6-Part List-Building Series: Using Other People’s Lists
In the last installment of our 6-Part List Building Series, we’re going to explain how you can use other people’s lists to build your own. And no, this does not mean buying email lists… that’s always a bad idea! However, collaborating with other businesses to promote each other, a technique known as co-marketing, is a great way to gain subscribers.
PRO tip: Always, yes ALWAYS, have a call-to-action so ‘other people’s customers’ can opt-in on YOUR list for something free or paid. That’s the secret to using other people’s lists to grow your own.
So here are five ways to collaborate with another business and use their list to build your own:
1. Host a giveaway or competition.
We’ve said this before, but…everyone loves winning free stuff, right? Partnering with another business to put together an awesome giveaway or competition that both of your audiences will love is a great way to help each other gain more followers. Just remember to require participants to enter in their email address to be eligible.
Pro tip: Encourage sharing or referrals so that your new followers will help spread the word about your joint giveaway or prize.
2. Try out guest posting.
Guest posting on blogs or social media is a great way for you to promote each other. Exchanging blog posts would mean that you would write a post for their blog and they would write one for yours.
On social media, you could do it one of two ways. (1) You post about each other on your own social media pages or (2) You allow each other to write a post for the other company’s account.
3. Swap newsletters.
If you and the other business you’re partnering with both have newsletters, try a newsletter swap. Introduce the other company at the beginning of your regular newsletter and then allow them to “take over” and write a message that will resonate with your audience. This way, your audience won’t freak out and think that someone else has permanently taken over your email list.
If you want to try something a little more subtle, give a shout out to the other business in your newsletter, and ask that they do the same for you.
4. Join each other’s podcasts.
Podcasts are growing in popularity, so if you don’t already have your own or you’re not making guest appearances on other business owners’ channels, now is the time to look into it! Exchanging podcast interviews or partnering with another entrepreneur to start a podcast is a strategic way to gain access to their followers and add to your email list.
5. Co-host a webinar.
Webinars have become a really popular tool for marketing products and services via the internet. These live video classes or talks are usually free for attendees, last about an hour and are awesome lead magnets for growing your email list. Partner with another business owner and collaborate to create a lucrative limited-time offer that you can sell together on your joint webinar. Remember to market to both of your email lists so that you can gain some of each other’s followers. As people sign up before the webinar and then purchase your offer during or after the webinar, you will both collect more valuable additions to your email list.
Remember, guest posts, newsletter shout outs, podcasts and webinars should all offer value and include links to purchase a product from your store or to sign up for your list.
Something else to consider: When you’re exchanging services with another business, you don’t have to compare apples to apples. For example, you don’t have to both swap blog posts, like we discussed in number 2. If you have 100,000 Twitter followers and nonexistent blog traffic, you may offer to promote the other business on Twitter. If that other business has great blog traffic and virtually no social media followers, it would benefit you to write a guest post for their blog (and would benefit them to get a shout out on Twitter). See what we mean?
Go on and get out there! Start researching potential partners and figure out what you can offer in order to gain access to their lists and build yours.