch more fish.
We can use that title. It’s simple, direct, and easy to understand, but let’s wait. As we continue developing the workshop, we may discover an even better choice.
Until next month.
Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.
In Part One last month I shared the fictional promotional post below:
Would you like to receive coaching training from Sally Sue?
Sally Sue, 3-time New York Times bestselling author and coach of 36 years
will be giving an exclusive training to new and established coaches to help you
be as effective and as successful as you possibly can be in 2021 and beyond.
We want to rewrite this post so that it’s reader-focused and benefit-driven. Transforming a ho-hum marketing message into one that converts requires more than simply rearranging the words. Sally’s ad needs more details, more clarity, and more benefits, THEN it will be time to rewrite it. Let’s add those details now.
Let’s List All the Details We Know Now
We’ll need to fill in the gaps for Suzy because she didn’t include several key pieces of information in her original post. We’ll use fictional answers and we’ll make every detail more specific than in the original post. Here we go!
Suzy’s audience description: “new and established coaches” needs more specificity.
We’ll choose: marriage coaches.
She doesn’t identify the problem her training will solve so that doesn’t help us.
We’ll make one up: not enough clients
Her promised results: help you be as effective and as successful as you possibly can be means absolutely nothing. No practical or measurable result.
We’ll create a measurable result:double your income in 2022.
What IS the actual offer? An exclusive training
Let’s help Sally out and change that to: Facebook ads training.
Length and location: She doesn’t say.
So we will: 4 weekly 60-minute Zoom calls.
Day /Date / Time: Sally didn’t share this info.
But we will: Every Saturday in February 2022 starting at 10PT / 1ET.
Price: Sally doesn’t mention the $99 price.
We won’t either: Tell you why below. 🙂
Now We’re Ready to Rewrite!
Let’s begin with a new headline, one that lists the Big Benefit first, …the measurable result Sally’s promising the reader. We decided her promise would be doubling their income in 2022.
What frustration will we cite? No need for the solution Sally’s offering unless her reader has the coordinating problem. How about the never-ending struggle to gain new clients?
See how the benefit (the measurable result) is the flip side of the frustration (the problem)?
Now we have all the details we need. Let’s do it!
Marriage Coaches: Double Your Income in 2022!
Tired of the never-ending struggle to gain new clients? Join bestselling author and marriage coach Sally Sue for this new, 4-week Facebook ads training designed especially for you! If your calendar isn’t already booked through this summer, it’s time to ramp up your marketing efforts. Full details at…then we’d add our active link.
Notice that some important details are still missing, such as: the training will be delivered via Zoom, the day/dates/time, and the price. That’s on purpose. We’re not ready to share that info yet.
Here’s what we haven’t talked about yet:
we don’t want our promotion to answer every question.
We only want it to be clear enough and interesting enough to get our ideal reader’s attention, so they’ll follow our link to find out more and take the appropriate action: sign up, enroll, purchase, take your quiz…whatever you want them to do to complete this step and move on to the next one.
Our goal is to help our audience
First by pulling them away from the throng so we can further educate them, answer their questions (including the ones they haven’t thought of yet), list even more benefits, and point them to our desired call-to-action button.
Creating an effective promotional post or ad is the first step in a multi-step effort to get our readers’ eyeballs on our offer.
Sally Sue’s former offer didn’t do that. Does yours?
Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.
You’re finally ready to promote your latest book or product or course. All you need now is buyers. Woo-hoo! That’s what happened last spring to Sally Sue. The fictional promotional post below is typical of hundreds of such posts seen every day. Let’s dissect it, shall we?
Would you like to receive coaching training from Sally Sue?
Sally Sue, 3-time New York Times bestselling author and coach of 36 years
will be giving an exclusive training to new and established coaches to help you
be as effective and as successful as you possibly can be in 2021 and beyond.
The Headline
The headline is dead: Would you like to receive coaching training…? The writer lost me immediately. I’m out. Gone. Won’t be back.
You and I and Sally Sue have milliseconds to gain the attention of readers who are scrolling past our words at supersonic speed. That headline won’t cut it.
The Only Sentence
There’s a single sentence, as if Sally Sue was a breathless teenage girl running to tell her parents she just smashed into the garage door while parking and she had to get all the words out in one long breath. It’s exhausting to read, isn’t it?
The First Line
Readers don’t immediately care who we are, what we’ve accomplished, or how long we’ve been doing it. They DO care about themselves and what’s in it for them. You and I are the same way.
Sally’s only talking about herself; there’s no hint of any benefit to the reader.
It’s easy to forget that our readers are inundated every day with thousands–literally thousands–of promotions. Like us, they’ve become numb to them.
Some marketers swing to the other end of the pendulum with offensive or loud graphics and words in their promotions to get attention. They get attention, yes, but obnoxious promotions don’t help us reach our goals.
The Second Line
“Exclusive training to new and established coaches…” means what, exactly? What kind of training and how long will it last? Will it be free or is a price attached? Will it be delivered via a weekly Zoom meeting, at a weekend retreat center in California in May, or in Sally’s church basement next summer? Readers won’t know because Sally hasn’t shared that information.
What, if any, expertise does the reader need for this opportunity to be a perfect fit for them? Again, we’re not told. So how can they decide if they want to attend? If in doubt, they’ll pass right by. We tend to think they’ll stop, dig around in our post for a link we may or may not have remembered to add, and perhaps visit our website to find out more. Brace yourself. They won’t.
The Third Line
“…be as effective and successful as you possibly can be…” is not what we’d call a specific result.
Isn’t This a Bit Harsh?
We rarely see flaws in our work while others’ flaws leap out at us. This fictional writer is helping us learn through her weak marketing example.
Like Sally Sue, you and I write from our perspective, forgetting that the reader doesn’t know what we know, doesn’t have the details we have, so they can’t put two and two together. What will they do? Simply scroll on by, leaving us wondering why more people didn’t sign up for our fabulous offer.
It’s easy to think poor results prove we’re a failure and we should apply at our local Starbucks tomorrow. Perhaps, but probably not. What we need is reader-focused, results-oriented marketing.
In Part Two next month we’ll reword Sally Sue’s post.
Patricia Durgin is an Online Marketing Coach and Facebook Live Expert. She trains Christian writers and speakers exclusively, helping them develop their messaging, marketing funnels, conversational emails, and Facebook Live programs. Patricia hosted 505 (60-minute) Facebook Live programs from 2018-2020. That program is on indefinite hiatus. She’s also a regular faculty member at Christian writers and speakers conferences around the country.
Writers Chat, hosted by Jean Wise, Johnnie Alexander, and Brandy Bow, is the show where we talk about all things writing, by writers and for writers!
“Because talking about writing is more fun than actually doing it.”
How to Be a Healthy Writer
To be effective as writers we need to take care of our physical health. Studies prove physical activity improves one’s well-being. Unfortunately, writing is sedentary. Susan Neal RN, MBA, MHS shows you how to add movement into your daily writing routine. And of course, she throws in a few tips about the foods you should avoid to ensure you have clarity of mind.
Watch the January 18th replay.
Susan Neal, RN, has a masters in health science and an MBA. She lives her life with a passion to help others improve their health. After suffering a health crisis, she became an author and health coach to provide others with the tools they needed to heal their bodies and reclaim their ideal weight.
Her award-winning #1 Amazon best-seller is 7 Steps to Get Off Sugar and Carbohydrates. The third book in her Healthy Living Series, won the Golden Scrolls award “2019 Best Inspirational Gift Book.” Learn more about Susan at SusanUNeal.com.
Creating Your Annual Marketing Plan
Writers need platforms. Platforms need a plan. Author and marketing strategist Bethany Jett shares ideas on creating an annual marketing plan that will increase your social engagement. Whether you are pre-published, newly published, or multi-published–whether you’re traveling the indie, traditional, or hybrid path–this is the info you need to inspire you to create a workable plan for 2022.
Watch the January 25th replay,
Bethany Jett is a multiple award-winning author, ghostwriter, and marketer earned her Masters in Communications focusing on marketing and PR.
Bethany co-owns Serious Writer and Platinum Literary Services and loves everything about the publishing industry…except the rejections! She is a military wife to her college sweetheart and a work-from-home momma-of-boys who loves planners, suspense novels, and all things girly. Connect with Bethany at BethanyJett.com.
Join Us
Writers Chat is hosted live each Tuesday for an hour starting at 10 AM CT / 11 AM ET on Zoom. The permanent Zoom room link is: http://zoom.us/j/4074198133
