How To Build A Trusting Relationship With Your Subscribers (the Opt-in List)

There are a few things that elicit the same levels of joy and frustration from a person as email

. The welcome received by an anticipated email is easily matched by the hostility towards unwanted email or spam.

If you are considering using email marketing to promote your business, you had better make sure that your campaign produces more of the former case than the latter.

Of course, you already know this because you probably are someone who uses email on a regular basis. And you know how frustrating it can get to wade through so much junk mail.

You also know that spam never gets even as much as a single click of your mouse the prime reason for which is because you do not trust the source of these emails.

And that is by far the biggest factor that separates a successful email campaign from a disastrous one.

Any person can tell you that the foundation to any relationship worth pursuing is trust. And that applies even in business. That is why businesses put so much premium on creating an image of reliability and trustworthiness and yours should not be an exception.

So how exactly do you go about building that trust and working that into the success of your email marketing campaign and invariably, your business? For one thing, it starts well before you even ask for your customers email address.

A great email marketing campaign is built on a foundation of relevance, timeliness and substance and - were not just talking about the content of your emails. Your email could contain information your customers would love to have, but if they dont think of you as someone who can supply such information, your email marketing has already failed even before it took off.

You need to build an expert reputation in the field or industry you are doing business in. This can be done through several ways the more common of which is to write several articles, participate in relevant online fora (forums), or even publish ebooks on the topic.

Now that youve got your (potential) customers attention and have established that you know your stuff pretty well, the next step is to make them want to keep in touch with you. Enter the opt-in email list the lifeblood of a successful email campaign.

An opt-in email list saves you from sanctions over spamming because the people you send your email to are those who have actively subscribed to your email list that promotes your business. Do you now see how getting their permission is the direct result of how much time and effort youve invested on building your cred in the business?

However, building that reputation and credibility doesnt stop after youve collected addresses. In fact, it is only beginning.

Your customer may or may not be aware of it, but the way you manage your email marketing is critical to maintaining the trust your customers have bestowed on you. If you manage it well, you assure them that they were right in trusting you - anything less than that is a step backward for your business.

So how do you maintain and keep at building that trust? In a nutshell, you need to present nothing but relevant and useful information your customers would like to know, as well as offering great deals to your email subscribers.

You do this in a variety of ways:

Customized information

This is particularly effective for a short subscriber list. Dont feel that you need to have a list a mile long. If youre targeting a niche market, why not try presenting information particular to the subscriber? With a relatively short list, that can be manageable. Your customer will feel that you place much importance in his or her business.

Timely content

Be creative and find ways to relate your products or services to the appropriate times and seasons you send out your email promotions. This shows your customers that you put much thought into the contents of your email, which separates you from others that send generic, one-type-fits-all-occasions mailers. Also, try to space out your mailers within reasonable periods. Daily mail is irritating, while too far and few in between is inconsistent. An email every two weeks or so is a healthy frequency.

Offer incentives and freebies

Very few people refuse the opportunity to get something for free or at a discount, especially if it is something that they know they can use. Put some variety into your mailers by including a high-value offer in your mailers.

An offer like that need not be expensive either. In fact, it is possible for you to do so at little to no cost and still be of high value to your subscriber. This could be anything from a free ebook to a preferred discounted rate for your subscriber list.

Finally, manage and update your list regularly. Take particular care with requests to unsubscribe. Getting email after youve stopped subscribing aggravates a customer and can generate negative reputation for yourself and your business. Take note of customers who respond to your emails and offers regularly. You may want to create a special list for them and tell them that they have been included into a preferred customers list.

The idea is to build and reinforce the trust your customers have put on you and your enterprise. Live up to and exceed these expectations, even in your email campaign. The benefits it brings to your business far exceeds the efforts youve placed into building that trusting relationship.

by: Elijah Chai

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