subject: Very Important Information About Newsletters [print this page] Very Important Information About Newsletters
Online marketers keep repeating "the money is in the list" meaning that in order to have a consistent and long term success you should build a subscriber list and promote products to that list. Is it time to build your own email marketing list? Think of the facts listed below first. If you think you can set it up once and it will be generating you money automatically - you are mistaken. Of course you can write 60 messages for your autoresponder and they will be sufficient to drip feed to your subscribers for 3 months. But really successful internet marketers do not do just that. They monitor delivery rates, open rates, and clickthrough rates too. They segment their lists by a bunch of parameters and send different messages to different groups. Plus they do split tests, sending the same email with a different headline, for example, to the same group of people. You need to test what is working and what is not, and fine-tune your campaign accordingly. Another fact - lots of your readers won't receive the newsletter they signed up for. It occurs because of junk mail filters and software installed on the subscribers' computers as well as anti-spam systems used by mail servers. Approximately 20% of your messages can go to users' junk mail folders or get deleted right on the email servers. Fact three - a sizable portion of people who do receive your newsletter will not open it and even fewer will click a link to visit your website (close to 2-3%).
In short, this just does not look very good. Now, let's look at it other way. Most companies in the world DO NOT advertise on television, radio or newspapers. So, think first.
It is advisable to start your own newsletter if:
1. You will be able to acquire a thousand subscribers in six months (this is for small mom and pop shops).
2. You update your stock/release new products/offer new services at least once per month.
3. You are ready to invest a significant amount of time and effort into building your newsletter. In case you said "Yes" to all three of these requirements, it is time to think about your newsletter.
Here's my advice if you do not want to publish "an average newsletter" (which means the one which isn't going to add anything tangible to your bottom line):
1. Don't ever use generic predictable wording. We all are sick and tired with special deals, one of a kind offers and other bla-bla-bla.
2. Offer something valuable. If you want your readers read your newsletter you need to offer them something of value. It can be information - you can write articles with suggestions how to use your product. Or you can offer special discounts - discount codes, buy-one-get-one-for-free coupons, free gifts - all this works perfectly. A word of warning: do not offer discounts for items that don't sell well, offer discounts for your best-selling products instead.
3. Make your messages short. Here is an excellent newsletter advert. "Dear Chris. Starting from March 2 to 29, we will be shipping all orders FREE. We've just got a new shipment of fishing clothes and knives, so you are certainly to find something interesting. If you are not planning to buy anything new during that period of time, go to our website anyway, because you can claim your FREE delivery coupon which is valid for six months for any purchase at our internet store. To see what other promotions are currently running, just click here
