When I first started, I had no idea how to build a list. Maybe you don’t either. You may be utilizing social media like a boss but did you know that all of your followers could go away in a heartbeat?  You don’t own them. Did you know that Facebook or Instagram could completely change their way of doing business tomorrow so your followers don’t actually see your posts and you have to pay instead? Oh wait…they already did that.

If you are thinking about growing a business or already have a business, you cannot rely on social media to get the word out about your business. Your focus needs to daily be on getting those social media followers onto your email list. The more people that are continually coming onto your list, the more people you have to help. List building needs to be a top priority.

If you missed my article where I covered what email list system to start with, read that first.

How to Build a List in 4 Easy Steps

1. Give Away Free Resources

The best way to grow your list is to constantly give away free resources and include your free optin link everywhere you can think of. This means on your email signatures, social media, guest posts, blog sidebar, business cards and the bottom of your blog’s posts.

Here’s the secret though. Don’t just link to your blog on social media, link to your free optin page. If you do link to your blog, make sure you also provide a way for them to get onto your email list on the bottom of the article.

You can also attend networking events and get permission to send people your free resource if they request it. Since you have worked so hard to make it something your audience needs and wants by surveying, you should have no problem getting people excited to sign-up.

If excitement is low, switch it up and try something new or try to re-name it. The most important thing you can do is survey and make sure that your free lead magnet is something that your audience truly wants.

2. Live Online Event

The second way to grow your list is to have a live event like a webinar or live challenge happening in a specific week or month. If you’re wondering how to build a list, my list has grown the most when there is a specific day or week of an event. The signups skyrocket the day before the event because it inspires people to take fast action. Also, they will get a chance to ask you questions live, which helps them get to know you better and creates a community. Growing your tribe is awesome!

How can you turn your product or service into a mini-challenge? Maybe you could offer 5-7 days of free material to help them start getting some initial results? You can start a Facebook group around your challenge and build a community. Towards the end of those 7 days, many of them will be ready to join you in your next step.

If you have thought of a webinar and haven’t done one yet because you are scared, get over that now. Set a date of your first webinar. Give yourself some time to test everything. This is a major way for you to get more comfortable sharing your message and it gives an opportunity for your audience to come ask you questions too!

3. Facebook Ad

This is the simplest way to get eyes on your free optin. I know it’s hard to get over this hurdle of advertising but think about this. How do big companies get people into their stores? They advertise on television, newspaper, magazines, etc. Unfortunately, we don’t have the big budgets of the big companies but Facebook offers us a way that we can get ideal customers signing up for our lists for as little as $5 per day.

[RELATED: Facebook Ads Strategies to Attract More Clients]

As you get up and running in your business, I recommend that you spend at least 15% (more if you can) of your profits on marketing because new leads are worth it! Especially, if you can do this in the comfort of your own home (in your pajamas) and have new leads come to you automatically. You have to remember the lifetime value of the customer and as you start doing Facebook ads you will see that if you put a little money in and you can get a lot out. Facebook ads are also very easy to scale when you find one that is working too!

Overall, Facebook ads will help you determine what copy, photos and lead magnets your target market wants to get so it’s like a mini-MBA in business building. I highly recommend it!

4. Set Goals

Every time I set a goal, I am so much more motivated to reach it. I do everything in my power to make it happen even though it often seems unreachable. Even if I don’t reach it by the deadline I wanted, I get so much closer. So, what’s your deadline? Set a goal now.

I would challenge you to write down right now how many people are on your list now and how many you want to be on your list every single day. You’ll want to set a goal for how many people you want to be added to your email list each day (for website visitors and FB Ads). Then, you’ll want to set a goal for how many people you want to add to your list during a specific live event that you have such as a webinar or challenge.

We hope this helped give you some ideas of how to build a list! Which strategy will you use now to grow your list?