You may have heard people say “the money is in the list”, and perhaps you’ve wondered what they mean, whether it’s true, and if it is true, why it should be so.
‘The List” they are talking about is the names of people who have subscribed to their email list. Some people sign up because there is a free report offered or a webinar, others sign up because they are interested in what they read on the site and would like to hear when you post new material, some are email junkies and just want more, others are genuinely prospects. The thing is, you can’t tell which names belong to which type of person right away.
It may take a while to learn who are genuine prospects, and who are just opportunists. It’s never wise to be too hasty to take people off your list either. I know I’ve signed up for lists where I am genuinely interested in the paid product or service that is offered but waiting for the right time to jump in and buy. The point is you can’t always judge what is holding people back, so you should patiently continue to reach out with your information and offers until they respond or unsubscribe.
Is the money really in the list?
“Yes!”
Without that list of names to email about your latest service offering, product, or special discount you are completely dependent on current search results and paid advertising for traffic. As the web becomes a busier place, and as more companies make valuable offers you need to cut through the noise as much as possible. A lot of people guard their email inbox zealously and they pay greater attention to anything that lands in it than to other media, if they are on your list, the chances are they will read what you have to say carefully.
In any case, your message has a greater chance of coming to their notice than if you expect them to be searching for the right keywords again when you are making an offer. Having a list makes it possible to stay in contact with website visitors who have expressed an interest in hearing what you have to say.
I know that I, and most of the people I talk to, are far more likely to respond to an offer directly from a company I’ve chosen to hear from, than from one of the people who regularly mail on behalf of a large number of businesses.
Once you have captured a person’s email address, what should you do with it? It should go without saying that you need to respect their confidence in you by never selling or giving away the names and addresses on your list for any reason at all. Ever!
Nor should you abuse their trust by spamming them with every piece of news or offer you hear about. Pay careful attention to the offer you make them when they sign up. Have you told them you’ll let them know every time you post a new item on your blog? Are you going to send out a newsletter regularly? Are you just using the list to let them know about new products or discounts? Whatever you said you would do, you should honour. If your plans change, let them know what you’ll be doing and ask their permission. Courtesy and respect are always a good idea.
Life Happens! – and when it does your auto-responder is there to help.
Sometimes it is hard to come up with a steady stream of relevant information for readers. Sometimes, you need to work on a large project and don’t have much spare time. If you prepare a series of autoresponder emails you can be confident that people on your list will continue to receive valuable content on a regular basis, while you are on holidays or sidetracked by other commitments.
Your emails can be long or short, but they should always be relevant, thought-provoking and/or entertaining.
Consistency is your Friend
The advantage of regularity is that your name will keep appearing in your prospect’s inbox so that when they are looking for the product or service you provide, your name will be top-of-mind. In addition, if they are used to hearing from you, they will recognise your name immediately and you won’t be shuffled off into the trash while they’re processing their email. You will be a trusted and credible provider, and they will greet you as a welcome guest.
It’s not so hard to schedule a regular time to sit down and produce a month’s worth of valuable and relevant auto-responder content each month, and then you will be able to maintain the acquaintance you worked so hard to attract in the first place via search engines.