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Traffic for List Building – Part II

Targeted traffic is today’s message in part two of this three part series about traffic for list building. If you missed part one about traffic for list building, click here so you can follow along.

As a list builder, targeted traffic is really what you need if you desire to build a list of subscribers and monetize it over time.

It’s best to find traffic sources that are targeted towards the niche market you are in versus massive amounts of traffic that may not even be interested in your information, products or services.

Remember we are talking about ROI – return on your investment in the traffic source. So choose your traffic carefully and always test each traffic source to ensure that you know if it works or not.

These first two traffic sources I have listed are ones that you can setup and do yourself and essentially trade hours, if you are on a limited budget. Once your business is profitable you could choose to outsource the work and still utilize these two traffic options.

Article marketing – is where you write and post articles to directories, blogs and sites that pertain to your niche, subjects and topics. This method takes time and effort but can pay off in the long run if you know what you are doing.

Social Media Marketing – uses social media outlets to display and show your content for searchers to preview and then decide if your info is what they are searching for.

This next traffic source is one that you will have to pay for:

Pay Per Click (ppc) is one of the most widely used advertising methods online and there are lots of people who specialize in it, so I’m not going into detail about it in this article. When PPC is mentioned it usually means Google, Yahoo, and even Facebook. The thing with PPC is that it takes money, time and knowledge of how to make it work, if you intend to see ROI.

It’s great for testing headlines and copy but true ROI is another story. If you have high converting sales pages or high-ticket products, then PPC might be worth checking into, but tread carefully. It can suck the cash out of your accounts really fast if you don’t know what you are doing.

Why – because the last thing you want to do as a list builder is to waste time and money on traffic sources that don’t pay off and bring you ROI.

Still not sure about list building or maybe you are uncertain about how to monetize your existing list? For more on list building tips, strategies and tactics, go get your self a copy of the List Building Guide here.

Email Marketing – “The Offliner’s Quest”

Email Marketing is one of the most powerful mediums that a small business can use to capture new prospects while better communicating and selling products and services to existing clients. Yet the more I research, the more I see offline and online businesses missing the boat and not using email marketing at all or very minimally. Some offline small businesses I’ve worked with only see email marketing as a way to blast their sale and event info to their existing list of customers.

Their perception of email marketing is simply adding the new customer to their email list and then on a monthly or quarterly basis they send out an e-blast. They yearn for more business and desire to use email, but still they search for the magic bullet that will bring new clients with wallets open.

You see us people don’t just want to know about the next biggest sale event or product launch. We like helpful, useful, quality information, especially when it pertains to a topic or subject that interests us.

Marketing via email is not just about sales, events and promotions. The idea is to connect and build a relationship with the subscriber and client.

In some cases the new client just needs more info and can be warmed up to an upsell with high quality content. So these content messages need to be mixed with sales messages allowing for the small business marketer to build up credibility and not just be a sales promoter.

Which means the better quality the content is, the more likely the subscriber is to open and read your messages.

With high quality content you need to focus on connecting with your subscriber so he or she looks forward to receiving, opening and reading your emails. And if you create the content right, then you can lead right up to your offers with credibility and keep the subscribers attention at the same time.

As an offliner with little or no experience in online marketing, you can market with email and develop a list of new subscribers and clients. Just remember to build value with high quality content and learn how to connect and cultivate the relationship, just like The List Building Guide teaches.

In the end it’s all about conversions and return on investment. If you build the list of subscribers, really connect and then offer products and services that meet their needs, then you should see more conversions and this should equate to $$ in your pocket.

Until next time,

Dave Krygier
Publisher

What is Email Marketing?

What is Email Marketing and how do you use it in your small business?

Email marketing by definition is the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product, service & information by utilizing the digital channel of email.

Email marketing finds its roots in the offline world of direct mail where companies build databases of prospects and client names & addresses. These databases, otherwise known as lists are developed over time and in some cases used to be rented by list brokers to the company who was looking to mail to a specific region or demographic.

It’s important to understand how offline direct mail/direct response has impacted email marketing, so if you decide to use this channel you’ll be able to better understand and comprehend how to maximize your efforts.

Email Marketing for the Online Marketer

As one of the most powerful tools for businesses to communicate and connect with their subscribers and clients, email marketing is the medium by which both offline or online businesses can sell products and services in addition to surveying and providing quality information to the end user (subscriber or client).

Email marketing is the one communication channel that allows for different variations of messages, from HTML or text and can also include video and audio(link) to mix things up. With online software called auto responders, email marketing has become even more popular in the last decade, allowing more and more businesses to expand their horizons. Without this valuable software it would be nearly impossible to develop and grow an email list of any size.

There are a number of functions that the email software provides, allowing the marketer to create, develop and manage the list of subscribers and clients.

Four of these Features are:

  1. The Lead capture web form.
  2. The Interface to create, write and store email messages.
  3. The Database which maintains the subscriber’s information.
  4. The Reports that provide the marketer with a variety of useful information.

So email marketing now enables the online and offline marketer/business to develop relationships and have a sales channel that was never possible in the offline channel of direct mail.

Should you decide to take the next step and into the world of email marketing, subscribe here and get your hands on the List Building Guide.

 

List Building – “The Secret is in the List”

“The Secret is in the list,” the Internet Marketer says to his prospect. Kind of like the spider inviting the fly over to his web for dinner.

The real secret, which really isn’t a secret at all is this…The list is only part of the total equation.

The other part of the equation is that one needs to monetize the list in order to make any money. I go into this more in depth in this article about How to Convert Subscribers into Buyers. So if this topic interests you, click on the link and check it out.

Now if you are building a business online I am going to assume (which I don’t usually do) that you have a need and desire to make some kind of income.

As far as list building goes…you will need products and/or services in your sales funnel in order to see any kind of revenue come your way.

To monetize the list of subscribers you need to offer them products and/or services that are related to your business (niche) plus the subscriber must be in the marketplace for these particular products and services.

It’s the same in the offline world.

Yeh, I know, it all sounds so simple. It is truly that simple. Really it is.

And that’s why this article is so short, because list building is really simple.

Here is the overview:

1. Find people who have interest in your niche.

2. Attract them to your squeeze page and make them an offer they cannot refuse.

3. Treat them like your friends and along the way offer your products and/or services.

4. When your subscriber purchases, he or she becomes a buyer and you make money.

Not rocket science. Not a huge mathematical equation.

So if you want more insights and tips on list building – subscribe here.

Dave Krygier
Publisher

Traffic for List Building – Part I

Traffic, Traffic, Traffic. One of the hottest and most debated topics online.

For list building – traffic is key. But traffic for list building has to be the right kind of traffic.

So I felt it best to use offline examples to show you four different kinds of traffic and how they relate to online methods:

  • City traffic can be massive if you are positioned in the right area.
  • Freeway traffic can bring massive quantities but only at certain times of the day.
  • Suburban traffic is much more targeted and can bring very qualified prospects.
  • Rural traffic is somewhat targeted but you need to be able to capture the prospect.

Each one has it’s own patterns and volumes.

The commonality amongst all the above options is that you need to capture the prospects attention, hence different methods work for the different kinds of traffic.

For years the saying in retail was location, location, location…and depending on your location determined what kind of traffic you received.

The beauty of the web is that you can dial in just about any kind of traffic that you want and along with the right amount.

The question you need to ask is, what kind of traffic do you want? Massive quantities but un-targeted or lessor quantities but more targeted. This all depends on your niche(s) and needs.

Here are four of the many online traffic sources you can use to build your list:

  • Pay-per-click can be turned on & off – which works great for some marketers.
  • Banner Ads work great and can bring tons of traffic, if you are positioned well.
  • Articles work like a charm for targeted traffic, especially if you like to write and already have knowledge about your subject and market.
  • Videos can bring searchers who are very targeted and have interest in specific niches, products, services and information.

Traffic for list building all comes down to ROI. Is the traffic bringing you ROI or is it just TOE (tons of eyeballs)?

Return on investment is the key. Without ROI, you are spinning your wheels. So make sure you test your traffic sources and work towards ones that produce ROI.

Tired of spinning your list building wheels and want to finally get some traction? This might be just what you need…check it out here: List Building Strategies & Tactics

List Building – How to Connect with Subscribers-Part III

In part one and part two of this ‘How to Connect’ series I covered my first two rules when it comes to connecting and building relationships with subscribers and clients.

This article is about Rule #3 – Be available.

Be willing and open to connect with those people that opt-in and subscribe to your email list.

What this really means to be available is that when a subscriber sends you an email, you respond to them. And do so sooner than later.

This is one of the first tests that I do when I subscribe to a marketers list.

I send an email to inquire about something. If the message comes back as undeliverable, no response, with an automated reply, or with a support ticket system, then I know this marketer is not available. Or he or she has chosen to outsource email inquiries.

What this tells me is that the marketer is not really interested in connecting with subscribers and clients.

I did this just recently and the individual never replied. But then the next day his new message showed up to pitch me another product. The funny thing is that the product didn’t have a thing to do with why I subscribed in the first place.

The no reply and then follow up sales message didn’t do much to get me to buy his product. In fact it did the exact opposite and turned me the other direction.

When a subscriber contacts you, it’s usually because the individual is searching for more information or has a question about something pertaining to your product or service.

What you should do is make the personal connection and start the cultivation process. Because after all you are building relationships and if the relationship is strong, the better chance you have of selling your products and services.

Of course there’s the easy way out and you can simply say that … Shortcuts are the way to go. And then you look for ways to automate the replies or setup support ticket software.

I say – take the high road. Be available and Connect with your subscribers and clients until the day comes that you have so much business and are overwhelmed with emails that you have to search, hire and personally train someone to help you. More on this topic in another article.

To summarize our three part series: Be real, add value and be available to the people on your list –online or offline.

And if you still haven’t picked up the List Building Guide, go now and get yourself a copy.

To your continued success,

Dave Krygier
Publisher

List Building – How to Connect with Subscribers – Part II

In part one of this three part series I shared my first rule when it comes to my business and working with subscribers and clients. As an online marketer who specializes in list building, connecting with your list is critical.

So in his article I will touch on my second rule… Rule #2 – Add Value.

Deliver value in all that you do. Value added.

Value that says …This is worth it and I have put the time and money into it for you, my subscriber.

Value that speaks quality – whether it is free or purchased products or services.

Valuable content that your subscribers can use and implement in their lives.

Not rehashed, overused, repurposed and regurgitated content that has been used so many times that it looks like an old shop rag.

And it is not about adding bonuses to the sales letter page so your subscriber jumps for his or her bankcard.

It’s about value that raises the bar and sends a message that you deliver quality.

Because when you look at your business, yes I am back to that again – your business;

you need to realize that the people on the other end of the connection are looking for value.

They want and desire value and if you offer it to them in more than one way then you will find subscribers turning into clients

I believe it is very important that you as a business owner make every effort to create value in all that you do.

Whether it is list building, email marketing, an offline enterprise or maybe some other kind of online venture.

The value you add will make the difference.

Stay tuned for Part III in this series about how to connect with subscribers.

Dave Krygier
Publisher

PS- Need some help with developing your list – check out The List Building Guide.

List Building – How to Connect with Subscribers – Part I

When it comes to list building you need to connect with your subscribers and clients.

This three part series is about the three rules that I employ in my business. The reason I have these rules is to keep myself accountable to you my subscriber and client.

My rules are simple and the first one is to Be Real.

Yes, Rule # 1 is to Be Real.

This is not the normal run of the mill series about attracting new subscribers, or how to convert and increase sales. This series is about how develop, cultivate and connect with the people on your list.

So let’s begin…

Some marketers I’ve run across in the last five years seem to think that connecting with the people on the other side of the computer screen is just a pain in the you know what. They hide behind their websites and avoid any kind of contact with their subscriber and client.

Recently as I was doing research for a project I came across some very well written content but the writer (marketer) chose to hide his or her identity on the article page, and even on the associated blog site.

The funny thing is that this individual seemed to be working on developing a list of subscribers, so why would he or she hide and avoid contact?

This strategy might work for certain web based businesses, say if you are in content or CPA marketing, but when it comes to building a list of subscribers, why would you make it difficult for your ‘customer’ to connect with you?

This immediately brought up a red flag and put up a barrier that lead me to be very cautious.  So this marketer lost a potential subscriber and who knows maybe I would have become a client if the products offered met one of my needs.

This brings me back to the point about my rules…

Even though we are marketing our businesses through a web-based model, it is still important to create the connection and be real. We humans have a built in desire to connect with other human beings.  So hiding behind web pages and avoiding contact is breaking my rule about being real.

It’s one thing to squeeze the searcher at your squeeze page. It is very obvious and the searcher has options. They can opt-in, save the page or hit the back key.

It’s entirely another to hide and avoid contact – especially if you are in the business of building a subscriber and client list.

Rule #1 – Be real. Being real helps you to better connect with the people on your list because list building is really about the relationship. The connection.

I’ll dig more into rules #2 and #3 in parts two and three of this series.

Stay Tuned,

Dave Krygier

Publisher

PS- If you are thinking about building a list of subscribers or are already in the process of doing so and haven’t picked up a copy of my List Building Guide, go get yourself a copy here.

 

The List Building Mindset

List building in the online world is a wonderful thing if you have all the pieces of the puzzle and know how to put the puzzle together. One of the most important pieces of this puzzle is the ‘mindset’ that you need in order to develop and build your business.

Now I refer to this as the ‘list building mindset’ but really this works for all small businesses.

The bottom line is that you are running and operating a business, unless of course you have decided that building a list of subscribers is for philanthropic reasons or just a hobby.

This article is written from the business perspective and is focused on the mindset that the  business owner needs to have.

So first you need to ask…

Do I have the mindset of a business owner or an employee?

Maybe you already have a business mindset and understand what it takes to build and develop a successful business?

Maybe you have never been in your own business and this is your first go at it.

Here are three things or what I’ll call components that you need to put in place in order to build your business:

#1  There is no get rich quick here. You need to do the work and put the pieces of the puzzle together just like any other business. It needs to be a do whatever it takes attitude.

#2  You need to have a long-term mentality. In other words – you need to understand that it is going to take time to bring in enough subscribers, so you can convert them to actual paying clients. Building a list of subscribers and monetizing it takes time. It is not poof and the money shows up.

Note: You can see some success right out of the gate, but it all depends on how you position yourself, the product or service you are offering, the market you are in and the kind of traffic that you send to your pages.

#3 You need to have ‘The Why’ solidified in concrete, so when frustration, delays, issues, complications and life in general gets in the way, you still keep moving forward. The Why is your goal(s), long-term and short – term.

If any one of these components are off kilter or out of line, then you may not make it.

So ask yourself, “why am I building a list of subscribers?”

What’s the purpose?

Is it to be free from a job you don’t like?

Is it to have part-time income?

Is it to pay off debt?

Is it to support a church or charity?

Is it to run your own business on your own terms?

What exactly is it? What is your why for building a list of subscribers and clients?

So, with all that said…Are you willing to do the work?

Are you willing to take the necessary steps to put all the pieces of the list building puzzle together so you can have a successful business?

The mindset that you have will determine if you are going to make it.

The mindset needs to be – I am going to do whatever it takes to get the work done, so my business is a success and continues to grow.

The mindset needs to be – I am a business owner and what I offer to my subscribers is the best information, products and services available.

I hope this all makes sense, because your mindset will determine if you are going to make it and build your business or stay in whatever it is you currently do.

For more information on list building and how you can develop your business, check out The List Building Guide.

To your continued success,

Dave Krygier
Publisher

List Building & The Relationship

How can you grow your small business and build stronger relationships with prospects, subscribers and clients?

This article about list building and the relationship might give you some insights.

No matter what area of business you are in, the relationship you have with other people always comes into play. This even applies if you are working in an isolated area and the type of person that considers yourself an introvert or hermit.

It makes no difference what profession you are in – small business, big business, self employed – online or offline. You communicate with people and if you are in the business of building a list of subscribers and clients, then communication is vital and the relationship is built on levels of trust.

The Art of the Relationship is just that, it’s more of an art than science.

There are skills to learn and building solid relationships has a lot to do with communication. Some people are better at communicating than others. It’s understanding how to help some one get what they want. Finding out what their motivation is.

So my question to you is how do you communicate with your subscribers and clients?

Are you just selling, maybe sharing a little bit of content or a mix of both?

Selling alone is not the answer to building a responsive list. Because if all you do is sell, people will turn the other way and unsubscribe.

You need to offer high quality content and mix it in with your sales pages and offers. Write the content that you would want to read. And make it so attractive that the subscriber is excited to read your next message.

Your subscribers are the lifeblood of your list building business. They are the reason you have a business and learning to communicate with them is vital to your success. So develop the relationship with your subscribers and offer them products and services that they need and your business should grow as your list grows.

As I’ve said in past articles, posts and commentary – be real, add value and be available to your subscribers and clients.

If you want to learn how to further develop a business by developing a subscriber and client list, go get yourself a copy of The List Building Guide and get started today.

Dave Krygier
Publisher