If you're anything like me, you've probably heard it a thousand times before,
stored it in the back of your memory bank, and haven't had the desire to go back
there to get it. Well, now's the time to start acting on what I like to call "The
Undiscovered Gold Mine." What I'm talking about is the marketing power of an opt-in
email list. But what is the most compelling offer to truly get your visitors to
opt-in? Without a doubt...a Free Newsletter is your best bet! In this lesson, we'll
dive deep into the importance of a well-written newsletter, its impressive money-making
potential, and the art of writing a profitable newsletter that your subscribers
will eat up like candy! Email marketing is a blessing for small business owners.
An effective, targeted email-marketing campaign can drive traffic to your site,
get your name in front of qualified prospects and turn leads into sales - for much
less than what you'd spend on a traditional direct-marketing campaign. Once you
have developed your email list, how do you turn those devoted subscribers into sales?
No matter what strategies you used to get your subscribers to opt-in on your emailing
list, many of them are already pre-sold to your product. Now, you just have to close
the deal. In this lesson, I'm going to show you why your site needs a newsletter
and how to maximize your sales by using this powerful incentive. Offering a free
newsletter is the best way to collect loyal subscribers who are actively looking
for answers to their problems. If you offer to provide potential subscribers with
information they need, they'll be glad to subscribe to your newsletter. But obviously
the secret is out, and most online businesses are taking full advantage of the powerful
capabilities of this marketing tool. And as a result, there has been a mass of newsletters
on the Internet full of nonsense and spam - leaving Internet visitors with a wary
concern about handing over their email addresses to just anyone. This doesn't, however,
mean that you shouldn't start your own newsletter. And it doesn't mean that you've
missed the boat. All it means is that you are going to have to work at providing
your subscribers with quality information that they deem worthy enough to entrust
their email address with you. Not a problem! Just create a newsletter that people
read faithfully, that is considered to be a reliable source of quality information,
and that attracts a consistent number of opt-in subscribers. The best part about
newsletters is that you can produce them with little to no cost at all! Of course
you can hire a ghost writer to compose your newsletter, but the best way to truly
acquire a lasting relationship with your customer is by simply "talking" to them.
Nowadays, it's easy to get away with informal conversations with someone you don't
know all that well. In fact, many people actually feel more comfortable with the
fact that you're talking to them like a friend. Don't underestimate the power of
this kind of relationship! If you are communicating on a regular basis with your
subscribers, giving them valuable information, and allowing them to get to know
and trust you, you shouldn't be too surprised about how many of them will actually
become devoted customers. Email newsletters are one of the great bargains in marketing.
They keep your company in front of your customers on a regular basis for very little
cost. Newsletters aren't right for every audience - I wouldn't recommend them if
you're targeting the local B-I-N-G-O crowd - but if you're in the web hosting business,
there's a good chance that 100% of your customers and prospects use email, making
newsletters a great tool! Email newsletters are proven to increase sales, if used
properly. It has been reported by rigorous research and testing that up to 50% in
sales can be generated from newsletter auto-responder follow-ups! And I'm sure you'll
also be glad to hear that if used properly, up to 10% of opt-in subscribers will
purchase the product being sold. In case you didn't get that - it's been reported
that... 10 people out of every 100 subscribers will buy! That's enough to make me
want to send out newsletters! But there are a few things that you have to be cautious
of when preparing your newsletter. If you want to rake in the ALL of the financial
benefits possible, you need to follow the tips below. Trust me, there's an art to
creating a thriving, profitable newsletter. There's no doubt about it - a free newsletter
is your best source of generating a list of subscribers you can send promotions
to in the future! But how should you go about delivering your message to your potential
customers without coming off as a huge advertisement billboard? Because so many
of us are already overwhelmed by the daily flood of email, your newsletter will
need to be much more than just ads for your products. Including informative articles,
interviews, or other information may help entice your subscribers to actually open
and read your newsletter. Light "plugs" in the body of your newsletter aren't a
bad idea, but remember that your subscribers are looking for quality information
- not a salesletter...that's what your webpage is for. To increase your sales and
get the most out of your newsletter, we highly recommend following the tips listed
below...
§Registering New Subscribers When asking visitors to sign up, ask only for the
information you need - perhaps just the email address. Remember, that every additional
bit of info you collect is another deterrent to customer signup. People don't like
to give away their private information, so don't ask for anything more than what
is needed. Make it easy for subscribers to share your newsletter with others. They
can simply forward the message, of course, but if you include an explicit send-to-a-friend
link you are giving your customers and subscribers a gentle "nudge" to recommend
your material to their friends and colleagues.
§Check out your competition Every business has competition. Find out what they
are doing by researching their product or service. Sign up for their newsletters,
and then make yours better than theirs. What could you do better? Is there a gap
in their service you can fill?
§Content The first thing I want to tell you is that "Newsletters must be simple."
You do not want to be the next "delete" button in your subscribers email account.
People get a lot of email. They don't have time to read a lot of text. Newsletters
must be designed to facilitate scanning, but then again you want to give them the
opportunity to get a "full dose" of what you have to offer. So the best recommendation
is to provide links like "Click Here for the Full Report", or "Discover the Answers
To Your Problem by Clicking Here". Above all, deliver content with real value. We're
all flooded by email, and if your users don't perceive your newsletter to be worthwhile,
they'll just delete it and move to the next message in their inbox. That's why it's
important to track your click-through rates: they're proof that your messages are
being read - not just your message views. Also, if you have a newsletter that covers
a ton of topics and starts to get too long, be sure break it into separate newsletters.
§Write a Good Subject Line Writing good subject lines is especially important,
both to encourage users to open the newsletter, and to distinguish the newsletter
from spam. I recommend including some actual content from the individual newsletter
in each subject line, even though it's a difficult job to write good content within
the 50-60 character limit that is imposed by many email services.
§HTML or plain text? It's really a matter of what you think will most appeal
to your readers. There really hasn't been much difference as far as which one sells
the best. It truly depends on your target audience. So if in doubt, offer two lists:
one in plain text and the other in HTML. Then let your subscribers decide which
one they want to receive.
§Let's Make a Profit! Selling to Your Audience Many people try and sell their
product or service directly from their emails. However this is really the job of
your web site, not your newsletter. The purpose of your email campaigns should be
purely to get people to click to your web site. Two of the most successful ways
to do this are
a)A "Single-Topic" Article in Your Newsletter Create a single article that describes
a common problem that your product solves. BUT, don't necessarily mention your product
in the article but do point out some of the things to be considered when choosing
a solution. Close your article by simply saying something like "To read more about
this problem and discover our Tried-and-True solution - Click Here". This link should
then direct your opt-in subscribers to you product sales page at which point the
user is already thinking about the problem and what to look for in a solution. Then,
they discover your product, which just happens to solve their problem. Viola!
b)A Series of Articles in Your Newsletter In each issue of your newsletter, focus
on one particular problem that your product solves. But again, don't necessarily
mention your product - simply talk about some of the things to be considered when
choosing a solution. Dedicate the whole issue to describing this problem and what
to look for in a solution. At the end of each issue point them in the direction
of your product's sales pages. Again by the time they hit your web pages they will
be primed and ready to learn how your product solves their problem. Then, in your
next newsletter series, you can incorporate a "new" problem that your product also
solves. Get the picture? It's a great strategy once you get the hang of it.
Never send your newsletter to anyone who hasn't specifically requested to receive
it. Remember, new anti-spam regulations require every marketing email to include
an opt-out condition and a valid physical address. Email newsletters are a blessing
to small businesses. They are a great way to generate a credible relationship with
your customer, drive subscribers to your site, create demand for your product, and
thus skyrocket your sales! Establishing your credibility is the key to making your
product or service attractive to potential customers. But once you've done that,
your loyal subscribers will WANT to know more about what you have to say.
They'll be extremely receptive to your offers. The most valuable customer is
the one you already have - right there in your email list.
Be sure to check out the next lessons. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to
boost your opt-in mailing list by up to 10 times and the power strategies you NEED
to use if you're going to truly profit from your list.
