When you’ve already connected with new leads and you’re looking to actively nurture relationships, email marketing is a great tool! But what about generating new leads? Can you use email marketing for that?
At first glance, it seems like the answer is no. You need to have someone’s email in hand in order to send them your newsletter, so how could you possibly use email marketing to connect with someone for the first time?
Ahhh… but you can! It’s totally possible to use email marketing to find & connect with new leads!
Here are 5 ways, including exactly “how to” using Constant Contact:
- Share your email newsletter to social media.
Social media is where you’ll connect with people who aren’t already on your email list so in addition to sending your newsletter to people on your email list, post a link of it to your social media channels. When someone clicks on the link, your newsletter will open in its own web page.To do this in Constant Contact: After you’ve scheduled your newsletter, use Social Sharing to schedule social media messages for up to 7 days after you’ve sent your email. This is a newly updated tool and very powerful – definitely check it out!
- Ask networking leads if you can add them to your newsletter list.
Exchanging business cards during networking is a ubiquitous best practice. Kick it up a notch and increase your chance of getting connected by asking your new contact if you can send them your newsletter. This opens up an opportunity to talk briefly about how you serve your clients through a regular, useful newsletter, and it also greatly increases the chance of them opening your email when they receive it! Bonus: Email lists decay as much as 25% each year so this will help you keep your newsletter list fresh and active. - Enable your readers to share your newsletter via their own social media channels.
Include links in your newsletter that readers can click on to share to their own social media channels, including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. This is a powerful way for you to reach through your readers to their social circles. The true awesomeness of this option is the fact that it isn’t about where you are online; it’s about where your readers are.To do this in Constant Contact: Just turn on the Social Media Sharebar in the header and you are all set!
- Post to social media with an invite – and an offer – to sign up for your newsletter.
A quick note through your social media channels announcing your next newsletter can be a great way to drive signups. Increase the chances of getting new folks to sign up this way by offering exclusive content by email only, like a free download or coupon. - Invite readers to share your newsletter with their friends and colleagues.
This is a “birds-of-a-feather” technique: Chances are that the people receiving your newsletter know other people who would also like your content. Leverage this opportunity by including a link that enables your readers to share your newsletter with others. Increase the likelihood of them doing so by suggesting it within your introductory paragraph: “If you know someone that you think would also find this content useful, please click here to share it with them now.”To do this in Constant Contact: Insert a forward-to-a-friend link and you’re good to go!
TIP: Also include a link in your newsletter that invites the reader to sign up for your newsletter. That way, when it ends up in front of someone who isn’t on your newsletter yet, they’ll be able to sign up for it easy-peasy.
