subject: 3 Keys to Running a Successful List [print this page] 3 Keys to Running a Successful List 3 Keys to Running a Successful List
An email marketing list can be a good, steady source of income if you know how to do it right. Here are three keys to keep your customers happy and the money rolling in.
1. Imagine one reader for your list. This may sound a little counter-intuitive at first. After all, you want tens of thousands of readers on your list, right?
Of course you do. But you want to target like you're reaching out to one individual. This is a carry-over from offline direct mail marketing that works well with Internet marketing.
This doesn't mean that you have to assume your readers are all cookie-cutter drones. They're not, and you won't make much money if you assume that they are. But everyone on your list is going to have certain things in common. These are the things that interested them in your list in the first place.
By this, I don't just mean that they are interested in one certain niche, sub-niche, or type of service or product. They also have many of the same emotional triggers when it comes to what motivates them.Your market research should include a profile of important points about the people you're marketing to.
Then, when you write your list messages, imagine you are speaking to one person. This is a simple mental trick that really will make your messages seem to be speaking to each reader individually--and that will increase conversions.
If you're hiring someone else to write your messages, clue them in on your reader profile. Remind them of this trick--many content writers don't have enough experience with direct marketing--and you will get more bang for your outsourcing buck.
2. Make sure your content centers on your reader. You don't just want to speak directly to your reader. You also want to speak directly ABOUT your reader.
Sure, on your end, it seems like it's all about money for you. But your reader didn't join your list to make money for you. You reader joined your list for the value it can provide him or her.
So make sure your email messages reflect that. Don't ask them to help you out by buying your products. Help him or her by providing useful content that is centered around your reader. And when you throw in that marketing message, make sure it's centered on how buying the next product or service can fill that reader's needs, whatever those needs might be.
3. Don't just try and sell, sell, sell. Make sure you provide value for your reader by providing useful information with every message in your autoresponder series. There's nothing wrong with the occasional blast to your list about a great new product. But for most niches, you should send out a steady stream of content that your reader can find value in.
At the very best, constant blatant marketing messages will desensitize your reader, so that he or she will be unlikely to buy anything from you. At the very worst, your reader won't find anything to value about your list, and will unsubscribe.
