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Newsletter: What to offer potentials to get them to sign up

by Moneymiseh
9 replies
I basically run a web design company and was trying to gather email addresses the legit way. As a web designer what kind of tactics would you recommend to get people to sign up. I understand people won't sign up for the newsletter unless its beneficial obviously in some way or another for them. I was thinking something along the lines of "sign up for our newsletter to learn when there are available discounts on web design services"

Any help, guidance, or personal opinions would be greatly appreciated.
#newsletter #offer #potentials #sign
  • Profile picture of the author concentrator
    I think you could run a web design blog and send posts to subscribers too. Share your experience, tips, and interests, be personal.
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Originally Posted by Moneymiseh View Post

    I basically run a web design company and was trying to gather email addresses the legit way. As a web designer what kind of tactics would you recommend to get people to sign up. I understand people won't sign up for the newsletter unless its beneficial obviously in some way or another for them. I was thinking something along the lines of "sign up for our newsletter to learn when there are available discounts on web design services"

    Any help, guidance, or personal opinions would be greatly appreciated.
    Actually, that's a pretty weak offer. To my mind, that might appeal to people who need web design services, but it isn't urgent. Not the ideal client.

    If you specialize in one particular type of website, say business sites for Mom-and-Pop restaurants, tailor your newsletter to helping them ring the register more often. Offer tips, case studies, etc. on how to improve business using a web site. Explain different features and how they can be used to either get new customers, get old customers to buy more often or how to get any customer to spend more.

    In other words, make the newsletter valuable enough to charge for, demonstrate your knowledge and expertise, and use the offer of exclusive, subscriber-only discounts as a kicker.

    Develop a short piece of content you can give away as a "signing bonus", maybe a report or video on some aspect of web design that many people have questions on. Don't be afraid of revealing some big secret - DIY types aren't going to be your main target, anyway.

    It sounds counterintuitive, but revealing the process in excruciating detail can actually push people to hire a pro to do something that looks like "too much work".
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  • Profile picture of the author RuthRNM
    Totally agree with John's comments here - make them an offer that they can get straightaway, that they won't be able to resist. Discounts in the future is pretty vague, so create something that they'll want to get their hands on right now. That'll be the difference between them signing up and not.

    The freebie should, as John also mentions, be something that people would happily pay for. Make it the best quality you can, because that's the very first impression that people will get of your services. You need to make them think 'if this is what I get for free, imagine what I'll get if I'm paying for it'! Something along the lines of 'ten quick fixes for your website to generate more sales today' could be a good plan. You can always create the product then tweak the title to find something that converts really well.

    I'm personally leaning towards dropping the word 'newsletter' from my incentives altogether. Rightly or wrongly, it's a term that's often associated with spam. Obviously it's always worthwhile testing what really works for your audience, but something along the lines of 'get access to our web design mastermind resources, delivered straight to your inbox' could work.

    Good luck! :-)
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by RuthRNM View Post

      I'm personally leaning towards dropping the word 'newsletter' from my incentives altogether. Rightly or wrongly, it's a term that's often associated with spam. Obviously it's always worthwhile testing what really works for your audience, but something along the lines of 'get access to our web design mastermind resources, delivered straight to your inbox' could work.

      Good luck! :-)
      In some markets, like IM/MMO, you are spot on. In the niches I'm most active in, newsletter and ezine are both still acceptable. It does help quite a bit if you 'seed the mine' by putting at least one sample issue on your site, though.
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      • Profile picture of the author Moneymiseh
        Thank you so much. It looks like I have alot of planning to do but this is great. I never thought of sharing some of the secrets maybe I could create a private youtube video the first one would be public but an example and others would be sign up access only, or I could create downloadable pdfs of tips and tricks of web design.

        I really need to actually find out who is my target audience because I create work for all sorts of clients such as business, creative, etc. I am not partial really but I should probably focus on what makes me the most money. Which business is more likely to pay and reliable. Obviously mom and pops business can be iffy at time but thats not to say that bigger companies won't try to dodge the bill either.

        In any case I think I could come up with a more creative way of saying "Sign up for our newsletter" maybe "Fill out this form to get all the issues for free" or "Sign up here for our the latest tip and tricks in web design". Thanks for wishing me luck I really appreciate all the feedback.
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        • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
          Originally Posted by Moneymiseh View Post

          Obviously mom and pops business can be iffy at time but thats not to say that bigger companies won't try to dodge the bill either.
          It depends on the Mom-and-Pop business. Some of them do millions of dollars in volume per year. Back when I was actively consulting, I found them easier to work with than the big boys when it came to payment.

          On the other hand, the Accounts Payable pros at big companies are masters of the slow-pay unless you offer them a really good reason to pay you on time (like a good discount).
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  • Profile picture of the author TheNewGuy2010
    Run something about internet security and how small businesses need to protect themselves from hackers. Incorporate the value of having a well designed and secure website into your content.



    Originally Posted by Moneymiseh View Post

    I basically run a web design company and was trying to gather email addresses the legit way. As a web designer what kind of tactics would you recommend to get people to sign up. I understand people won't sign up for the newsletter unless its beneficial obviously in some way or another for them. I was thinking something along the lines of "sign up for our newsletter to learn when there are available discounts on web design services"

    Any help, guidance, or personal opinions would be greatly appreciated.
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    Gone Fishing....
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  • Profile picture of the author imeasysales
    You could offer discounted web design services. Or what you could do is to get them to sign up, give away some free website templates or graphics. Then when they are signed up you could monetize the list by promoting your services and selling templates and even web design guides.
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  • Profile picture of the author carol951
    I would put an opt in box on my site above the fold and offer something of value for free. for example, a free report or video on website maintenance...
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