As you start to create more follow-up and broadcast messages to your list, you might be overwhelmed with deciding when to send sales e-mails and when to send relationship building e-mails. There are many different schools of thought on this topic, so you'll have to decide what works best for you and the members of your list.
The first thing you'll need to do is think about the type of people who are on your list. If they expected to receive excellent and informative content, you'll probably have to deliver more relationship building e-mails. However, if they expect to get sold to, there is no reason why you should spend any more time on content than you need to. For example, when people sign up to Wal-Mart's list, they expect to receive sales e-mails and not much information.
If you're having trouble deciding, you may want to rely on a formula many other marketers use. This is a good mixture of sales versus relationship building e-mails. For example, you might send out one relationship building e-mail, one relationship building e-mail with a mention of a product, and then one e-mail that directly sells the product. That way, you'll get people who are expecting and wanting the product.
If your list is more content focused, you can write three information-based articles, and then one sales message. You can play around with this and see what works best for you and the members of your list.
It's always a good idea to check out what your competition and marketers you admire are doing. Have you ever been so overwhelmed with sales messages that you wanted to unsubscribe (or did unsubscribe) from a marketer's list? If so, think about their mistakes and how you are going to avoid them. If you've always been interested in opening a certain marketer's e-mails, examine exactly what they are doing and try to model their approach.
No matter what, the best way to learn is by doing. If you find that you start to get a lot of unsubscribes because you're increasing the number of sales e-mails you send out, you may want to back off a little bit. If your list members are always asking you for product recommendations, or you consistently get a lot of sales when you send out sales e-mails, you may want to increase the frequency with which you send them out.
Through trial and error, and research into your niche and other marketers, you will find a formula that works best for you!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
The First Follow-Up E-Mail
Making that first follow-up e-mail to your list can seem like a daunting thing to do. You've gotten people to sign up, and now it's time to warm them up. In some ways, this first e-mail is the most difficult because first impressions really do count for a lot.
Thankfully, in many cases, the first e-mail will contain a free gift they have signed up for. Nothing works better than enticing people with a gift! Actually, this has a lot of basis in psychology. It is called the Law of reciprocity. After these people have received their free gift, they are a lot more likely to think favorably of you and to want to return the favor in the future. In your case, you hope this comes in the form of them making a purchase through your affiliate link, or of your own product.
Whether they get a free gift or not, you want to take this opportunity to start building a relationship. Perhaps share with them what they can expect from these e-mails, or even some valuable information they would want to know.
There is no one right way to craft your first follow-up e-mail. The important thing is that you are yourself. One thing you can do to make sure your e-mail is as good as it can be is put yourself in your customer's shoes. If you are a person randomly searching in the net and you signed up for the free product, what would you expect to receive in the form of contact from the person you signed up for with?
If you're really stuck for ideas, it's a great thing to go through some follow-up e-mails that you have received yourself. Pay particularly close attention to those marketers who you have grown to respect. By using them as a model, you can easily create your first follow-up e-mail, and it will be likely to be something that well entice your list members.
Remember that these e-mails will be set up in an autoresponder. For that reason, there is no reason to expect perfection right away. You can always tweak this first follow-up message down the road as you get more information about how your list members react and what they expect to receive. Basically, do not stress yourself out, but do spend some time making sure this first e-mail makes the right impression.
Thankfully, in many cases, the first e-mail will contain a free gift they have signed up for. Nothing works better than enticing people with a gift! Actually, this has a lot of basis in psychology. It is called the Law of reciprocity. After these people have received their free gift, they are a lot more likely to think favorably of you and to want to return the favor in the future. In your case, you hope this comes in the form of them making a purchase through your affiliate link, or of your own product.
Whether they get a free gift or not, you want to take this opportunity to start building a relationship. Perhaps share with them what they can expect from these e-mails, or even some valuable information they would want to know.
There is no one right way to craft your first follow-up e-mail. The important thing is that you are yourself. One thing you can do to make sure your e-mail is as good as it can be is put yourself in your customer's shoes. If you are a person randomly searching in the net and you signed up for the free product, what would you expect to receive in the form of contact from the person you signed up for with?
If you're really stuck for ideas, it's a great thing to go through some follow-up e-mails that you have received yourself. Pay particularly close attention to those marketers who you have grown to respect. By using them as a model, you can easily create your first follow-up e-mail, and it will be likely to be something that well entice your list members.
Remember that these e-mails will be set up in an autoresponder. For that reason, there is no reason to expect perfection right away. You can always tweak this first follow-up message down the road as you get more information about how your list members react and what they expect to receive. Basically, do not stress yourself out, but do spend some time making sure this first e-mail makes the right impression.
Driving Traffic to Your Squeeze Page
After you have created your squeeze page, you're probably very excited to start getting opt-ins to your list. Make sure you have selected a good autoresponder company that will keep track of your e-mail open rates and be very reliable for you and your list members.
Once you have the technical aspects squared away, it is time to start driving traffic to your squeeze page. If you do not have "eyeballs" on your opt in form, you won't get any signups! This might seem silly, but many marketers spend a lot of time setting up their squeeze page and expect the leads to just start trickling in on their own. This just does not happen! You need to put a lot of time and effort into driving traffic before you start to reap the rewards.
Fortunately, if you have used traffic generation techniques for your website, or for any other reason related to Internet marketing, you already have a head start. You can use the same methods for driving traffic to your squeeze page!
One option is to use pay per click marketing, such as Google Adwords. You'll basically bid on certain key words that people in your niche are likely to search for. You should create an enticing ad so they want to visit your webpage and see what you have to offer. If your squeeze page is compelling enough, you'll probably find that you get an opt-in rate of around 20% or more! Of course, this varies according to the niche, but you'll probably find a number around that.
You can also use search engine optimization. This is kind of difficult to deal with using a squeeze page since there is little content and not a lot of clutter or links. Still, you can place articles on the same domain and link those articles to your squeeze page to drive even more traffic. Having these articles will help your ranking in Google because Google loves content!
There are many free websites you can use to help you drive traffic as well. Sites like Squidoo and HubPages allow you to create a one-page website where you can link to your opt-in form. You'll get the benefit of traffic straight from these communities, as well as through their rankings in the search engines for the keywords you have focused on.
Article marketing can work extremely well also. Sign-up for article directories, such as Ezine Articles and Articles Base and submit your articles with your squeeze page URL in the author's resource box. Indicate that there is a free offer when they click the link, and you will likely get more click from your article.
Put these traffic generation techniques to work for you. It's best to create a schedule and stick to it every single day in order to start seeing some good traffic. Do a little bit each day and it won't seem like such a burden -- and the profits will be great!
Once you have the technical aspects squared away, it is time to start driving traffic to your squeeze page. If you do not have "eyeballs" on your opt in form, you won't get any signups! This might seem silly, but many marketers spend a lot of time setting up their squeeze page and expect the leads to just start trickling in on their own. This just does not happen! You need to put a lot of time and effort into driving traffic before you start to reap the rewards.
Fortunately, if you have used traffic generation techniques for your website, or for any other reason related to Internet marketing, you already have a head start. You can use the same methods for driving traffic to your squeeze page!
One option is to use pay per click marketing, such as Google Adwords. You'll basically bid on certain key words that people in your niche are likely to search for. You should create an enticing ad so they want to visit your webpage and see what you have to offer. If your squeeze page is compelling enough, you'll probably find that you get an opt-in rate of around 20% or more! Of course, this varies according to the niche, but you'll probably find a number around that.
You can also use search engine optimization. This is kind of difficult to deal with using a squeeze page since there is little content and not a lot of clutter or links. Still, you can place articles on the same domain and link those articles to your squeeze page to drive even more traffic. Having these articles will help your ranking in Google because Google loves content!
There are many free websites you can use to help you drive traffic as well. Sites like Squidoo and HubPages allow you to create a one-page website where you can link to your opt-in form. You'll get the benefit of traffic straight from these communities, as well as through their rankings in the search engines for the keywords you have focused on.
Article marketing can work extremely well also. Sign-up for article directories, such as Ezine Articles and Articles Base and submit your articles with your squeeze page URL in the author's resource box. Indicate that there is a free offer when they click the link, and you will likely get more click from your article.
Put these traffic generation techniques to work for you. It's best to create a schedule and stick to it every single day in order to start seeing some good traffic. Do a little bit each day and it won't seem like such a burden -- and the profits will be great!
Creating a Great Opt-in Page
After you have chosen a niche to build a list in, you need to set up an opt-in page, or squeeze page, in order to collect your e-mail leads. Many people gloss over these details and wonder why they are not getting as many sign-ups as they thought they would get! Follow this advice, and you should be able to create a great opt-in page that helps lead to great profits for you.
The first thing you need to realize is that the goal of your squeeze page is ONLY to collect e-mails. You don't want to put affiliate offers or articles on this page because it could distract your visitors from the task at hand. They should see just one thing to do -- and that is to sign up for your list. This will definitely increase your conversions, so try not to overstuff your squeeze page.
While you don't want it to be too cluttered, you do want to put some compelling text on the page that convinces people to opt in. This does not need to be long -- around 300 words will be just fine. Make sure you include the benefits of signing up for the list and definitely focus on what is in it for them.
You'll also want to give something away for free in exchange for their e-mail. This is not mandatory, but many Internet marketers do so because it definitely increases conversions. You can give away an e-book, series of articles, audio, or anything else you have in mind. Many physical-based businesses give away coupons in exchange for the e-mail address.
Whatever you decide to do, make it very clear that the benefits of signing up for the list are greater than the costs. While it might seem silly to associate a cost with giving way an e-mail address, many people are wary of doing so in this day and age. For that reason, you need to make sure you come across as a credible person and make it clear that you will never send spam or sell their e-mail address.
A great thing to do is browse other marketers squeeze pages in your niche. That way you can get a feel for the layout of their squeeze page and how they have designed it. You'll probably find that these are quite simple -- there is no reason not to get started on your squeeze page today
The first thing you need to realize is that the goal of your squeeze page is ONLY to collect e-mails. You don't want to put affiliate offers or articles on this page because it could distract your visitors from the task at hand. They should see just one thing to do -- and that is to sign up for your list. This will definitely increase your conversions, so try not to overstuff your squeeze page.
While you don't want it to be too cluttered, you do want to put some compelling text on the page that convinces people to opt in. This does not need to be long -- around 300 words will be just fine. Make sure you include the benefits of signing up for the list and definitely focus on what is in it for them.
You'll also want to give something away for free in exchange for their e-mail. This is not mandatory, but many Internet marketers do so because it definitely increases conversions. You can give away an e-book, series of articles, audio, or anything else you have in mind. Many physical-based businesses give away coupons in exchange for the e-mail address.
Whatever you decide to do, make it very clear that the benefits of signing up for the list are greater than the costs. While it might seem silly to associate a cost with giving way an e-mail address, many people are wary of doing so in this day and age. For that reason, you need to make sure you come across as a credible person and make it clear that you will never send spam or sell their e-mail address.
A great thing to do is browse other marketers squeeze pages in your niche. That way you can get a feel for the layout of their squeeze page and how they have designed it. You'll probably find that these are quite simple -- there is no reason not to get started on your squeeze page today
Choosing an Auto Responder to Build Your List
One of the most important decisions you will make when it comes to building your list is which auto responder company you want to go with. There are many of them out there, but they are certainly not created equal.
There are also auto responder scripts you can set up on your own host. Many people are attracted to these because there is no monthly fee and they feel like they will have more power over their messages and settings. However, you should probably stay away from these scripts as they're usually more trouble than they're worth!
For one thing, there is the technical hassle of setting them up in the first place. Beyond that, some of the scripts are unreliable, which can really harm your business. You should also be aware that the auto responder companies usually have relationships with the e-mail providers. These scripts can have a higher chance of getting caught in the spam filters -- which can destroy your business before you even get started.
You probably don't relish the idea of starting a monthly subscription, but it will more than pay for itself! Going with a reliable auto responder company is one of the best things you can do as an Internet marketer.
aWeber, Get Response, and E-mail Aces are the most commonly cited among Internet marketers. Out of the three of these, aWeber is the most popular. That's because they have a great reputation and reasonable prices. No matter which of these you choose, you will probably be very happy with it!
Beyond choosing an auto responder, you need to get familiar with the interface. Most companies you go with will allow you to have unlimited lists and will help you organize them. A good company will also give you statistics about things like your open rates, and which links were clicked. aWeber now has advanced tracking, which can certainly help you figure out how to craft your messages in the future.
A huge concern when you're sending out auto responder e-mails is getting caught in spam filters. When you're in a spam filter, the chances of people seeing your message are very slim! That's why you need to make sure the e-mails you send out will pass the spam filters. That is another service that the top auto responder companies provide for you. They will let you know how likely your e-mail is to be flagged.
Make it your mission today to choose the right auto responder company, so you can start putting it to work for you!
There are also auto responder scripts you can set up on your own host. Many people are attracted to these because there is no monthly fee and they feel like they will have more power over their messages and settings. However, you should probably stay away from these scripts as they're usually more trouble than they're worth!
For one thing, there is the technical hassle of setting them up in the first place. Beyond that, some of the scripts are unreliable, which can really harm your business. You should also be aware that the auto responder companies usually have relationships with the e-mail providers. These scripts can have a higher chance of getting caught in the spam filters -- which can destroy your business before you even get started.
You probably don't relish the idea of starting a monthly subscription, but it will more than pay for itself! Going with a reliable auto responder company is one of the best things you can do as an Internet marketer.
aWeber, Get Response, and E-mail Aces are the most commonly cited among Internet marketers. Out of the three of these, aWeber is the most popular. That's because they have a great reputation and reasonable prices. No matter which of these you choose, you will probably be very happy with it!
Beyond choosing an auto responder, you need to get familiar with the interface. Most companies you go with will allow you to have unlimited lists and will help you organize them. A good company will also give you statistics about things like your open rates, and which links were clicked. aWeber now has advanced tracking, which can certainly help you figure out how to craft your messages in the future.
A huge concern when you're sending out auto responder e-mails is getting caught in spam filters. When you're in a spam filter, the chances of people seeing your message are very slim! That's why you need to make sure the e-mails you send out will pass the spam filters. That is another service that the top auto responder companies provide for you. They will let you know how likely your e-mail is to be flagged.
Make it your mission today to choose the right auto responder company, so you can start putting it to work for you!
Choosing a Niche to Build a List In
One of the most important decisions you'll have to make as you decide to build the list is which niche you should focus on. There are literally thousands of niches out there, so there is no one right answer to this question.
You might have some idea of which niche you want to focus on if you have built up websites in that niche already. If you have no idea of what you should choose, don't worry! You can easily choose a niche if you follow the right guidelines.
The first thing you need to make sure of is that it is a hungry, or passionate market. This works well if people have some kind of problem they are desperate to stall. This is where people are passionate about their hobbies can work very well also.
It's a good idea to make sure people are already spending money in the niche you have selected. You can check to see if there are physical products, or digital products being sold regularly to this group of people. This is usually a good indicator that you can make some money as well. Another place to check is advertisements on TV or in magazines. Where there are ads, there is money being made!
Basically, you need to make sure you have something to offer a group of people. You also want to make sure the customer base will be large enough to make your efforts worth your while.
If you cannot think of a niche, you just need to brainstorm and work your way from there. You can go to Amazon.com, magazines.com, 43things.com, Yahoo Answers, and many other sites to get some good ideas. Write down anything that comes to mind or stands out to you as a potentially profitable niche to build a list in. Then, you can narrow your choices until you have some good options. Some further research should help you make your final decision.
Of course, as an Internet marketer you are not limited to choosing just one niche. After you have built up a profitable relationships with members of one niche, you can add another to your business. That way, you are not dependent on a certain group of people for your income. Spreading assets out this way is an excellent way to make sure your business always stays afloat.
Remember -- never take the decision of which niche to choose lightly. Choosing the wrong one could mean you hardly make any money at all, and choosing the right niche could mean you make some life-changing income!
You might have some idea of which niche you want to focus on if you have built up websites in that niche already. If you have no idea of what you should choose, don't worry! You can easily choose a niche if you follow the right guidelines.
The first thing you need to make sure of is that it is a hungry, or passionate market. This works well if people have some kind of problem they are desperate to stall. This is where people are passionate about their hobbies can work very well also.
It's a good idea to make sure people are already spending money in the niche you have selected. You can check to see if there are physical products, or digital products being sold regularly to this group of people. This is usually a good indicator that you can make some money as well. Another place to check is advertisements on TV or in magazines. Where there are ads, there is money being made!
Basically, you need to make sure you have something to offer a group of people. You also want to make sure the customer base will be large enough to make your efforts worth your while.
If you cannot think of a niche, you just need to brainstorm and work your way from there. You can go to Amazon.com, magazines.com, 43things.com, Yahoo Answers, and many other sites to get some good ideas. Write down anything that comes to mind or stands out to you as a potentially profitable niche to build a list in. Then, you can narrow your choices until you have some good options. Some further research should help you make your final decision.
Of course, as an Internet marketer you are not limited to choosing just one niche. After you have built up a profitable relationships with members of one niche, you can add another to your business. That way, you are not dependent on a certain group of people for your income. Spreading assets out this way is an excellent way to make sure your business always stays afloat.
Remember -- never take the decision of which niche to choose lightly. Choosing the wrong one could mean you hardly make any money at all, and choosing the right niche could mean you make some life-changing income!
Why Should You Build a List
You've probably heard the phrase, "the money is in the list." Still, you may not have started to build a list because you're intimidated, or just don't know HOW to get started. The good news is that it's actually not that difficult -- and when you have a list, you really do have it made!
The problem in Internet marketing is that many people are worried about finding potential customers all the time. You have to rely on either paid traffic or free traffic. Unfortunately, this means you are at the mercy of other companies as to how far your customer reach is.
Your hope is that your site converts enough people so that you are in profit. This works better then standard ads where you pay a certain amount of money no how many people view or respond to your ad. This way, you are only focusing on those people who are truly interested in what you have to offer. You don't pay unless those people respond!
When you have a list, you don't have to worry as much about things like search engine optimization and pay per click costs. That's because you own your list full of targeted buyers! The people have signed up for your list have chosen to do so and want to hear from you. You have control over when you contact these people; which means you can make excellent sales every time you mail them.
Having your own list really is building your own business. You now have an asset that can make every other aspect of your business work far more seamlessly. Hopefully, if you hadn't considered building a list before, your mind is changed now!
Many marketers have estimated that for every one person you have on your list you'll earn one dollar per month. That means with a list of 100 people, you can expect to earn at least 100 extra dollars. Of course, if you go about things the right way you can earn lot more than that -- even with such a small list. With a list size of 2000 people, you can expect to earn at least $2000 extra per month, and so on. The sky really is the limit when you have a list.
If you are intimidated about building a list, it's time to get over that fear. It's time to take action and learn as much as you can about list building so you can fully control your business and your profits. Once you have a good list going and you know all about sales and building relationships, you'll never look back!
Of course, it's possible to make many mistakes along the way. That is part of the reason why it so important to educate yourself first. After you have done so, it should be smooth sailing from there as you build your expertise and your list size grows.
The problem in Internet marketing is that many people are worried about finding potential customers all the time. You have to rely on either paid traffic or free traffic. Unfortunately, this means you are at the mercy of other companies as to how far your customer reach is.
Your hope is that your site converts enough people so that you are in profit. This works better then standard ads where you pay a certain amount of money no how many people view or respond to your ad. This way, you are only focusing on those people who are truly interested in what you have to offer. You don't pay unless those people respond!
When you have a list, you don't have to worry as much about things like search engine optimization and pay per click costs. That's because you own your list full of targeted buyers! The people have signed up for your list have chosen to do so and want to hear from you. You have control over when you contact these people; which means you can make excellent sales every time you mail them.
Having your own list really is building your own business. You now have an asset that can make every other aspect of your business work far more seamlessly. Hopefully, if you hadn't considered building a list before, your mind is changed now!
Many marketers have estimated that for every one person you have on your list you'll earn one dollar per month. That means with a list of 100 people, you can expect to earn at least 100 extra dollars. Of course, if you go about things the right way you can earn lot more than that -- even with such a small list. With a list size of 2000 people, you can expect to earn at least $2000 extra per month, and so on. The sky really is the limit when you have a list.
If you are intimidated about building a list, it's time to get over that fear. It's time to take action and learn as much as you can about list building so you can fully control your business and your profits. Once you have a good list going and you know all about sales and building relationships, you'll never look back!
Of course, it's possible to make many mistakes along the way. That is part of the reason why it so important to educate yourself first. After you have done so, it should be smooth sailing from there as you build your expertise and your list size grows.
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