- Let Your List Get to Know You ➞
- Going Above and Beyond for Your Subscribers ➞
- Figure Out How You Want Subscribers to See You ➞
- Make Sure Your Emails Have Substance ➞
- Six Easy Ways to Improve Email Campaigns ➞
(Photo by Paige Cody/Unsplash)
Email marketing is a fantastic way to cultivate a strong relationship with your subscribers. Many marketers only learn how to get the sign-up conversion, but then fail to properly cater to the needs of their audience.
If you learn how to communicate effectively with those who have handed over their contact information to you, it will go a long way in ensuring that they listen to your recommendations and heed your advice for years to come.
There are many times when marketers go to the effort of building a list, only to abandon their subscribers until they need money. This failure is apparent to the recipients, and often results in a blemish on the reputation of the desperate marketer.
There are several ways to make sure your list stays content with your email marketing campaigns. Once you show consistency and a caring approach for your list, you’ll see how it helps you reap the rewards of mastering this aspect of your online business.
Let Your List Get to Know You
Perhaps the most important emails you’ll send out are the first ones a subscriber will get from you. The welcome email sets the tone for what’s to come – for how you’ll act and for what your readers will receive.
So it’s important to really shine with the original email they get in their email inbox. You want them to warm up to you and trust you in all future communications.
Start out by delivering whatever it was you promised with your squeeze page. Was it a special report? A series of tips? Access to a video tutorial? Whatever it was, deliver it right in the very beginning so that they see you’re a person of your word.
Now is a good time to let them know what they should expect in future communications. You might talk about the frequency of emails they’ll receive, any other options such as a weekly digest, and more.
Let them know why they should stay on your list. Some people (like freebie seekers who are suspicious of all marketers’ incentives, with good reason), will sign up, grab the free gift, and unsubscribe right away – unless you give them a reason not to.
They should be made aware of the benefits of allowing you to guide them on the niche topic. Do you do some hand-holding when people need direction? Do you periodically give out free gifts that are unexpected?
Be very congenial and let them know they can treat you as a friend and contact you whenever they need clarification or help on something. There are many marketers who bluntly take a hands-off approach, as if they’re too good or too big, so this action goes a long way in helping your subscribers put down their walls and trust you.
Going Above and Beyond for Your Subscribers
As an online marketer, you have a lot of competition for sales of your own products as well as affiliate commissions you might have the opportunity to earn. In order to be the one people spend money with, you have to set yourself apart.
There are many ways to do this – the first being to set the bar high. While most marketers merely slap together a spammy promo to their list, you need to treat your people right so they show their appreciation by buying from you.
First, make sure you do things for them that the general public reading your blog doesn’t get. A subscriber is a step above a blog visitor. They’ve committed to hearing from you on an ongoing basis.
This could mean they might get freebies that others have to pay for, such as access to a video course or PDF eBook that you’re selling. Or you might give them a sneak peek or advanced access or behind-the-scenes commentary rather than fully gifting a paid product to them.
Both methods are a way to show your appreciation and provide a perk for them that others don’t have. Aside from free gifts or access, you can also do things like network with another top marketer in your niche and arrange a live podcast, video, or webinar for them where they get to ask an expert and hear from both of you.
Some marketers even do these in person, but then that requires travel to a location and money spent on a hotel, etc. But some events will have VIP sessions, and you could do those for your subscribers the same way, only virtually.
From time to time, contact other marketers whose products you love to promote and try to secure a special deal for your subscribers. Most affiliate systems have an easy coupon method, but if not, they can always set up a private deal for your subscribers.
This might include a bundle with a steep discount on their products and courses. Or a simple coupon code for one particular product or service that they offer is fine, too. The next way you want to go above and beyond is to share valuable insight and tips with your readers.
These shouldn’t be any ordinary tips that you publish on your blog. Go in depth with them and create such value that they’re shocked you’re not charging them for the advice.
When your list is one people can’t stand accidentally being unsubscribed from, and they email you asking how to get back on it, then you know you’re doing something right. Watch your unsubscribe numbers to make sure people aren’t having difficulty finding that value, and are therefore jumping ship.
Figure Out How You Want Subscribers to See You
Each time you send out a communication to your list, they’re going to form an opinion about you as a niche leader. Ideally, you want them to welcome you into their online lives, and giving your emails a friendly tone will help with that.
There are some marketers who have a stuffy tone, as if they’re a college professor reading facts out of a book to their students. This will cause people to send your emails to their spam box.
Whenever you email someone, write as if you’re emailing a dear friend. You can start with a friendly opening sharing something about your life, and then move on to more pressing topics.
Make sure you sign off with some sort of sincere well wishes, too. Within the body of your emails, make sure you craft that community feeling – as if they’re part of something, along with other like-minded individuals.
For example, you might give a shout out to one of your subscribers, “Sherry,” for sharing a great tip with you that she didn’t mind you passing along. Or give a shout out to a subscriber who took your advice, implemented it, and saw great results.
Always get permission before using someone’s last name. If they don’t mind you sharing the story, but don’t want to be identified, you can either leave that information out or simply use a first name only.
No matter which niche you’re leading, you’ll begin to see that subscribers like it better when they feel they’re part of a group. The isolation in learning something online is less stressful when there are others to interact with.
Therefore, you may want to invite your subscribers to a specific social group that you create. Or link out to a blog post you wrote where they can interact with one another in the comments section.
Whenever you email out a tip to your list, ask everyone to give it a try and report back. When they do, share some of the quotes about their results. Sometimes seeing others move forward with a task helps the shy, hesitant ones get going.
When mapping out your emails, decide whether you want your list to be seen as more of a newsletter they’re subscribed to – or an email. Newsletters often have a different look to them, with a unique layout, sections, and links out to various articles on a blog, etc.
An email is more casual and friendly, and you’ll see that some people forget they signed up to a list and believe you’re emailing them as a friend. The newsletter style isn’t bad – just different.
Make sure that everything in your emails isn’t always something you’re selling or promoting. You need to include tips and advice for the niche audience, too. Or link out to other experts to show that you can curate information without worrying about the competition.
Make Sure Your Emails Have Substance
We’ve talked about value in your emails, but what exactly constitutes a valuable email from the perspective of an email recipient? It doesn’t always mean you’re giving away something for free.
First and foremost, don’t email out just to send something and keep your name in front of the prospective customer. Some people get it in their head that they need to email three times a week, so even if they have nothing to say, they send a fluff-filled email just because they think they have to.
These kinds of emails will often feel like an irritation to your recipients, rather than something worth interrupting their day for. If you don’t know of anything off the top of your head to email about, do some research.
See if there’s anything impactful about your niche – breaking news or some sort of change or tip you can share with them. You’ll often find forums and social groups to be a great resource for this kind of information because people begin asking questions and seeking answers there.
You don’t always have to email news and tips. It’s perfectly acceptable (and even expected) that you’ll guide your audience with solid recommendations of products and services as well as tools they can use to benefit them.
You might share case studies with your followers to show them how, when someone implements some good advice, it pays off. This can be your own experience or that of someone else.
Recognize when your audience is struggling. If you’re seeing a lot of emails coming in where people are not achieving the goals they want to, send out an email addressing the problems and what you believe will help.
This kind of motivation – including personal stories that help them connect to you on a different level – is just as important as the product recommendations and the breaking news that you share.
One last thing about the tone and substance of your emails – don’t tone down your excitement in fear that it’ll come across as overly hyped or spammy. Spam is when you’re not giving value but just pushing for a sale without deserving it.
Hype, on the other hand, is not a bad thing. People want that feeling of being pumped up and motivated! So if you do it right and pair it with truly valuable information, it shouldn’t be a problem for your audience.
Six Easy Ways to Improve Email Campaigns
Some things, such as developing long-term content for your emails, take time to master. Other things are quick and easy steps you can take to get a positive response from your subscribers, starting with the frequency of your emails.
Every subscriber isn’t going to be happy about your email timing. Some want constant contact and others rarely want to hear from you. So do what works best for you, whether that’s daily, three times a week, or otherwise – but be consistent with it.
Second, be fiercely protective of your subscribers. Don’t be the type of marketer who sells their contact information. And if you sell solo ads to your list, be upfront about it – don’t make them believe you’re personally endorsing anyone that you’re not.
Third, start networking for their benefit. Bring other experts (both new ones and long-time veterans) onboard to showcase to your subscribers, such as niche authors or other bloggers.
You can interview them via video, audio, or text, and allow your list the opportunity to submit questions ahead of time that they want you to ask. This benefits them because they may not have the ability to personally get in touch with these experts on their own to have their questions answered.
Fourth, you want to work on crafting good subject lines for your emails. Don’t use clickbait to trick your readers, but work on your copy skills so that people can’t pass up the opportunity to open your email and see what’s inside.
Fifth, split-test your email campaigns. You want to know what works best, and you can do that – to see things like if a long email works best or a small one, if it works better with an image or without, and so on.
And last, in every email you send, remember to add a call to action. What do you want your reader to do after they finish your email? Calls to action are not just for sales copy. They should be in all of your communications.