Getting traffic to your page or website may come as a challenge. The first initial 1,000 subscribers, seem to be the most difficult part of starting digital marketing. There are some pretty straightforward and easy ways to do this.  The main thing you need to understand is you need to understand who your ideal customer is. You need to know their problems and what you can do to help solve them. If you have that figured out, then it’s on to these next steps. Let’s get started!

Step #1: The 10 Person Rule

The easy mental trap you can get yourself into at the very beginning is thinking too large too fast. You have to start small. This is where the 10 Person Rule comes into play.

The first thing you need to do is find 10 people you know. They need to be people you know would benefit from your information and writing. It can be anyone. Friends, family, or co-workers. After you figure those 10 people out, you will want to ask them these questions:

  1. What’s your biggest frustration when learning about [topic]?
  2. Which websites, blogs, or forums do you currently visit to learn about [topic]?
  3. I’m starting a new site to teach [topic]. I’d love for you to be one of my beta readers. Interested?

Once they answer this, this will be your first 10 email subscribers. You’ll know where your audience likes to go for their information. You will also get ideas for your next few blog posts.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Every time you get more subscribers, you go through the same process. You will get new responses and suggestions. It keeps giving you content ideas. This is a powerful strategy. People are doing this with up to 1000 new subscribers. Give it a try, you need to crawl before you can walk. 

Step #2: Teach a Specific Topic

People are way more protective of their email addresses in today’s times. It’s personal information. They will only give it out to someone they trust or if they are receiving value from the exchange. 

Asking people to join your newsletter is not a good idea. The reason being it’s doesn’t present any value and is vague. The proper way to do this is to teach something. Doing this offers value. It can be a link to a video, a webinar, a blog post, a guide, or even a course you have made. “ Get a free course on online marketing” sounds better than “join my newsletter”.

People with problems want them solved. When you offer them a solution, there is less resistance. Instead of asking them to sign up, they will be asking you for help. Here is how to do this:

  1. Think about your audience. What problem might they be experiencing right now in their life, related to your topic?
  2. Can you help them solve that problem? Yes, you can. Write down the steps they need to take. It doesn’t matter how many.
  3. Now write emails on each of those steps and bundle them together as an email course. 
  4. Offer it for free on your blog or website, and set up the emails as a drip sequence after someone signs up. You can set this up with your autoresponder. 
  5. You made an email course. 

It is that easy. They will click on your link. They will put their email address in. They will get your course through an email series. They trust you now, maybe they will trust you enough to buy a product to help them further in the future.

Step #3: Build Relationships

When you are building your list, remember it’s not just a list. They are not email addresses. They are people. They are your audience. They need to develop a bond of KLT. If you don’t know what those letters stand for it means to know, love, and trust you. They are there for help. Focus on them as your tribe to mentor and help. You need to be intentional. You need to focus on giving value. Focus on these things and your list will grow quickly.

There you go! Try these out for yourself and see how it goes. Your list should start growing in no time. I hope this helps you succeed. ‘Till next time!