[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/sellingthecouch/Creating_a_Winning_Email_List.mp3″ title=”Creating a Winning Email List” artist=”Melvin Varghese” ]
Today’s show is a solo episode about creating a winning email list. I am sharing some helpful tips based on my research and experience; following these tips should help you avoid some of the mistakes I have made!
“The power of a business is directly tied to the power of your email list.” Remember that an email list will stay with you no matter what your Facebook page does. A successful email list is much more important than a social media presence. It is vitally important to any web-based business.
Your emails will accomplish nothing if people never open and read them! A MailChimp survey tracked open rates on 8 million emails and found the following: for professional services, the open rate is 21%; for the health care industry, the open rate is 23%. The average open rate across most industries is about 20%. In contrast, the open rate for my “Selling the Couch” newsletter is currently 59.72%, with 249 people on my email list. I am thrilled with these statistics, especially since my podcast is only two months old. What I enjoy the most is getting regular feedback from readers of my emails.
Here are my Six Tips to Help You Create a Winning Email List:
- Use your email newsletter to educate and build trust. Each email should help people get to know you and trust you more.
- Look at your email from the perspective of the recipient instead of the person writing them. What do THEY want to see?
- Analyze the type of content you send. Use well-worded headlines to articulate your topic. Keep emails short, to the point, and easy to read.
- Send emails at a time when others are not regularly sending emails. Based on my research and analytics, this is typically on Sunday between 9am-12pm.
- Place “opt-in” forms in multiple places on your website. Find a balance between being overwhelming and being subtle and helpful. Remember that more people than ever are accessing the internet via mobile devices, and your website will appear differently on a smartphone than on a laptop/desktop screen. Listen to my tips on how to strategically structure your website appearance.
- Use an email provider instead of your personal email. Using a provider will lessen the chances of your email being caught by spam filters, and prevent you from manually entering email addresses. I recommend AWeber because they provide great customer service and offer follow-up services.
I believe one reason for the good open rates for “Selling the Couch” emails is that I spend a lot of time writing the headlines. I want my headlines to pique the curiosity of my recipient but also be genuine in a way that earns trust. I hope my tips are helpful to you in your private practice or small business. Listen to learn more about creating winning emails!
Links and Resources:
My Favorite Email Service Provider: AWeber (Click The Affiliate Link to try AWeber FREE for 30 days!)
The program I use to get folks to sign up for the STC email list (you can also use it to register webinar participants): LeadPages
My “cheat sheet” of Ten Successful Email Headlines: Sellingthecouch.com/headlines