Optin List … What’s that got to do with social media marketing?

Alot, actually. Whatcha gonna do with all that directed traffic you get from your social media marketing efforts? Listen, I’ve never said the old school isn’t worth anything. The key is to tweak those old school marketing staples to better fit your new and dynamic audience. Building your optin list will benefit your bottom line… getting your social media marketing traffic to optin is the challenge. Typically over-saturated with sign-ups being shoved down their throat — your social media marketing audience needs a different approach to entice them to optin. Here are some great tips we’ve used with our clients to make sure their social media audience gets on their list:

• Go beyond the standard eBook “bonus” — eBooks are so yesterday, not only in their format, but in the way they engage or communicate with your audience. Its very difficult to have an authentic, social voice with eBooks. Not to mention, your social media audience will likely find it cumbersome and annoying to have to read a 30 page book. Audio mini-courses, videos, free memberships, and other incentives have to be set to encourage your social media audience to sign-up. If your not thinking out-of-the-box or beyond the basics to build your list, you will miss the boat with your social media audience.
• Stop all that long sales-pitch nonsense — Your just getting them on your list. Be brief, your social media audience doesn’t have time to read a long pitch. You’ve got their attention for 5-7 seconds, MAX, use it wisely. What is it? How will it benefit me? That’s it. Stop trying to get their full address, their first born, AND have them confirm. You need the confirmation, so keep the rest to a minimum. There is a school of online marketing thought that says get all you can, at first try, you never know if the Internet is going to crash, or they believe you need to spend hundreds to publish a print newsletter and mail it to them. First, does anyone remember recieving those and how many they actually read? Second, those of us who know, know that the more you ask for - the less likely they are to sign-up. BUT, once you get them on your list, if you know what your doing, you’ll not only get all that mailing address, but much, much more information. So… why would you skip that opportunity by decreasing your optins with nonsense?
• Again, stop with all that sales-pitch nonsense – Yes, its big enough to say it twice! And since we’re still on this topic, stop with all the info-mercial type ezine graphics. Again, you don’t need to shove it down their throat, especially about how your weekly ezine can literally change their entire life. Get real. Yes, point out the benefits, but for your social media audience, simple is better - use it more as a branding tool than an online billboard. We suggest clients create their “standard” ezine cover, sales pitch and all. Then create a second one for their more savvy online users - you know, the ones that are not impressed, give them a sharp, simple branded graphic. The point here is that your social media audience is likely very different in behavior than your average Jane (or Joe). They tend to be more sophisticated with technology, chances are they go deeper into the Internet so they’ve seen it all, they are also very active on research, and rarely do they impulse buy on things such as professional services. Don’t insult their intelligence with cheezy graphics and hype.

Wherever you find your audience, whether in social media, blogging, or direct marketing — be sensitive to their needs, and communicate with them, where they are at. Its called conversational marketing for a reason. Engage your audience and don’t hype things, you’ll double your optins by keeping it simple and adding value to your user.

To Your Success,

Maria Reyes-McDavis

The Solopreneur’s Social Media Marketing Expert

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