Guest Post by Jonathan Souza. The most valuable resource you have as a website owner is an active email list. Even with web 2.0 properties, social media, and RSS feed readers, email lists remain the ultimate way to keep loyal readers coming back to your site and generating revenue for you. With a solid list you can weather any search engine algorithm change and keep a steady flow of traffic coming to your website.
But getting someone to sign up to your list is just the beginning. You can very easily lose this new subscriber and never be able to market another product to them again. Here are 7 tips for keeping your email list active and happy.
- Send regular updates. This doesn’t mean you annoy your list by sending 3 messages a day. But if you are looking for a set number for how often you should email your list I am going to have to disappoint you. This really depends on your audience and the niche you are targeting. The key is not to go long periods of time without sending an email. You want them to remember who you are with each email, and hopefully they will be happy to see another message from you because you are sending great content their way. If you go a month without a single email update and then send a sales letter type message I can guarantee that you will lose a bunch of subscribers.
- Send useful information. This should be obvious, but you would be surprised how many marketers send absolute junk on a regular basis. I am on about 10 email lists right now, but I used to belong to a lot more. When those marketers stopped sending me useful information that I actually wanted to read, it became more like spam to me. I have left every single email list that does not send me information that I need. You don’t have to send earth-shattering content, but at least strive to help your list and give them what they want.
- Don’t be a salesman. If every message you send your list has a link for them to buy something, you will not keep them for long. I am not going to mention any names, but I used to belong to a list of a very well-known internet marketer. Then I noticed a trend. The emails contained vague content and would always link to a great new product that I just “had to have”. If I actually got some useful information in these emails I would not mind the commercial intent so much, but it was nothing but a sales pitch every time. Some might think he is a great marketer, but I left his list because of this approach and I don’t regret it one bit.
- Send unique content. Once in a while you should send your list information that cannot be found on your blog. Let this be totally unique content just for your list. What does this do? It makes your subscribers want to stay on your list so they can stay up to date with this exclusive content. If they can also find the exact same info on your site then they really have no reason to be on your list. And let them know that it’s exclusive content as well. This is one of the best ways to keep your list active and reading every message you send them.
- Be a giver. Go out of your way to do something for your list. Whether you are giving them a free ebook you just wrote or making a special video for your list, do something just for them to show your appreciation. People will always reciprocate in how you treat them. Some list owners only want to GET from their subscribers and they never try to give back to them. But if this is the lifeblood of your business you should want to keep them as happy as possible. What have you done for your list lately?
- Encourage interaction. One of the reasons that email marketing is still so effective is that it is personal. Encourage your readers to reply to your emails, to take part in a poll, or in some way to express themselves on your site. The more a subscriber interacts with you the more solid your relationship with them will be, and the more likely they are to stay on your list.
- Be personal. This doesn’t mean you unload all of your drama in your emails, but you should be talking to your list as a real person. Mention your family once in a while or talk about that big storm that just hit near your house. This helps your list to see you as a person just like them and helps them make that connection with you.
Would your email subscribers have a lot of regret if they left your list? Is the content you are sending them so valuable that even if you try to sell them something once in a while they still want to be on your list? This is something that every marketer should strive for.
It’s very easy for someone to unsubscribe from your list, and I hope you are not one of those marketers that put a huge space between the email message and the unsubscribe button. If they don’t want your emails anymore then you don’t want them on your list. Focus on those who really value your content and give them more than they expect with every message that goes out.
Jonathan Souza is the owner of CashCoach.net where you can find daily tips on internet marketing, email marketing, social media, blogging, SEO, and more creative marketing techniques.
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