The Missing Piece in Your Social Media Marketing System That Dramatically Slows Your List Building!

As an eager and driven entrepreneur today, you probably know all your consistent Social Media activities not only help you build quality, valued relationships; deliver a smart, savvy brand while converting your communities to clients; as it strengthens your SEO position. But have you thought about how it affects your website and list building?

Here’s the scenario:

Your intention with your social media marketing is to brand and build visibility. Ideally you drive traffic to your website or blogsite from your Tweets, personal and/or fan page activities, Youtube videos, and group interactions on LinkedIn. Your new friends visit your website to check out your smart content. They are on the site for a few minutes intrigued by your expertise but don’t have much time to finish.

Here’s where the rubber meets the road with effective social media marketing.

Is your site optimized to capture their email so you have the luxury of communicating with them over and over? Or do they leave your site and maybe return later or never?

Does that visitor have the quick option to take advantage of your generous giveaway by entering their email address so they can rush off to their next task knowing you will be sending more great content to enhance their life?

Now I know many of you are very savvy about this. But there are still hundreds I see who have innovative looking sites but they have no compelling invitation for visitors to opt-in to their email list or ezine (electronic personalized magazine or newsletter). Or their opt-in is hidden on the page or the invite is a plain "Join my list."

This is where many fall short and wonder why their online marketing efforts lag behind. A regularly scheduled personalized (1^st person conversational) ezine is critical in building the KNOW LIKE and TRUST factor in collaboration with Social Media marketing; even if you think ezines are passé and no one wants to opt-in to another free giveaway!

Ezines are still one of your best relationship building tools today. Don’t fool yourself.

Savvy online marketers always provide an opt-in at their website to help build their private email list to a permission-based database. These people are interested in you. They want more. Now you have a full marketing system.

Here are the 4 reasons why an ezine is STILL powerful regardless of what you may have heard lately:

1. Your personality is your best asset in today’s marketing. No one can duplicate who you are. As a result, you take yourself out of the competition. When you reach out to your clients in a personal way consistently online (pace it – don’t overwhelm them) and nurture that relationship online (as well as offline) via your custom personality-driven ezine, you hedge the competition and build more loyal clients. In today's overly saturated market, you MUST be consistent with your online marketing to build the know, like & trust factor. (even if you think it's not necessary).

2. Relationships. Your subscribers do read your ezine, that’s why they signed up. They see you as a real person on the other side of the computer screen. You are no longer just a business office blasting out info. You are a human running a biz. You are relatable. This is relationship building every week or month year round. Your email list is your hidden gold, regardless of how much you think it does or does not generate money. People need nurturing and connection; just like you. Your referrals come from the ezine whether you realize it not. It’s revenue generating.

3. When your readers genuinely like you and believe you offer them a value with your articles, tips, and info - they look forward to hearing from you (really!). Always deliver value, connection, and something personal to keep feeding the loyalty. They will pay attention when you have a new product or service to offer. They gave you permission to do so by agreeing to receive your ezine.

4. And, it's all about timing for people when it comes to reaching out to you or calling the office. The more you show up in their email box with fun, innovative, interesting, personal info the better chance you have of a new client, fan, industry contact, joint venture.

There's my soapbox! Please do not neglect the power of your ezine. The voice of your ezine is very important even if you think people don't feel that way. They do.

Would love to have you JOIN my entrepreneurial community ezine! Join in the column to your right.

Much gratitude,