Email marketing is one of the most effective strategies when it comes to online marketing and advertising. But that is only true if you know how to use it effectively. In this article, we will be covering this strategy in great detail, including methods and techniques that you can use to make it perform successfully for you. Email marketing is not difficult to do, but you do need to be aware of the pitfalls.
What is Email Marketing?
Email marketing is when you use email to convince people to buy your product or service. Email marketing is most closely associated with the email list, something that you build when you first begin marketing. The more emails addresses (legitimate ones that have real people behind them) you collect, the more potential you have for making money.
Lets take an example from the Kindle world. An author that I know was writing short books and selling about 2-3 per day. This was making her about $225 a month. Thats not even close to a living wage. So, what she decided to do was write a bunch of books that she could give away for free. People would sign up for her email list and receive a free book. She even created three different books so that if someone had already passed on one of them, based upon the description, she would still be able to get them to sign up for her email list with another book. As a result, almost everyone who read her books (even during the thousands downloaded during the Kindle Select free promotions would sign up for her email list, and whenever she released a new title, she sent it out to that list and make a few thousand dollars.
Your Email Marketing List
So, how do you do the same thing? Well, it starts by offering people something that they want to build an email list. If you do not have something that people want, you have no chance of getting them to give you their email. Email is different than many other types of personal information, and in many cases, it is much harder to get, and is much more valuable when you do get it. So, make sure that you are actually offering something valuable in order to get people to sign up for your email marketing list.
People know, deep down, that you are going to market something to them when they provide their email address, even if you do not explicitly tell them so. That means that whenever you ask them for their email address, that you need to offer them something that is truly worth risking spam in their email folder. This could be an eBook, audio presentation or video, but whatever it is, it needs to solve the problem that they have.
Ways to Build an Email Marketing List
We will go over some ideas that will help you build your email marketing list. You may not be able to use all of these, but you should be able to find something that you can make your own that will allow you to collect email addresses and build a marketing list that you can start your business with.
The first technique is going to seem so simple that you wont even think to use it. But you should be aware of it anyway, because you would be surprised how many people simply do not get email addresses because they fail to put an option in to sign up. So, the first option is to put a signup sheet somewhere on your page. No extra incentives, no reason to sign up except to sign up. Youd be amazed how many people will do it just because its there.
The second tip is to give away something. People will trade their email address to you for something valuable but the keyword here is valuable. This has to be something that they actually want and see as having at least as much value as potential spam is worth.
You could also offer exclusive access to something instead of a giveaway. Again, this has to be something that they are actually interested in. It doesnt work if you are offering them access to your forums and they didnt particularly want to go there in the first place. If there is something within your membership area that actually adds value to their life, solves a problem for them or allows them to make money, then it will be worth trading you their email.
You can also hold events, either online or in the real world. Online events are usually done through some kind of third-party service. A webinar is a good example of an online event that could help you to build up an email list. Youll use social media to promote your event. As for the real world event, you can do almost anything. A raffle is a really good thing to use in this situation. If you spend $100 on a gift card, there is a good chance you can get some people at a live event to give you their email in exchange for a chance to win it.
Why is an Email Marketing List so Important?
Most people do not realize that an email address is one of the most protected items that people have, and if you have inspired enough trust to get one, then you are usually golden. An email address is so important because people will always check their email, even when they arent going to your blog for the latest update or catching your social media posts. In addition, studies have shown that people who have signed up for your email list are much more likely to buy from you. If you can get their email address, make sure that you do not waste the opportunity and protect that relationship for as long as you can because email marketing is one of the most effective ways to do business.