Building an email list from scratch as a consultant can feel daunting. I know, because I’ve been there!
But the benefits of list building are many. It’s a way to cultivate client prospects, stay on clients’ radars, demonstrate your expertise and value-add, and even start earning passive income.
Here are three strategies for list building that have been working well for consultants lately.
3 Strategies to Build Your Consulting Email List
1) Offer free webinars or workshops
Everyone loves a budget of “free.” So, if there’s a specific area where you have deep expertise—such as grant writing or nonprofit budgeting—offering a free webinar or workshop can be a great way to get in front of many potential prospects.
If you already have a bit of reach, you can offer webinars directly. You could share your event on LinkedIn, with people in your network, and even through other consultants’ email lists (depending on your relationship).
If you’re starting from scratch with your list or consulting business, you can partner with someone else on the event. Partners could include a small business center, a local community foundation, a business that serves the nonprofit community in a different way (such as software), or even another consulting business.
Whatever you do, be sure that after the webinar, you will get all participants’ email addresses (plus names and affiliations if possible) so you can add them to your list.
2) Present at nonprofit conferences or convenings
Another way to get in front of nonprofit client prospects is by presenting at conferences, convenings, or other types of events that bring together your target audience. For large, national events, you may need to apply to be on a panel or make a presentation. For local gatherings, you may be able to reach out to the organizer directly and offer your services.
Be sure your presentation is focused, high-quality, and relates to your specific area or areas of expertise. You want to “wow” your audience.
As with webinars and workshops, be sure to ask organizers about getting attendee information. If organizers aren’t willing to share a full attendee list, you can always give those who come to your panel a chance to “opt in” for a freebie by using a QR code, dedicated website, or another signup tool.
3) Give away free tools
Offering a free tool—especially a great one—is one of the top ways to get people to “opt in” to your email list. You can offer free tools on your websites (called lead magnets), on your social profiles and posts, and at webinars, workshops, and conferences.
Like your presentations, free tools should be useful and should show off your expertise.
Note that whatever you provide doesn’t have to be long or complicated. For example, at Funding for Good, one of our first free tools was a grant readiness checklist, which was very popular.
Bonus Tip: Hone your voice and expertise
Getting in front of prospective clients is just your first step. Once people have signed up for your webinar or joined your email list, now is your chance to impress them.
With the world of AI, people can find generic advice for free on demand. You need to offer more.
Be sure to give your audience guidance and insights from someone who has firsthand experience. Share examples, talk about common challenges you see, and even delve into what works, what doesn’t work, and why.
Don’t be afraid to show a little personality. Voice, approach, perspective, and personality can set your consulting services apart from others in the field.
If you’re looking for more support on any of these areas, whether it’s services, list-building, or finding your niche, we offer business coaching specifically for nonprofit consultants.
