5 Tips To Revive Your Opt-in list and Make It More Responsive
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5 Tips To Revive Your Opt-in list and Make It More Responsive
Are you trying to build an opt-in list but it’s just not growing as quickly as you’d like? Maybe you have a sizable subscriber list but find that the open rate or click throughs are not very high. You can still revive some life into your list and get it working for you instead of against you.
Regardless of whether you’re new to Internet Marketing or a seasoned pro it’s good to back-track a little to go over some of the points to get your list growing and more responsive.
The relationship between you and your opt-in list members must be one of trust. If there is no trust, you will not likely get that person to sign up. If they do they may not stay.
Here are a few strategies to build and maintain trust:
- They must be able to opt-out. Make sure each customer signing up for your newsletter or information knows they have a quick and easy option to bow out when they like. A simple checkbox and click for their subscription to be removed should do the trick. This is actually required by the CAN-SPAM Act.
- Offer interesting and valuable content. To build their trust in you, start providing your readers with valuable and interesting articles, free reports, blog and forum posts based on your niche topic. While this may be a lot of work, the benefit of them trusting what you have to say is well worth the time. You will soon be considered an expert in your field, which can easily bring more prospects to your business.
- Stick to the 80/20 rule. People expect a certain amount of marketing when they receive an email however if your email is too heavy on the marketing end, they’re going to drop you like a hot-potato. Always make sure you offer at least 80% valuable content and around 20% promotional content. Additionally, make sure your marketing content is relevant.
- Get them involved. One great way to breathe life into your opt-in list is to get your readers involved. Take a poll or survey, and post the results, ask questions and provide feedback. Create a community with your prospects and customers, it’s a great way to build a business.
- Finally, make sure to balance your communications. There’s a fine line between emailing too often and contacting your opt-in list too infrequently. Find the balance. Study your click through and open rates. Test to see what frequency works best for your audience. While most people who sign up will expect contact from you regularly, they aren’t likely to remain happy if you email them several times a day. When creating your opt-in box, try to specify how often you intend to contact them, with room for extra mailings for the occasional special report or bonus.
Your list is the lifeline to your business. If you have nobody to communicate with, who will buy your products? Keeping them happy, and wanting to receive your next mailing is the key to a happy list.
Treat them well, let them trust you, and your list will not only start breathing again, but will have more life in it than ever before.
For more information about List Building check out these recommended resources.
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11 Comments
September 15th, 2009 at 11:47 am
The one point that I think needs clarification is the 80/20 content to marketing. Good marketing will supply the content and teach people at the same time. Too many people try to give too much content without a marketing angle and it is very important that they are integrated.
Mike Paetzold´s last blog ..Grab the Abundance Stimulus Pack before it’s too late…
September 15th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Great advice! Since every list is different, we do have to make sure to learn what our own list likes and doesn’t like. It may take some time/some emails to do, but once we do that, they will become a lot more responsive.
Joel Osborne´s last blog ..Abundance Stimulus Pack
September 15th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Good point Mike,
It does not have to be strictly content or marketing email. They could be combined in the same email as long as the promotion is related to the ontent
September 15th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
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September 15th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Luca, 5 great points here. List building is truly the basic ingredient of internet marketing. Building trust and relationships with your list is as important as the list. Your strategies to build and maintain trust are appreciated. Thanks
Lonnie Minton´s last blog ..Stop Promoting Uninteresting Products
September 15th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
These are all excellent points and ones I think offer a lot of value to your readers. You are so right when you say your list is the lifeline of your business. And giving them great content can go a long way to keeping them coming back and looking for more.
Andre Arnett´s last blog ..Internet Marketing Done The Right Way
September 15th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
I have to agree with Mike on the 80/20 rule. Maybe it should be 20/80 with 20% content, the rest should be marketing. Some free resources like giveaways and ad swaps, some education, suggestions where people can learn more such as teleseminars, ebooks, seminars and etc.
Also its always worth while to share special events and new product launches. Your readers want to know about them. They can’t and won’t buy them, but some of them will some of the time. These emails are valuable services to offer to your list. Those who are interested will stay on your list, those who aren’t wont. You want people interested in what your selling, so talk about its many aspects to them as often as possible.
My 2 cents.
Earl Netwal´s last blog ..I’m Thinking About Short Term Memberships
September 19th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
The 80/20 rule is so important, it strange how the 80/20 applies to nearly everything. Balancing the amount of times you post is a good point because if you email people too much they won’t like it and and too little and your not growing the relationship. Id say once per week is good.
Blaine Bullman´s last blog ..6 Benefits Of Social Networking
September 19th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Hi Blaine,
I agree about the 80/20 rule – it does apply to a wide ranfe of thiongs. This is another I like. 80% Attitude and 20% Aptitude
September 19th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
I’d like to add one point here, Luca, if I may…
The most successful e-mail marketers always adhere to just one rule – always just be yourself. They don’t write to keep subscribers or filter their content as to what will keep people from unsubscribing. They simply say what they want to say in each e-mail.
Some send pitches every day, some send a lot of content, and most fall somewhere in between. The potential market is so huge that they know they’ll get subs and unsubs every day – no matter what they do or don’t send.
The trick is to be genuine – readers can sense that and they respond to it. Only send out what you KNOW will help your readers, and skip the rest no matter HOW high the commissions. And never send e-mails provided by affiliate sites – ALWAYS write your own, in your own voice. Nothing kills your credibility faster than a reader getting the same copy from you as they did from 10 others the same day.
Doug Champigny´s last blog ..The POWER OF FREE In Affiliate Marketing – Part Two
October 9th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Thanks Luca for this great post and advices, especially for pointing out 80-20 rule; sometimes, without even knowing it, I forget about this reality.