I know a lot of people worry that their email lists are small but small lists can be powerful if you have action takers and a devoted following. Don’t worry no one opens their brand-new email management system and sees thousands of prospects from day one unless they imported them from another list. We all start with a single subscriber, and we grow our list from there. I don’t know about you but I’m grateful for each and everyone that is on our list.
What you do while your list is growing is critical to your future success.
It’s never too early to start promoting
This is the number one mistake those with a small list make. They believe—wrongly—that there’s no point in promoting to a small list.
There are two reasons this is a huge mistake. First, when all you send your list is information, and you never make an offer, you’re training them that there will never be an offer. Then the first time you send out an email promoting a product, they’ll react with annoyance. How dare you try to sell them something?!? But seriously, why wait?
The second issue with not promoting is that you’re creating a (bad) habit in yourself. Yes, it’s important that you provide value to your subscribers. It’s equally important that your mailing list not be an expensive time-suck. The only way your list will pay its way is if you’re presenting offers on a regular basis.
If you find yourself struggling to grow your list, reach out to us! We will work closely with you to develop a strategy to increase your reach. We can also help with email list monitoring and content development.
Don’t promote too much
Despite what we just said, it is possible to burn out your list with promotion after promotion. If all you ever send to your subscribers is offers to buy, your unsubscribe rate will skyrocket!
Instead, set up a system of nurturing your list by providing great value. Teach them to open your emails by striving to always include information they want and need. Share your stories with them. Tell them what you’ve learned. Interact with them. Promotions are necessary, but they’re not the primary way to connect with your list.
One of the ways J. Crew, Spotify, and SoulCycle cultivate customer loyalty is through valuable content. While there are many ways to do this, email marketing is one of the most powerful ways to reach your target audience — if done correctly. (blog.hubspot.com)
Use segmentation
Not everyone on your mailing list will benefit from the same information or promotions. Some subscribers may be at the beginning of their journey and just learning about the topics you cover. Others will be more advanced and in need of different advice. Some subscribers will be active buyers and jump on offers quickly. Others may not.
By creating segments in your mailing list software, you can provide your subscribers with exactly what they need when they need it. This targeted approach will result in more sales and a happier subscriber base.
Whether your list is 10 or 10,000, these strategies will help keep your list profitable, active, and responsive. And a responsive list is one of the most valuable assets businesses have. Take good care of it, and it will take care of you.
Want to know what’s more important than a great big mailing list?
The relationship you have with your subscribers
It’s true. You can have 100,000 people on your list, but if they don’t know you, and worse, if they don’t trust you, then that great big list is worth next to nothing.
Stay in Touch
This is likely the biggest mistake new email marketers and coaches make when it comes to their list. Sure, you have great intentions, but somehow sending emails just doesn’t feel so important when you only have a few hundred people on your list. So you procrastinate.
Days turn into weeks. Weeks become months. Pretty soon you realize it’s been 187 days since you last sent an email. Yikes! That’s no way to build a relationship.
Make it a point to mail your list at least once per month or weekly if you have the time. This way they don’t forget who you are (and why they subscribed in the first place).
Always keep their best interests in mind
Making money is great. According to Adobe, email has an ROI of $40 for every $1 spent. (crazyegg.com) Ultimately, that’s everyone’s goal. But hammering your list with endless offers is not the best way to go about it as I mentioned before. Remember, you’re building a relationship, and that means always asking yourself, “Is this in the best interest of my subscriber?” When you email with a genuine desire to help your reader, it will always be well received. Be a giver and eventually people will trust in your intentions.
Remember, they need you and your expertise
Here’s another all-too-common mistake newer list owner’s make: assuming “someone else has already done it/said it/mailed about it.”
Which could not be further from the truth, and here’s why: Your subscribers count on you to give them the information they need. They’re looking to you for advice. They need your insight into the right training and coaching programs, which software to buy, what blogs to read. And it doesn’t matter if other businesses are talking about an offer or new product or have developed an eCourse that’s like yours. Because for some people, the message will only make a connection when they hear it from you.
The bottom line? As with most things, quality surpasses quantity when it comes to list building. Just because you don’t have thousands of subscribers is no reason to avoid mailing them, and it’s not an excuse for back-burning your products, programs, or training courses.
Email marketing is a high-impact, low-cost way of delivering your marketing message to current customers and prospects if, that is, you have a great email list. If you don’t, this article is for you. Read on for the most effective and creative ways to build your email list. (verticalresponse.com) You can always reach out to us with any questions or advice on building your list. Remember, your subscribers are counting on you.
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