When you’re marketing to a list by email, it’s not just about numbers. Your subscribers need to be responsive if you want to see results. If you’ve got thousands of subscribers who don’t buy, you still get squat.
The best way to build your list is to offer a freebie to get them to sign up. Once you’ve got that in place and your list is growing, you still need to nurture that list if you want them to respond to your offers. Here are some ways that you can do that.
Offer Value
Instead of thinking, ‘What products or services can I sell on my list,’ think about it this way – ‘What is something they want and can use?’ Make sure that you understand what kinds of things they want and need, and craft your offers to meet that need. Keep the value coming. Why else would they want to open your email messages?
It’s also good to give them some variety. Mix up offers with freebies and messages that are purely informational. Share information with them that they need to know. If you’ve got some variety going, they’ll be more curious to see what you’re offering this time, instead of just thinking it’s more of the same. Keep them guessing and they’ll be more interested in opening your messages.
Never Send Them Garbage
The purpose of your email messages is to brand you as a friendly authority in your niche who provides stuff your audience can use. The stuff has to be consistently good. If you offer one lousy product, it can do lots of damage to the solid reputation for quality that you’re building. That reputation needs to be spotless.
Before you offer any affiliate products to your list, check them out yourself and make sure they’re up to par quality-wise. It’s really easy to get lazy and not do this, but it’s extremely important.
Be Consistent
If you decide to send one email a week, do one a week. If you decide on three times a week, send three messages. How much or how little isn’t nearly as important as just being consistent. If you disappear for too long, they’ll forget about you and all that momentum you built up will be wasted.
Make It Personal
Don’t sound like an autoresponder. Show your personal side sometimes and don’t always be strictly business. Showing your human side engenders trust and builds your brand. Being a human being sets you apart from many of the other email lists they might be on.
Sometimes, instead of an offer, share with them a joke, story, inspirational message or some news about your life. But do it once in a while – if you flood their inboxes with personal rants, they’ll unsubscribe.
Stay Connected
Finally, as much as possible, try to connect with your list subscribers elsewhere. Communicate them on social media sites or your blog. Interact with them on as many different mediums as possible so that you’re not just the list guy/gal. The more ways they feel that they can participate in what you do, the more response you’ll get from them.
Here’s your Tweet (be sure to include the link to your content or article!):
Got an email list… now what?! Here are 5 ways to build a responsive, engaging list of subscribers.
