Marketing, including email marketing, is all about research and testing . . . and the offer.
Through research and experience, I’ve realized, and I’m sure lots of other marketers have also, that it’s getting more difficult to increase your mailing list. Thousands of marketers, if not more, are vying for the same prospect you are. So, you need an edge. You need something that will make that
Lately, I’ve seen a few ‘Miss You’ emails from marketers. These are from marketers whose emails I haven’t opened in a while or emails that I’ve opened, but haven’t clicked on any links.
Hey, I’m busy. I scan my emails and save lots and lots of them to read later. I often though don’t get the chance to go back and read them, because a new batch of emails arrives in my inbox the next day.
Email marketing is a must. It’s the only way to develop a relationship with your audience. It’s like visiting each one of your subscribers daily, once a week, or monthly. You visit however many times you and your subscribers feel is right.
This marketing strategy builds trust.
Now, although you may be sending your emails faithfully, are they being opened?
If not, that relationship becomes
Email marketing is a powerful high conversion tool. It’s one of the elements of inbound marketing and brings your content and offerings right to your ‘signed-up’ audience.
What makes this marketing strategy so powerful is that you’re communicating with people who willing gave you their email addresses in order to receive YOUR information.
But, even though you have those email addresses, you
The subscriber email list has been called ‘Golden.’ And, it is. It’s the foundation of building relationships with your audience, building trust and authority, and selling what you’re offering.
This list is so important that everyone selling something online uses an email service, like iContact or Aweber, to manage their subscribers. The email list is BIG business.
Unfortunately, most people
Part 1 of this three-part series discussed finding a niche and working it. Part 2 discussed finding your audience and building your list. Now, it’s on to establishing relationships with your audience and subscribers.
This element of niche building actually goes hand-in-hand with finding your audience.
To find your audience you need to search them out and share valuable information. To develop
This is Part 2 of the three-part series on becoming a niche powerhouse and building a successful business.
Part 1 discussed how to find a profitable niche and how to ‘work’ it. This article is about finding your audience and how to build your list.
Find Your Audience (build your list)
Finding your specific audience before you promote your service or product is a sure way to guarantee sales
I'm back with Part Two of 7 Elements of an Effective Landing Page Designed to Increase Your Mailing List.Part One covered elements one (A Specific Opt-in Landing Page) and two (The Sign-up). Now it's on to elements three and four:
3. Convey the BenefitSimply having the sign-up wording in place isn’t enough. According to MarketingExperiments.com, you need to provide the visitor with a benefit. The benefit is the incentive to say YES to the sign-up step.
People are getting more and more gun-shy about opting into yet another newsletter or ezine. You need to give them something of value for their valuable address. Think of it as an exchange.
With the above in mind, you need to word your sign-up text to convey the benefit. You might use something like, “Sign up now for instant access to the powerful ebook, 10 Steps to Increase Your Website Traffic.”
This wording not only establishes the ‘benefit,’ it also gives a time element: “now” and “free instant access.”
The landing page should also list what’s included in the free gift and the value of the newsletter. Using bullet points is recommended.
4. Your Ethical Bribe - The Free GiftTo make the sign-up even more appealing, you should change the benefit to: “Sign up now for free instant access to 10 Steps to Increase Your Website Traffic.
This is your ‘ethical bribe.’ Obviously, you will need to make the free gift relevant to your site and valuable to your target market. And, you want the visitor to know that your offer, your opt-in, is free. You don’t want him wondering about this – make it clear.
The reason for ‘sweetening the pot’ and making the offer as irresistible as possible is because you need to build your mailing list. You need that visitor to say YES. You need conversion.
To get that YES, you’re benefit and free gift need to be valuable.
So, how do you decide if your gift is valuable enough to grab that email address?
The answer to this question is easy: you know who your target market is.
Think about it . . . what does your target market want? What would you want?
If your site and product is about writing, guess what…your visitors would probably appreciate an e-book on that topic, maybe a ‘how to write guide.’ Or, if you’re into marketing…offer an e-book of marketing tips and guidance. If your site is about cooking, offer recipes or an instructional cooking e-book.
The idea is to establish yourself as an expert, someone your reader wants to learn from. They need to want what you’re offering, whether it’s for instructional value, information, entertainment, or other.
Now for a word of caution: make sure your new subscriber is able to get his free gift. Occasionally, you may come across a site that you’ve signed up to, specifically for the free gift, and then had trouble with the link or the download itself. This isn’t a good way to start a relationship. Most subscribers will get annoyed and unsubscribe to the site.
If you haven't read Part 1, go here:
For Part 3, stop by next Monday! ~~~~~
RECOMMENDED RESOURCE:Design Your Own eBook Cover in 10 Easy Steps - it includes step-by-step directions for creating your own ebook also!
This is a great tool for creating your ethical bribe. Check it out:
http://karencioffifreelancewriter.com/books-on-marketing/design-your-own-ebook-cover-in-10-easy-steps/ ~~~~~
MORE ON ONLINE MARKETINGCreating Images – Simple and QuickSEO and Website Ranking – Inside Website Visit LengthsUsing Video for Marketing~~~~~
To keep up with writing and marketing information, along with Free webinars, join us in The Writing World (top right top sidebar).Karen CioffiMulti-award Winning Author, Freelance/Ghostwriter, Editor, Online Marketer, Affiliate Marketer
Writer’s Digest Website of the Week, June 25, 2012
Karen Cioffi Professional Writing Services
http://karencioffifreelancewriter.com/karen-cioffi-writing-services/Author Online Presence and Book Marketing Ecourse:
http://karencioffifreelancewriter.com/book-marketing-ecourses/ ~~~~~
Beyond Book Sales Income: Book Marketing and Diversification
I love the internet . . . you can find almost anything and learn just about anything by doing a search. In a webinar provided by Steve Harrison of Quantum Leap. The guest speaker was Jack Canfield. For those of you who haven’t yet hear of him (this would be amazing if you are in the writing field), Canfield is the co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul.
Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen had a dream. They would have a New York Times best selling book. But, the road to success wasn’t easy . . . they received 144 rejections from publishers. This did not stop them—they moved forward with visualization and positive projection techniques. Chicken Soup for the Soul came out in 1993. Since they didn’t have enough money for a publicist so they did their own marketing. By 1995, they won the Abby Award and the Southern California Publicist Award.
This was the second teleseminar I had the privilege of attending featuring Canfield. The information offered was geared toward the strategies needed to make money publishing books through marketing and diversification. This concept is very similar to a video clip I watched of Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad Poor Dad, which was also presented by Steve Harrison.
So, what exactly are the concepts of
book marketing and diversification?8 Book Marketing and Diversification Tips to Help Make Money
1. Build a platform.Start your platform when you are thinking of writing a book—don’t wait until you are published. Creating connections, contacts, and readers takes time.
2. Realize you will most probably not get rich writing books.Yes, that’s right, you will not automatically become wealthy from book publication. But, while you won’t get rich, it will open doors that will not otherwise be open. This is the opportunity for diversification—don’t just look straight ahead—use your peripheral vision.
3. Learn how to market and sell YOU and your books.Never stop learning about writing and
book marketing. Read about the subjects; attend conferences and teleseminars; join writing and marketing groups; and follow blogs that provide valuable and up-to-date information. But, remember, you don’t want to just sell your books, you want to sell what you have to offer along with your books.
4. Research areas you can diversify in.If you are published there are a number of doors that will magically open. You can create e-books; you can present teleseminars, webinars, or workshops; you can offer classes or coaching; you can even write a book about your experiences and successes.
Tip: Before you start charging for your expertise, offer some free services. This will help establish you as an expert in your field.
5. Never stop selling.Find new avenues to sell your books and services. Utilize some of the suggestions in #4 above.
6. Build your subscriber list. According to expert marketer Jim Edwards, if you don't have a list that's continually growing, you're sunk.
You'll need to develop a trusting relationship with your readers by providing quality information on a regular basis, along with quality products.
7. Believe you can do it.This is probably the most important tip for success. Canfield is a firm believer in the power of tweaking your subconscious and projection.
8. Pay it forwar
Hi Karen, interesting post. I have a few of the Chicken Soup For The Soul books. I'd have never guessed that they received 144 rejections from publishers. A great reminder to never give up.
Hi, Susanne,
I was also surprised when I learned how many rejections Chicken Soup received. It is a great lesson for perseverance!
Hi Karen,
Terrific post filled with essential tips. Thanks!
All the best,
Donna
I coach authors how to get on TV and that is another way to make some serious money. Consulting gigs, speaking gigs and even more book deals come your way after getting on TV. OK, thanks, Edward Smith.
Donna, Thanks for stopping by!
Edward, maybe a visitor will check out your site. Thanks for stopping by.