Are you wondering how to grow your email list quickly? Well, have you heard about a little thing called a resource library?
A resource library is basically a page on your website where you have all of your optin freebies in one spot. This magical resource library page is irresistible to your website visitors because they get access to all sorts of information and tools that will teach them exactly what they want to learn.
A resource library provides extra value to your blog that regular readers wouldn’t get. Casual visitors to your blog will rush to sign up to get that exclusive content and it will make your subscribers feel like VIP members.
So, ready to grow your email list? Here’s how to create a resource library to boost email subscribers.
Create Awesome Resources
The first step to creating an awesome resource library is to gather and create the resources you’ll offer. The resources you offer have to be useful to your target audience and valuable enough to make them want to sign up. To get an idea of what your audience is most interested in, check out your blog analytics to find out what your most popular blog posts are and base your resources around those topics.
Some of the most popular resources for a resource library include:
- Guides
- Worksheets
- Templates
- Checklists
- Cheatsheets
All of these resources can provide value to your audience and they’re also not too difficult or time-consuming to create. If you’ve already created lead magnets to boost your email list before, you can include those in your resource library as well.
Aside from your own resources, you can also provide links to other useful tutorials and tools online that you recommend.
Remember, don’t just type up a simple Google Doc for your resource library. Your resources should be nicely formatted and designed to make them user friendly and appealing.
Build Your Resource Library Page in WordPress
Next, you need to create a new page on your WordPress blog for your resource library. So, create a new page in WordPress like you normally would, title the page “Resource Library”, “My Toolkit”, or something similar, and include a brief introduction and description of what users will find there.
Instead of just adding links to your resources, consider creating thumbnails to make your page look more professional and pleasing to the eye. Take a look at the example below for inspiration.
Now, you only want the people who have subscribed to your email list to get access to your resource library so you need to password protect the page. When creating your page in WordPress, on the right side of the screen you’ll see an option for visibility. Click “edit” and select “password protected”. Just remember to choose a password that somehow relates to your brand and is easy for users to remember.
Another Tip: Going forward, if you want to turn your resource library into another revenue stream for your business, you can use a membership WordPress plugin like MemberPress. With MemberPress you can easily control which users see what content based on what membership they’ve purchased and it offers simple payment gateway integration.
Create a Welcome Email Series
When users sign up for access to your resource library you’ll want to send them a welcome email. With an email marketing service you can set up welcome emails to send automatically whenever a user opts in.
Your welcome email series should thank users for subscribing, introduce people to you, and let them know what they can expect.
In your first welcome email is when you’ll send subscribers the password to your resource library so that they can start using it right away.
Promote Your Resource Library
You won’t be able to grow your email list with your resource library if your website visitors don’t know it exists. So, start promoting your resource library.
One effective way to promote your resource library is with an exit-intent popup from OptinMonster like the one below.
With OptinMonster’s exit-intent popups, you can track when a user is about to leave your site and grab their attention at exactly the right time with a targeted message encouraging them to provide their email address in exchange for access to your awesome resource library.
It’s also a good idea to create a landing page to promote your resource library. Landing pages remove all other distractions, making users more likely to sign up. You can easily build a landing page using a tool like Beaver Builder.
Your landing page should include a sleek image to increase engagement, information about the benefits of signing up for your resource library, and an online form so users can easily sign up.
Grow Your Email List Like Crazy with a Resource Library
Once you put together a resource library that’s packed full of amazing tips and tricks for your audience, they’ll rush to sign up and become not just a casual visitor but a dedicated subscriber. Plus, your subscribers are your biggest fans so it’s much easier to turn them into paying customers down the line. So, start creating a resource library today.