HOW TO CREATE AND AUTOMATE AN OPT-IN, A STEP BY STEP GUIDE

Back in January, I wrote a blog post about how entrepreneurs should "Automate elements of your Business, but never your relationships." That blog came because of getting automated reply messages on LinkedIn, and how unpersonal I feel those are.

This time though, I want to take about those "Elements of your business" that you could be automating in order to save you time.

Just last week, I found a Google Chrome Extension called "Group Leads" that you can connect to your Facebook Group and once you approve a new member, you can automate an email, tag them in a welcome post in your group and send them a welcome DM.

If you have never gotten your hands dirty with automations before, there is one area that could be a good practice... setting up an automation upon email opt-in. Here's the step by step, play by play of how to do that.

For this example, I'm going to start with a free program like Mailerlite, and when you feel more comfortable you can move onto bigger and better things.

1. Design an opt-in - save as a PDF

(Optional: Design a mockup on Canva or Mediamodifier.com with the cover as a promo image)

2. Create a video to go with your opt-in (optional) - upload to YouTube as "unlisted" + Create a Thumbnail image for the video

3. Design a "Thank you Page" - secret/hidden page on your website. This is where you will host the video and the PDF.

3. In Mailerlite: Create a "Form" for this particular opt-in (Embedded). - Customize your form with a name and a reason why they want to sign up.

Under the "Card" you can select one to add your mock up photo.

Click on the edit pencil on the email box, to add more fields, like their name.

This is how it could look:

Also, Be sure to go to the settings section - click on confirmation check box + Success message. Add the URL to your thank you page!

4. Next Click on "Automation" then "Create Workflow" - Name your workflow with the name of your opt-in

5. Select "When a person fills out a form" and then "select the form" where you want them to be added to. It should look like this:

6. Set Delay for 0 Minutes

7. Add Email - Create an email that has the link to the link to your thank you page where they can watch the video and download the PDF. Be sure to give them a link to your calendar to book a time to chat with you.

8. Feel like adding more emails? From here you can continue sending them emails (ie: 1-day after = Follow Up, 3 days after = Did you Know, 7 days after = Value bomb 10 days after = Offer.) If you have a product, you can also consider offering a coupon code/ free shipping/ free with purchase to entice a sale.

9. Once you are satisfied with your sequence, you'll need to turn the "Automation ON" to make sure that works.

10. Go back to your form and grab the Embed Code. Go to your website and add a section where you'd like to place a form. For this to work, you will have to use a < > code or look for something that says EMBED. Just placing the code on your website won't work if you don't select the proper feature.

ALTERNATIVE: If you don't have a website function like that, you can alternatively grab the URL for your embed form (look for SHARE URL) - That URL can be placed anywhere on your website, in the navigation, as a button, in your linktr.ee, you can even turn it into a bitly to shorten the link and make it a little prettier.

Example: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/w0s2p2

Now, do a test run, enter a test name and your email address and make sure that you are getting to your Thank You Page + getting a confirmation email in your inbox. Test the links to make sure everything works!

Be sure to register for the "Elevate your Online Presence in 3-days" event on April 11th-13th 2022. Learn more/ Register here: https://bit.ly/Elevate-Online-Presence