It all starts with an email.
In building your list, so much focus is put on the mechanics of building it, like how to set up your autoresponder and whether or not to give away a freebie, that the actual relationship is often the last thing people focus on. But ultimately, the relationship is what it’s all about.
Why it matters
If there’s one thing that can take your list of subscribers from ho-hum to being wowed by you it’s how you approach your relationship with them. There are a few ways of doing this…
Constantly selling and sending them offer after offer is one way to go. With this method, you’ll often find that these lists can have a lot of turnover. Meaning, there will also be a lot of unsubscribes. However, many Internet Marketers operate massive lists with this business model – sell, sell, sell and buy, buy, buy.
While this works in the short term, it may not work for the long haul. Short term success is more of a right place, right time scenario – obviously, sending offer after offer will strike some people just at the right time when they are inclined to purchase something. Maybe they were looking for something like what you just sent and so they purchase it or maybe they have some extra cash and your email sounded good.
Whatever the reasons, sending only offers does work, but a lot of the income generated from selling these offers has to go back into building up the list more and more. The idea is that you just replace the unsubscribes with new opt-ins.
Another way of approaching a list is to send content after content. In this scenario, the subscriber is accustomed to only getting content from you. You never send products or services to purchase.
The thing to keep in mind with this method, is that while content is great and helpful, you won’t make any money!
Anyone marketing online wants and deserves to generate an income from their efforts. Plus, managing your list costs you money every month.
And yet another method for approaching your list sits nicely in the middle of these two methods – a little of both.
Call it the sweet spot 
You do send products and services to purchase and you do send plain content as well. It’s the best of both of worlds for you and your subscribers.
Maybe one day you send a tip on a new traffic technique that works. And another day you send a product that helps generate traffic.
Above all, the products and services you are sending are recommendations from you. Whether you tell them directly or not, they assume you are recommending that they purchase this.
Be the Marketer they want to hear from
Subscribers have opted-in to your list for a reason, but if they aren’t wowed by you, they can easily unsubscribe and be gone forever.
A nice sweet spot provides them with regular content and regular offers. To the point that they look forward to your emails to find out what you have in store to share with them.
Your subscriber list is a two way street, you email them and hopefully, they open and read and your emails.
But ultimately, they are under no obligation to do anything else, much less stay on your list. Carefully crafting each email and keeping the “What’s in it for me” way of thinking will ensure your subscribers stay with you and open each and every one of your emails.
Hey Christine,
If I had to choose I’d go for the Sweet Spot – look after your list by giving them great content and then try and monetize by sending them the most relevant offers that might interest them.
Personally I’m on a few lists, purely from a marketing standpoint (I like to learn how others try to sell to me) and I notice some guys just pound my inbox with offer after offer. I never read these emails and usually unsubscribe after a time.
Then there’s the guy who gives me value, he might send me a link to his latest blog post or a short tutorial video – all stuff that I’d be interested in. Then when he sends out an offer I’m far more inclined to actually check it out because, I guess the relationship is there and there is a level of “trust”.
Anyway – I think the smart money is in the middle ground. Give great value upfront and hopefully you will see that returned to you when you do promote an offer.
Cheers;)
Noel.
Noel Cunningham recently posted..By: Noel
Hi Noel,
I completely agree – I was/am on a list that I opted in to get 30 marketing tips – they were wonderful, very well written, very applicable to any business, just a great email sequence.
However, after the 30 tips, I never heard from him again! And this was last year!
The thing is, I probably would have purchased a product that he recommended, just because those 30 tips were really great.
So, products and services are just a part of being an effective marketer – as is managing your list effectively.
~Christine
‘Be the Marketer they want to hear from’
Perfectly put. I’m with you on this one that I like to offer a lot of content and then slip in great recommendation from time to time. However (you knew it was coming!) this one system is not always the best for everyone.
The majority of people will join many lists at once, and thus just sending them a one off email every week will often not get you noticed. Their inboxes are flooded with messages and you will be a needle in a haystack. That is why the mass email sending approach does work for certain marketers, they simply increase the chances of them being seen.
I much prefer your approach as the marketer who is more selective over those they follow, is the type of marketer I want to attract.
BUT (!) I will also say that simply sending messages is not creating a relationship. A relationship is a 2 way process, so if you want to build a relationship in the true sense you have to encourage them to interact…
Dee Kumar recently posted..5 working rules for entrepreneurs and startups to live by
Great points Dee!
The value you add to their arsenal of information is crucial and an indicator of if they want to stay on your list or not.
Thanks again,
Christine
Hey Christine
A great article and one that got me thinking about my relationship with my different lists.
I have one in the IM Niche and another in a Non IM Niche. Both lists respond in different ways when I email out to them.
The IM guys need to know what is in it for them, right from the get go and if they see no tangable benefit they just do not open the email or worst still, jump off my list
Its a fine line we tread as IM Marketers. Will we ever get it completely right, personally I think not as people are finicky and just do not want to be openly marketed to!!!
On my non IM list they are much more relaxed about receiving emails and my open rate is very good. I have come the conclusion that this is because it is something they have a passion for and are looking forward to reading what new things are happening in that particular niche.
Now that I have put my thoughts down on paper as it were, I really must “market” more to my non IM list…
Paul Conway recently posted..Paul Conway Blog
Hi Paul,
Glad you enjoyed it!
You made a great point – even between our own business, the way we market to our lists is completely different. And, it’s so true – my non-IM subscriber friends have a much higher open rate than my IM friends.
Guess the subject of overkill really plays a part!
Thanks,
Christine