Do you have a plan for building your email list?
And is Facebook Live part of that plan?
If your answer to either of these questions is a big fat NO, you’re throwing away a TON of money!
In this article, I share why you need an email list, and how you can use Facebook Live to grow your list way faster than you think possible.
What’s the big deal about having an email list?
There are two types of business owners: those who don’t build an email list, and those who succeed J
In all seriousness though, your email list is your #1 tool for driving traffic, leads and sales – or at least should be.
In our case, our email list accounts for a whopping 80% of all our revenue – so it’s KIND OF important for us!
According to all the research, it’s pretty important to other business owners too. For instance, according to eMarketer, the vast majority of business owners say email is their #1 channel for acquisition and retention. This means email beats out search, paid search, and even social media.
 So, it’s pretty clear that email marketing is important and effective. But you may still be wondering what makes it so much better than SEO, social media or paid ads.
Why is your email list SO important?
Imagine this scenario: You wake up tomorrow, pour yourself a cup of coffee, and sit down at your laptop. You’re all set to carry out your morning routine of checking your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram/Pinterest/LinkedIn.
But when you go to log in to your accounts, you find something odd (and terrifying): your social media accounts all appear to have been shut down.
How will you reach your audience? How are you supposed to get traffic to your site? How will you respond to your customers’ questions? How are you going to make sales??
While all of social media is unlikely to shut down (especially all at once!), it’s a good scenario to imagine periodically. It forces you to ask yourself, “If I were suddenly unable to use social media, how would I reach my customers?”
The answer, of course, is through your email list.
Your list is the ONLY asset you truly own online. Everything else is essentially “rented land” – and why would you build your business on rented land rather than on your own land?
Your email list gives you direct access to your customers’ inboxes, allowing you to reach them anytime. And, you’re not dependent on any other website, business or platform in order to do it!
How to use Facebook Live to build your list
Now to the meat of this post: how to build your list using Facebook Live.
If you follow me on Facebook, you know I’m a HUGE fan of using Facebook Live.
I regularly use it to share info, make announcements, do training and connect with my Facebook fans.
As you also probably know, I’ve written a bunch of content on how to use Facebook Live. Here are some posts you might want to check out:
How To Do Your First Facebook Live Broadcast
Facebook Live offers a number of important benefits to business owners, including:
- Better reach and engagement as compared to standard Facebook posts
- The ability to connect with fans on a more personal level
- The chance to directly or indirectly promote your products or services
- The ability to promote your email list to your Facebook fans
It’s this last benefit I’m going to focus on for the rest of this post. Following is a step-by-step strategy for building your email list using Facebook Live.
1. Create an irresistible lead magnet
Example of a lead magnet on my site: The Ultimate Facebook Ads Jump Start Guide
A lead magnet (aka “opt-in offer”, “freebie”, “ethical bribe”) is simply an amazing, free “something” that will entice people to join your email list. It could be a downloadable guide, checklist, eBook, webinar, whitepaper, etc.
The important thing is that this content cannot be available elsewhere on your site (at least not all in one spot).
While you should have at least one opt-in offer, I highly recommend offering multiple freebies on different topics. You’ll see why this is so important in a minute.
*Keep in mind that not all email marketing programs will allow you to offer multiple freebies. For instance, Mailchimp only allows you to offer one at a time, while aWeber lets you offer an unlimited number.
Want to see if your current lead magnet is up to snuff? Read this: Check Your Lead Magnet For GREATNESS In 60 Seconds.
2. Create a dedicated landing page just for your freebie
Dedicated landing page for my 27 Killer Facebook Post Ideas guide
Your landing page is KEY to turning your Facebook Live visitors into email subscribers. If your page is poorly executed, unattractive or doesn’t hold your visitors’ attention, all your hard work of getting traffic is for nothing.
Here are some tips for making sure your opt-in page converts:
- Make the URL short and descriptive (so when you promote it on Facebook Live people can easily remember it)
- Include one (and only one) call to action (e.g., “Get my free Facebook post ideas”)
- Make the benefits very clear. People want to know “what’s in it for them”, so make this very clear from the get-go
- Use testimonials and social proof (e.g., social counters)
- Use buttons rather than text for your call to action
For more on how to create a great landing page, see my post 7 Steps To A Highly-Converting Opt-In Page.
3. Do a Facebook Live on a topic related to your freebie
Now that you’ve got an irresistible lead magnet and a corresponding landing page, choose a related topic for your Facebook Live.
For instance, if your lead magnet is an eBook called “10 Ways For New Moms To Get In Shape”, your Facebook Live could be a live demonstration of a few postpartum exercises.
Or if your lead magnet is a guide about how to “close the sale”, your Facebook Live could be about how to find new customers.
The important thing is that your opt-in offer should be on a topic that’s related to your Facebook Live, but it should take things a step further.
Ideally, ask yourself what questions your viewers will likely be asking during your broadcast, or what problems they’ll need further help with after watching it.
Then offer the solution via your freebie! You can do this either indirectly or directly. The last two steps will show you how to do this.
4. Promote a blog post that promotes your freebie
This is the indirect method of promoting your freebie. Here’s how it works: Write a blog post on a similar topic to your Facebook Live. At least once or twice during your broadcast, tell your audience about it.
The logic is that viewers may be more likely to go to a blog post rather than directly to an opt-in offer. This may be particularly true if your audience tends to be “gun shy” when it comes to handing over their email!
Here are a few strategies you can use to promote your blog post during and after your Facebook Live:
- Directly spell out the blog post’s URL: e.g., “Go to kimgarst.com/how-to-start-a-blog for more tips”. Be sure to keep the URL as short and direct as possible so people can remember the URL if they aren’t able to write it down.
- Show the URL on a notecard or paper
- Show the actual blog post on your screen or via screensharing
- Include it in your Facebook Live description
Simply sharing a blog post isn’t enough, however. You need to make sure that blog post promotes your freebie.
You can do this by linking to the freebie within your post or after your post, putting your offer in your sidebar, or promoting it via a pop up box.
As with your freebie and your Facebook Live, make sure your blog post is on a related topic!
Remember that each successive “step” (Facebook Live à Blog post à Freebie) should expand on, clarify, or unpack more detail on the topic at hand.
Here’s an example:
Facebook Live: 3 Ways To Make Money With Your Website
Facebook post: 10 Mind-Blowing Blogging For Profits Tips
Freebie: Downloadable Blogging For Profits Checklist
As you can see, each of these covers the same general topic, but takes things just a bit further each time. This is the key to moving people through your funnel!
 5. Promote your freebie directly
Most of the time you’ll be promoting your freebie indirectly. However, every once in a while you’ll want to explicitly promote something.
This is often the case when your lead magnet is something time-limited and you really want to draw attention to it (e.g., a live webinar).
In this case, you’ll want to talk about your freebie directly in your Facebook Live. Let your viewers know what it’s all about, who it’s for, what benefits they’ll receive from it, and exactly how they can access it.
Ideally, mention your freebie sometime during your broadcast, as well as at the very end (as your call to action).
Be sure to direct your viewers to the dedicated landing page you created in #2, as this is where they’ll enter their info for access to your free product.
Final thoughts
Facebook Live can be a highly effective way to build your email list. Because it’s such a personal, casual medium, your viewers will be more likely to trust you, and to take action by signing up for your list.
Are you using Facebook Live to grow your email list? If so, what strategies are you using? Share below!
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Excelent artcile about Facebook. Congratulations!
Hi Kim, I had not thought of using Facebook Live this way. But I am sure that this method for the build list can do wonders with an engaged audience on Facebook.