Simple Strategies for Turning Your Mailing List into a Long-Term Profitable Asset
FOCUS: Profiting from Your List

#1: Train Your List:

If you want your list to accept and take action on your promotions, teach them to be  accustomed to promotions.

In the privacy note below your subscription box, write something like: “We will only use your email address to communicate with your regarding [x]-related topics and offers.”

BAM – You’ve told them you’ll be giving them offers.

If you want, you can also remind them in your welcome email that you’ll be sending them offers. You can tell them how you like to do review products on your reader’s behalf and alert them to any products that might be helpful or to stay away from.

Again – Now they know you’re going to send them promotions. They can unsubscribe right away if they’re not happy with that.

Then, most importantly, regularly send them offers so they expect them. Don’t hide behind the excuse, “I only have 100 people on my list so I haven’t sold anything to them yet?”

WHAT? Again, your list is made up INDIVIDUALS. Whether it is 100 individuals, 2398 individuals or 100,000 individuals, doesn’t matter. Every member of your list needs to be accustomed to the way you sell to them.

Imagine, if you decided you were going to wait until you hit 1000 subscribers before you sent a promo. That means the first 999 people on your list will be receiving no promotions for a period of time. That is NOT how to train your list to expect promotions. Do it from the beginning.

#2: Get to Know Your Subscribers

I mean REALLY get to know them. No, you’re not taking them to dinner, but still getting to know them. Here’s how:

• Pay attention to which links they click on in your emails (and track your links!). Whether they are clicking to read/view content, take a product recommendation or sign up for more information, pay attention.
• Take note of which types of products they are buying through your links.  Note which products flop and which seem to get a lot of response.
• Invite them to submit feedback on your blog on a certain topic. The response you get can be incredibly valuable and give you insight into your readers.
• When your readers do comment on your blog, take the time to click through to their websites. See what they are talking about, what their problems are, what products they are buying. Do this on a regular basis and you’ll come to understand your typical audience even further.
• Survey Them: Now, I think surveys do have their place, but never rely on this alone. I think taking note of BEHAVIOUR is far more powerful. When you create a survey, people get to answer how they THINK they will behave or how you want them to answer . Thing is, people often behave in ways that are very different from how they say they will / do behave.

#3: Don’t Forget Your Thank You Page

Your thank you page is a priceless piece of real estate, so use it! I'm not sure what it is, but people seem to like to follow directions when they hit a thank you page. When someone hits your sign up thank you page, don't waste that space. Offer them a product, a discount, free trial or show them another part of your site you'd like them to see.

#4: Subject Lines Matter

If your emails are top notch, your subscribers will be waiting for them, but this doesn't mean you can get away with dull subject lines.

“Newsletter #18, Volume 8, Issue 1”

...doesn't cut it.

YAWN!

The only job of a subject line is to get your reader to open the email...that's it, so I personally don't really need descriptive subject lines either.

Let’s say we’re selling a potty training guide. I wouldn’t use a subject line like:

"Potty Training Guide"

Sure, it does mean that you're more likely to have those readers ALREADY interested in a potty training guide open your email, but most of your readers won't know (yet) that they really want a potty training guide.

It is the body of your email whose job it is to convince your readers they need a guide...not your subject line. Again, you only need your subject line to get your reader to open the email.

In a case like this, I'd use something like:

"This will help with the frustration..."

Now in this case, if your readers are parents of toddlers, they can very likely relate to frustration and the subject line is more likely to capture interest. Being a parent is a joy, but there are definitely frustrations with all kinds of things along the way.

So, they open the email and you talk about and relate to that frustration...and then they feel like someone understands them, knows what they need and are more likely to make the purchase.

#5: Call to Action Each Time

To further train your list to do what you want them to do, make a goal to have a call to action on each and every email. That doesn't mean you have to send them to buy something each time, but ask them to do something.

Some calls to action can include to:

• Click a link to read a blog entry
• Click a link to complete a survey or to leave a comment
• Click a link to read an informative article
• Click a link to claim a freebie
• Click a link to read a review
• Click a link to enter a sweepstakes
• Click a link to read a sales page
• Check their email on Tuesday, for example, as you'll be sending another email with further information on a topic, product, etc.

#6: Email Your Customers

It’s always surprising the number of people who sell products through PayPal buttons and never bother to collect the emails of their customers.

Here’s the thing, your CUSTOMER list is even more valuable to you than your SUBSCRIBER list…and you probably know why.

It’s because your customers have shown that they are willing to open up their wallets and buy something from you. Add to that, if they enjoyed your product and customer service, they are much more likely to buy from you again.

Someone who is a subscriber and simply a prospect, can potentially be a customer…but you are more likely to get positive results from an already satisfied customer.

So start treating your customers differently from your prospects. Make special offers, discounts, etc. for them or allow them to purchase products before anyone else.

A little TLC goes a long way.