Robiul 2019-05-27 03:37

So you have your first e-news, e-zine or email campaign all worked out. After adding the final touches you hit send and out it goes Industry Email List to the 38 subscribers on your list. And don't you feel pleased with yourself?

A total of 10 people open your email but not one clicks on the link to your offer. Like air rushing out of a deflated balloon all your enthusiasm disappears. This is not the magic fix to your ailing sales you'd been hoping for.

Don't give up.

Problem: you need a bigger list. Opening rates vary with different industries but you might be surprised to know that opening rates of just 20% or higher mean you're doing well. So if you thought 90 - 100% of your list would read your e-news, think again. Now you can see why you need to build your list. It is from the list that you get sales opportunities. Effort spent building your list means more sales opportunities.

Why quality is more important than quantity in your list Building a quality list means attracting subscribers who want what you are offering. A huge list of people who have no interest in you, your product or service is just a great big waste of time. Worse, it could damage your reputation as you irritate people with unwanted emails.

Building your list relies on developing trust between you and your subscribers.

Offer something of value. Treat email addresses as valuable. Remember that email is a personal communication i.e you are sending messages to real people not just email addresses.

How thinking of your e-news as a valuable product will help you promote it

Hopefully you are sending content that your readers want. This content is valuable to your readers. Start to think of your e-news as a valuable product and promoting it gets easier.

First decide what the value is e.g. special offers, tips, ideas, alerts, industry news etc. Write a line about what you offer,

e.g. 'If you'd like to know about future special offers and promotions, subscribe to our e-news.'

You can add a touch of exclusivity to make it more attractive,

e.g. 'To get our exclusive, subscriber only offers, sign up to our e-news'

How using an incentive can encourage people to subscribe

People are wary of giving away their email address. After all who wants more emails in their inbox? Offering an incentive can help to persuade people that a) there is something of value in your e-news and b) you are genuine and offer something relevant.