10 is better than 1
by Craig Raphael
I think that we all agree by now that the money really is in “the list”. When a marketer starts out marketing online, one of the first things you should be working on is gaining subscribers or your own “list”. Understanding the importance of your own list is one thing, but understanding the power of that list and the laws that govern that list is a whole new ball game. It was an inevitable occurrence that “spammers” have made things worse for the good marketers so a good marketer must now be aware of the spam laws and if/when/how to get around them. Legally of course.
Having your own opt in list is NOT just about having a list of people that you can blast emails to and hope that someone buys something from you. A good marketer understands that showing that subscriber respect is as important as having “the list” in the first place. There is absolutely no better way to show respect to your subscriber than educating them and giving them valuable resources. Some of these resources will be paid for but some should be free, in the way of pure content. There are many ways you can make people subscribe to your list, but there are also some things you must do to avoid you valued subscribers from wanting to get off from your list. Otherwise referred to as “unsubscribing”.
Educating and respecting your subscribers will be key in having a successful email campaign. The ways in which you show respect are having an “unsubscribe” link in all emails. This is required by law. Giving them free and valuable information or products is another. Most importantly, in my opinion, is to not blast them emails every day and flood their inbox with a ton of emails from you every day. Many marketers may disagree but I feel like emailing your subscriber more than 2 or 3 times per week, unless something special is going on, is too much.
Sure, people subscribe to the list; they want to receive the newsletters and promotional materials. They have consented to being on the list by subscribing themselves, but that doesn’t mean that they were hoping that you would please flood their inboxes with a bunch of sales material day in and day out. If that’s your purpose of having a list, you are missing the purpose of “the list” and are likely to not succeed. Many of your subscribers will opt out if that’s what you use them for.
Below are a few things to help you be more successful with your email campaign. Combine these suggestions with the ones that we’ve already discussed for maximum success. The success level of an email campaign will hinge on these suggestions so take them to heart.
1) Manage your list and track the success rate of your emails. Spend the money to be able to track your clicks and become aware of your conversion rates. Knowing how many people actually open your emails versus how many you send could show you that simply changing the subject line may increase your success. Keep track of those emails that bounce or for whatever reason, don’t successfully make it to your subscriber. This will give you the ability to truly know how many people received your emails or not.
2) Don’t ignore it when someone wants to “unsubscribe”. This is ultra important and is not a subject to take lightly. Most marketers are aware of this and I wish that I could say ALL marketers, but I know from experience that people are STILL sending spam emails and I have had experience with not being removed from a list even though I followed the rules to do so.
There are strict consequences from not obeying the simple spam regulations. You not only may lose your internet business, but could lose the ability to even have the internet. Your ISP may shut you down. Don’t think for one second that these people can’t trace or track your activity so don’t even try it. When you are reported as a spammer, you and your business can get into a lot of trouble. You can be reported to the authorities and maybe blacklisted by many internet service providers. You will lose a lot of subscribers this way and many more in potential subscribers.
3) Being original in your newsletter to your subscribers is highly recommended. I speak to mine like we are good friends and I encourage them to respond to me so we can have a good relationship. Believe me, when a subscriber writes me and asks me a question, I love that. That gives me one more chance to earn their trust and my rates for increasing my sales with them grow. Treat them like your best friend and encourage them to establish a closer relationship with you. That’s the power of email!
All successful marketers understand the power of their subscribers and the importance of having them. I personally spend most of my advertising dollars and efforts gaining subscribers. I believe that 10 double opt in subscribers is much better than 1 sale. I’ve always believed that and my results have been great. Put yourself in the shoes of the subscriber and give them exactly what you would want. Don’t be cheap here. These are the people that have come forward and stated “I’m interested in what you are have or what you are doing here” They have put their foot forward and admitted their interest so give them what they came for and subtly recommend a product or an affiliate product and most of the time, they will purchase from you.
Sincerely,
Craig Raphael
http://www.HomeBasedBusinessScamReviews.com
Source: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Craig Raphael
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