Your e-mail list is the best way to make money online. Learn why, and how to do it, in this post.
What kind of web marketing do you think has the best ROI? Organic SEO? PPC? Social media? Mobile marketing?
All are effective, but they’re not nearly as efficient as old-school e-mail marketing. In fact, the E-mail Marketing Industry Census of 2014 says 68% of companies rate e-mail marketing as having “good” or “excellent” ROI.
Of all channels surveyed, it got the best ranking. On top of that, e-mail marketing revenue increased by 28% within the past year of the survey.
By the way, organic search came second in effectiveness, with 67% of companies ranking it “good” or “excellent.” Content marketing was a near third, with a 63% score.
Great ROI Isn’t the Only Reason to Market to Your E-mail List!
There’s actually three more good reasons:
- Once you have your list built, e-mail marketing is so comparatively cheap. Write the e-mail, schedule, and send. That’s it. It doesn’t require constant upkeep to sell like organic SEO (although you do sell more with frequent updates).
- Google can’t tank your e-mail list. With organic SEO, you can do everything right, and Google might still trash your rankings overnight. Not so with your e-mail list. However, if you do lose search rankings and traffic, that reduces your opportunity to earn subscribers.
- Customers on your e-mail list buy from you repeatedly. That’s because it takes a lot for someone to part with their e-mail address and trust you’ll give them high-quality information consistently. Your e-mail list is like “marketing gold” – it contains your very best customers.
How do You Grow Your E-mail List?
Growing your list can be tough. Basically, the idea is the same as organic SEO.
You have to write the most useful content in your niche! That’s the best form of advertising for your list.
If people visit your website and see how helpful you are, they’ll naturally think,”Oh. This company’s e-mail newsletter must rock too.”
So if you’re a local HVAC contractor, you might write a guide that tells people how to do a routine checkup that you normally charge for – for free! No HVAC company does that.
1 of 2 things happen:
- Some customers would do it themselves, they respect how useful you are, and then they buy from you in the future when they realize they can’t do something on their own
- Others realize they don’t have the time or expertise to do what your guide recommends, and they hire you to do it for them now
With that Concept Down, Here’s Specific Techniques for Growing Your List
- Have Multiple Sign-Up Options
Your website needs a sign-up option in the right or left sidebar, and at the end of every blog post. You might also consider a pop-up that appears after people read 35-40% of your post because you know they’re interested in you at that point.
- Make it Shareable
When you send your newsletter, make sure you have social sharing icons for all social networks. Plus, you should have a “forward to a friend” link inside your e-mail. The web’s all about word-of-mouth.
- Offer an Incentive for Signing Up
For example, give customers who sign up a 10% discount. Make it clear they’ll be able to access special discounts available to no one else.
I’d Love To Tell You More about E-mail Newsletters!
…But that’s enough information for time-strapped small business owners like you. Armed with that knowledge, you can start making money from your newsletter today.
