The Ultimate Guide to Building your Email List

Person typing on a laptop with floating email icons, overlaid text reads 'The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Email List' with decorative stars and balloon animals.

Keep your kids' entertainer business busy.

As an entertainer, you probably want to get more bookings to fill your calendar and generate more income. And you likely want to work with dream clients who appreciate your creativity and pay you well for your services.

Bookings help to keep your business afloat and ensure that you're constantly bringing in new revenue. But working with dream clients is what will help you to thrive. Dream clients value your work, are willing to pay what you're worth, and are generally a pleasure to work with.

So how do you go about getting more of both? 

Offer something unique, educational, helpful, entertaining- anything that gives value to your target clients and keeps them close to you.

We all know that people are more likely to buy from businesses they see as providing value. You're seriously missing out if you're not already giving away free stuff on your website. Not only is offering useful, free stuff a great way to grow your email list, but it also keeps your business at the top of people’s minds whenever they have a need for a service like yours. 

The power of an email list

It's no secret that an email list is one of the most important tools for marketing your biz. 

The first step is to gather potential customers' emails from social media platforms such as Facebook & Instagram (even LinkedIn).  

Another way to collect emails is to have a website.

A website is a perfect way to grow your email list. It not only allows you to interact with people, but these days you can access easy-to-use tools and widgets for your website that make building up subscribers easier than ever before! 

Here’s how it works: You invite folks to subscribe to your weekly or daily newsletter in exchange for something: like brochures, discount coupons, or some valuable tips. Keep reading for more ideas of what you might use to tempt people into joining your list.

If you don’t have a website yet, there are many user-friendly web hosts and content-management systems out there that you can use to help you build one. . But, if you're looking for something specific and user-friendly, I recommend using WordPress. 

Bloggers and business owners often use WordPress due to its flexibility and various design options.

Now, maybe you have both – social media ads and a website. You're all set to meet customers. 

The challenge is, how can you grow your email list? 

The answer to that question is by providing free value.

Let's face it. We're all suckers for a good deal. Free stuff is the ultimate bargain, so people will sit up and take notice if you're offering something for free. 

Give people what they want and need. I'm talking about more than just an article here. I'm talking about offering downloadable materials that benefit your audience and target prospects.

By giving away something of value, you also increase engagement, generate leads and build brand awareness.

Now let me show you FIVE downloadable materials for your website to give value and grow your email list.

1. Activity Sheets

We all know how important it is to give our visitors something worthwhile when they visit your site. And let me tell you, you can't go wrong with activity sheets! 

Activity sheets are perfect for people of all ages. Kids love colorful pictures, games, coloring sheets, connect-the-dots, mazes, crosswords, and matching games. Adults will appreciate the opportunity to learn or practice something new. Some activities can even help kids and parents spend quality time together!

Create engaging printables that will keep them busy- and keep your brand in front of them- even when they’re away from the screen.

Puzzles is a great material that can be used as freebies, so you'll have something new for people when they join your email list!

Puzzles are the perfect freebie. You can engage your customers and build brand loyalty as well! How? This activity has been proven to get people hooked. 

They're a great way to take your mind off things and relax, and change focus. How wonderful to be able to provide a service to help your subscribers to calm down if they’re feeling stressed or anxious!

Puzzles can also be a great way to challenge yourself and keep your mind sharp. They can help improve problem-solving skills and memory, and they can be a lot of fun with friends or family members. For sure it’s not hard to convince people of their value.

2. Coloring Books

When you're looking for new ways to keep yourself occupied during a hectic day, try creating another freebie for your website to give your audience more value.

Every parent is looking for materials and resources that they can use to help their little learners, and coloring books are such an excellent tool for this. The interactive images will provide hours of entertainment and learning that kids can enjoy!

Kids will have fun figuring out how each picture works before they begin their project, and the parents might browse through your website to find more. Who knows? They might stumble upon your services and decide to book you for their next event.

3. Ebooks

The main reason your audience lands on your website is that they are looking for information. And there is no better way to teach them than with ebooks.

Parents know that nothing beats books as the best investment. And we are not talking about one book. We are talking about a library of ebook options that will surely hook your audience's interests. 

Ebooks are easy and fast for customers to download. Without the bulk of pages, they are an unlimited resource you don't need to give away manually.

Once your target audience sees the vast value and discovers that they can get it for free, they will never say no to a collection of valuable reads. This is great leverage for boosting your email list.

4. Recipes

Tablet displaying a homemade pasta recipe with ingredients like flour, eggs, fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, and a blue pot on a wooden kitchen counter.

A recipe guide is an excellent option for downloadable content, as everyone loves finding new recipes to try. People love getting free stuff, and if your content is good, they'll gladly give you their email address in exchange. 

It's something people will use, so they won't feel like they've wasted time downloading it. If you don't have the time or resources to create a guide, there are plenty of places where you can find high-quality recipes online. 

Just make sure to choose recipes that are easy to follow and that use readily available ingredients. Once you've got your guide, all you need to do is add a sign-up form to your website and wait for the emails to start rolling in!

5. Invitation templates

An invitation template is a perfect example of something you could offer as a free download. If you run a business or host events, you've had to design invitations before. Can’t design something yourself? It’s easy to hire a designer through websites like Fiverr or Upwork to do it for you.

By providing a ready-made template, you're making it easy for people to get their invitations created - and making it more likely that they'll use your services in the future. Not only will this help you grow your email list, but it will also give potential customers a taste of your creative work. 

So go ahead and try it - you might be surprised how many people are willing to sign up for your email list in exchange for some free goodies!

There you have it! A simple but highly effective resource to quickly grow your email list. 

You know what they say, the best things in life are free. And that's especially true when it comes to downloadable material on websites. After all, what's not to love about free stuff? 

You can get your hands on some great content without spending a dime. 

Plus, it's a win-win for everyone involved. Your visitors get some great content, and you get a chance to build your list.

You can't build a successful business without first establishing an engaged audience. The more people who subscribe, the higher your chance of capturing their attention and creating curiosity for what's coming next for your biz. 

They will always check your website for the things you have in store. And maintaining this level of engagement will allow them to connect with you more and trust your services. Some have taken this brilliant strategy for granted; don't be one of them.

The fact that you're reading this means you are in search of growth in your biz.

You're on the right track!

The kids entertainment industry is becoming more and more competitive. With so many people trying to get into this field, you have to keep up with the latest trends and try out new strategies for your work to stand out and thrive.

To help you stay on top of everything, Kids Entertainers Hub is here to help you. 

Access the library of lectures from experts in the field and courses explicitly designed around what you need for tips and tricks that you can apply to your business today.