Like most small business owners, you’re probably putting a lot of time and energy into building your email list.
And, like most small business owners, there’s that inevitable day when deep despair kicks in. You only have 150 subscribers, you’ve worked your butt off and, at this point, you’ll do just about anything to get more subscribers.
In your desperate state of mind, you decide that you’re going to employ a creative, simple tactic to jump-start that list.
So, you cleverly go over to your Facebook Fanpage, gather up your Fans’ email addresses and drop them into your email autoresponder program. Then, you head over to LinkedIn and Twitter and grab those email addresses as well. Wow…you instantly added a few hundred people to your list. You certainly are a clever little genius!
I hate to break it to you, but first and foremost, you’re not being very clever. Every single day, I get an email from a LinkedIn connection or a Facebook friend who assumes that I’m just dying to be a part of their email list.
The problem is, I don’t want emails from them. If I had wanted emails from them, I would have opted into their email list.
And, moreover it’s a big, fat hassle when I have to take the time to opt-out of their list. (Not to mention unfollow them, unfriend them and unconnect from them on the social media platforms.)
WARNING: Your LinkedIn connections, Facebook friends and Twitter followers have not given your permission to email them.
This “creative” list-building technique only ends up back-firing. Why? Because it ticks people off. People are sick of spammy emails. They’re sick of getting too many emails. And they’re sick of having to take the time to unsubscribe from the never-ending stream of spam.
So, no matter how incredibly tempting it may be to add virtual friends to your email autoresponder, don’t do it.
Yes, they are your friends, followers, fans and connections. But, if they haven’t given you explicit permission to email them, then you’re not allowed to email them. It’s as simple as that.
And believe me, I’d rather have a list of 500 laser-targeted prospects that have given me permission to email them, then a list of 15,000 names and emails that I have forced into communication with me.
So, leave the black-hat email tactics to the fake pharmaceutical companies trying to make a quick buck on discount Viagra pills.
Every so often, email marketing gets a bad rap; perhaps it’s small business owners getting all whipped about social media marketing as the “next great marketing platform” and thinking that email marketing is dead.
But, one thing is certain. Email marketing works. However, like any marketing platform, it has rules and regulations that must be followed for optimal success.
One of the most basic premises underlying a successful email campaign is a strategy dubbed by marketing extraordinaire, Seth Godin, called “Permission Marketing.” In a nutshell, you can ONLY email folks who have given you absolute permission to email them. Basically, if your prospects haven’t opted into a form on your website, you shouldn’t be emailing them.
So, in today’s strict email environment, how can you entice prospects to sign up for you list?
Here are a few ways to find new subscribers and build a powerful list of hot prospects:
1. Ask your current customers, family and friends to sign up for your newsletter. That’s right; you never know where your next customer will come from.
2. Insert a “Sign Up For Our Ezine” box on your homepage and a link to your ezine archives.
3. Promote your ezine on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and your blog.
4. Include a “teaser” to sign up for your ezine on your business card. (Never forget to use your business card as a 24-7 marketing tool.)
5. Hold a contest for your employees, customers and clients to see who can bring in the most sign-ups. (There’s nothing like a contest to bring on a healthy and hearty competition.)
6. Offer a free report, downloadable ebook, audio, webinar or other valuable offer in exchange for your prospect’s name and email address.
7. Allow your prospects, customers and clients to select their preferences in order to receive laser-targeted emails from you.
Obviously, an email list filled with prospects that have given you explicit permission to contact them is the only way to exist in today’s competitive small business environment. So, make a point to entice your prospects to give you that coveted permission.
There’s a rumor circulating the internet that email is dead. The rumor mongers say that with stronger spam laws and shorter customer attention spans your emails are simply not working anymore.
Obviously, the naysayers don’t understand how to use email effectively in order to build their brand and small business. Without question, there are many instances in which email is incredibly ineffective. For instance, if you send out mass emails to an untargeted list, your efforts will undoubtedly be in vain.
However, it’s essential to understand that email is, first and foremost, a tool for developing and strengthening one-on-one relationships with prospects and existing clients and customers.
Here are a number of key factors to keep in mind when using email as a marketing tool:
1. Build Your Own List. If you are interested in the highest open and click-through rate, then you need to begin building your own email list. The simplest way to accomplish this is to put up a form on your website that collects the names and emails of your most interested prospects.
In addition, you should offer something of value in exchange for your prospect’s personal information (ezine, special report, audio series, etc.). Obviously, individuals who have given you permission to send them information via emails are going to be a much more targeted and interested prospect.
2. Offer Value. In order for your email marketing efforts to produce fantastic results, you must provide valuable and relevant information to your subscribers. If, on the other hand, you insist on sending constant “sales messages” you’ll quickly find your database dwindling away into obscurity.
It’s important that you put into effect the 80/20 marketing rule. Simply stated, 80% of your emails should offer informational tools, resources and content. Only 20% of your emails should sell your products and services.
3. Segment Your List. Many small business owners make the mistake of sending out the same emails to everyone on their lists. Although your emails may contain valuable and interesting information, you need to ensure that you understand your list and segment them according to a recent behavior or action.
For instance, if one of your prospects makes a purchase, they should be placed into an email list that is reserved for your current customers and clients. Since this segment of your subscribers has already made a purchase, you will be able to upsell them, cross-sell them and downsell them more effectively than a “cold prospect.”
4. Don’t Ignore CAN-SPAM. As a small business owner, you simply can’t ignore the current spam laws. In fact, if you do, your ISP will quickly become blacklisted and it will be very difficult for your emails to get through to your subscribers.
At the very minimum, make sure to post your privacy policy, list your company’s address and make it obvious how they can opt-out of your list. In addition, whenever one of your subscribers does opt-out, you must remove their name within ten days of the request.
5. Be Consistent. Don’t make the mistake of communicating too infrequently with your list. If you only send out a monthly ezine, your prospects will most likely forget about you and small business between each issue. In addition, you’ll find more of your subscribers complaining that they never signed up for your information.
A good rule of thumb is to email your list at least once a week and up to three times a week. Of course, you will need to test how often your prospects want to hear from you and remain dedicated to providing relevant information at least 80% of the time.
Obviously, email marketing is not dead. In fact, it can be a highly effective marketing tool if used appropriately. It’s important to understand that an email marketing campaign that produces the best results is based on a permission-based list, offers valuable information, segments subscribers, follows the CAN-SPAM laws and remains consistent.
If you follow these rules, you will effectively build your small business quickly and efficiently.
You’ve probably heard time and time again the old marketing adage “the fortune is in your list.” Whether or not you are familiar with this motto, the truth of the matter is that there truly is no better way to build your business.
No matter what small business you operate, you absolutely must take the time to build a targeted list of interested prospects and satisfied customers. The most effective way to accomplish this is to have a simple opt-in form on the first page of your website that offers your prospect a free and valuable gift in exchange for their name and email address. This gift can be a special report, ezine subscription or downloadable ebook.
Once a prospect has supplied you with their information, you are able to continue to market to them over and over again. Here are five ways to market to interested prospects who have agreed to receive additional information from you.
1) Keep Your Brand In Front Of Your Prospect
In today’s noisy and chaotic world, your prospect needs to see your offer between seven and twelve times before they even take notice of you. That means that you must keep your brand, company and product or service in front of them as much as possible. Obviously, you don’t want to spam them or aggressively shove your offer down their throat. You simply want to let them know that you are available as a solution to their problem.
This can be accomplished through automated email marketing and/or ezine marketing. If they receive interestting and informative information from you several times each week, they will undoubtedly begin to take notice of you.
2) Continue The Conversation To Build Your Expertise
It’s vitally important that you continue to market to your list in a variety of ways. If your prospect receives articles, blog posts, podcasts, ezines and press releases from you, it won’t take long before they conclude that you are an expert in your particular field.
Once you are perceived as an expert, your prospect will see you as the “go-to” person once they are ready to make a purchase. Your goal is to position yourself as the only person that your prospect will approach once they are ready to make a purchase in your particular niche.
3) Invite Your Prospects To Special Events
Once you begin building your list, you should invite your prospects to important events and promotions that highlight your product or service. As an example, once each month, I offer a free webinar to all prospects who are part of my list.
Those who decide to attend my webinar receive a valuable training session on a free marketing strategy. This, of course, continues to build my reputation as an expert in my field. At the end of the event, my attendees are given the option to sign up for one of my shoestring products or services.
4) Send Out Coupons, Promotions and Special Offers
When you have a list of prospects who are interested in your products or services, you can periodically entice them to do business with you by offering coupons, promotions and other specials. You can extend one-day only discounts, free trials or complimentary consultations.
Oftentimes, it simply takes an enticing offer for those “fence-sitters” to cross over to the other side. Experiment with special promotions and track which ones bring in the most sales.
5) Sell Additional Products And Services
Not only do you want to build a list of prospects, you want to have an additional list of your current customers and/or clients. Research suggests that 20% of your satisfied customers will purchase from you again if they have the opportunity. Since your current customers have already decided to do business with you, they already trust you and they are much more apt to purchase from you again. So, make sure to present them with plenty of opportunities.
Ultimately, it is essential that you take the time to build a list of targeted prospects and current customers. Your list will allow you to increase brand awareness, continue your conversations, position yourself as an expert and offer special incentives to both your prospects and current customers.
It won’t take long before you realize that your fortune does indeed reside in your list.