Your website isn’t going to knock on doors

You’ve just invested in a beautiful new website that tells the world what you have to offer in an attractive and compelling way. The photographs and written content are perfect for your ideal clients. You’ve done your marketing, right?

Er, no. Your website isn’t going to jump into people’s inboxes, phone anyone or knock on doors. You’ll need to do some outreach. Blogging, posting on social media sites, and networking in person are all constructive options. And — contrary to popular belief — the number one most important marketing conduit at this point in time? Your email list.

We find that most of our new clients have neglected their lists, to put it gently. Forgotten to collect lists of attendees at their speaking engagements (where permitted, and it often is). Not added folks who have expressed an interest. Often don’t even have a list. Ooops. Before you publish your first book or launch your first website, in fact, right now — start your list.

We love Squarespace Email Campaigns, a new add-on feature for beautifully branded email marketing directly from your website. Their Starter plan is $5 a month (at this writing), and we’ve found it less expensive for larger lists than Mailchimp. Squarespace aesthetically tops Mailchimp; but Mailchimp’s is free to up to 500 contacts and can be a place to start.  

Whatever platform you choose, open an account and start collecting names. We’ll embed an opt-in feature right on your site and devise ways to entice your ideal clients to sign up. Start your list with friends, colleagues, and allies, and soon, your friendly messages will be tucked into people’s inboxes, saying hello and bringing your beautiful new website with the services you offer right to them. Do this regularly, and people will know you’re for real and keep you in mind.

That’s marketing — building and maintaining relationships. You’ll like it. It’s friendly.