Imagine this: You spend hours researching your ideal client and weeks creating the perfect irresistible free offer or ethical bribe. You finally put the opt-in offer up on your website and work like crazy to promote and market it, driving loads of traffic to your website. You’re thrilled because lots of people opt-in for the offer and join your list.
Sounds pretty good right? But the next step is where most business owners fail. What happens after someone opts-in?
There are a few ways this scenario could play out:
- Your new subscribers are taken to a cold third-party download page with a single link on it. They download the free offer and plan on reading it or watching it over the weekend. A week or more goes by and they haven’t heard from you, and they forgot about the resource they downloaded. You fail to follow up and eventually they forget why they downloaded it in the first place and they delete it.
- Your new subscribers are taken to a custom thank you page on your website, they feel welcomed and they download your offer. You follow up with them once to make sure they downloaded it okay and their trust in you builds. They read or watch your free offer, they appreciate the value it provides, and then move on about their day. Eventually they receive your next newsletter and they may or may not open it.
- Your new subscribers are welcomed with a warm, personal message. They receive their free offer right away and just in case, you send them a reminder to download it again the next day. You then follow up with them over the next few days with tips to use the resource or to get started, and you continue to provide value. They love the resource, they appreciate your follow up, and because you included a call to action, they take action to buy, register, or contact you — and your subscriber convert to a hot lead, a client, or a customer.
Which one of those scenarios would you want to have happen in your business? The third one of course! The new subscriber was happy, the free offer did its job to get them to take action, and you now have a hot lead, a new client, or a new sale.
Here’s how you can experience the same results from your free opt-in offer:
- Know Why The Offer Exists
Obviously you want your free offer to build your list, but will it also preview a program, upsell a product, position you an as expert, or get subscribers to contact you? Make sure all of your content supports this goal. - Clearly Define The Desired Next Steps
What do you want people to do as a result of reading, listening to, or watching your free offer? Do you want them to click, buy, sign up, register, contact, etc. Be sure the appropriate call to action exists throughout your content. - Include a Call to Action
Don’t forget to include a call to action! Many offers that I have opted-in for fail to include a single call to action. Your audience already told you they trust you and want to learn from you by opting-in. Now it’s up to you to tell them what to do next. - Continue to Build and Nurture The Relationship
Don’t leave your new subscribers hanging! Create a follow up sequence or auto responder to welcome them to your tribe, nurture your new relationship, and provide even more value.
When you combine these four steps with a free offer perfectly matched to the biggest needs of your ideal clients, you’ll enjoy a list full of happy subscribers and a boost in sales!
