Today I wanted to talk about some of the ways people are killing their lists and losing subscribers.
I am sure you do not commit any of these email marketing sins, so this is just for entertainment purposes.
Some are what I've been witness to.
Others are mistakes I've made.
So let's get to it.
First and more important one leading the pack...
The Offer King
If all you send out is offers to your subscribers, your list will not be yours for long. They will find someone else that does not bombard them with "Buy This Now" emails.
This concept is also referred to as the Churn and Burn Method. The one and only goal is to build a list and hard sell them with every single blast.
If that is your goal and what you want to do, more power to you.
But be warned, it is a short-term model at best.
Think about it... do you read emails from marketers that only want to sell you something?
Do you stay subscribed to this kind of list?
I highly doubt it.
If you do stay subscribed it's because the emails go directly to your spam folder, or you stopped reading offer kings emails a long time ago.
Follow this model and you'll need to have a steady supply of new subs coming in, in great numbers. If you know how to generate mass subs, then you'll have half a chance of making this work. Well, for a little while.
Worst yet, if you used paid traffic such as solo ads, you'll might hard pressed to make a positive long-term return.
Who wants to be sold to on a daily basis?
Not me I say.
Where Ya Been?
This is for those who don't mail enough, if at all.
Here's one I am more than guilty of. You got me. Busted.
I am talking about mailing less than once a week, or say once a month. Or longer.
It doesn't work because I tried it. Along with the zero profits to prove it.
It's an important point to address because, the less contact you have with your subscribers, the easier it will be for them to forget you.
It's no secret that most of your subscribers are on more than just your list.
Sorry to burst your bubble.
Yes I know your cool and you create killer emails, but you just might not be the be-all email marketing wizard.
So it only stands to reason that we need to keep reminding our subscribers that we are here. Beyond just selling of course.
There are a few reasons people fall into this trap...
- Either they think they are bombarding their subscribers if they mail too much.
- They think they don't know what to send their subscriber.
- Or they get sidetracked and forget. Been there, done that.
If your emailing your list on a regular basis, providing content, crafting interesting emails, making your emails interesting, or funny, you need to get this in your head...
You're not the one that is bombarding
You're the good guy (or girl).
If you do it right, there is a very good chance you'll stand out and your subscribers will actually look forward to your emails.
The same place some email marketers are making the big money.
There is nothing wrong with selling. That's why we do email marketing. Well, most of us. You just need to be mindful of how much your selling, or more importantly, how your selling. There are ways to sell on the down-low, it's done every day.
Now if you don't know what to send to your subscribers, a very common problem, you need to get your brain in brainstorming mode. Look around you, find blogs in similar markets for ideas. Idea's not stealing.
Check out forums in your niche. Stop by youtube and do searches for your keyword.
Go to the book store and look at related magazines. If you can't find Idea's there, you need to keep your day job. Mags are some of the best content idea's, stories and features that grab the readers.
See what's trending on twitter or similar services.
I am not going to go into this more, as it could be a post all by its self.
Point is, there are more than enough idea's are out there, and many probably locked in your head. You just need to figure out how to extract them.
Last but not least, getting sidetracked...
Most of us are doing many things at once, have multiple sites or blogs, product lines and services that can suck up our time.
I can attest to the fact that it's very easy to forget to write up and send emails. Do it all the time.
Problem is, a couple days can lead to a couple weeks, can lead to a couple months and before you know it, your subscribers have most likely completely forgotten about you.
Now you have a dead list. Least pretty close to it.
Actually your emails will probably go right into the trash or spam folder and that is about the same as an unsubscribe.
One easy way to avoid this problem is to write your emails ahead of time. If you do follow up messages, load up your series on a regular basis. just don't forget to keep adding new messages.
Even broadcasts can be schedule ahead with some autoresponder services.
Here is also a very good reason to have a daily or weekly to-do-list.
This will help you schedule and keep up, when it comes to emailing your subscribers.
You want me to read ALL this?
Most emailers are pretty good, but there are still quite a few out there that do NOT take formatting into account when writing their email messages.
The greatest offense is emails with big blocks of text after big blocks of text.
Who wants' to read that?
It's like work!
Again, no matter how wonderfully-awesome your content is, if people see reading your emails as a daunting task, they are probably going to stop opening them, or unsubscribing. I've done it myself.
As they say, white space is a writers best tool. Or is it friend? Maybe both?
Either way, give your subscribers a break and make it easy for them to read your emails.
Give them some breathing room.
Along with white space, break up your sentences.
Some guru's will tell you no more than 3 sentences. Seems the norm I've heard.
I say break them down even more if it fits.
Nothing wrong with one liners. They are quick to read as well.
Although too many one-liners in a row might not be the best idea.
Mix it up. Craft Your Own Style.
It sure doesn't hurt to adapt your own style, maybe something in between.
Just don't make it a chore to read.
You also need to check your emails in other email services and browsers. I know my Yahoo email displays them differently than my hot mail service does. Interesting HOW differently it shows them.
Dude Your Boring
Seems that some folks think they need to be all business like with their emails. Maybe they think if they are not professional, they won't be taken seriously.
And this leads to the boredom unsubscribe.
If your email makes me yawn or doesn't keep me engaged, good chance I'll leave your list and so will most of your subs.
Some of the best email marketers are not even close to professional.
There are guys that curse and swear and have huge followings, plus make a ton of cash.
Of course I am not saying you need to start swearing like a sailor, I am only trying to impress upon you, that you need to be interesting if you want your readers to keep reading.
- You could be funny.
- You could be a story teller.
- You could write like you talk.
- You could be yourself.
Think you get the point.
Let me ask you, would you enjoy reading your own emails?
Who's This Dude?
Recently, I signed up for marketers list.
Funny thing is, he sends his email's out with only his first name. In the senders name field of course.
I'll call him "John".
(the names have been changed to protect the innocent)
Actually it's pretty close to the real name. It's a VERY common name.
Let me ask you...
How many Johns do you know? How many guys have you known named John?
Probably Plenty!
So why does he only use his first name?
I don't have a clue and don't understand it. I "think" he believes people will remember him that much?
I signed up to this list only a couple weeks ago and as I write this, I can't remember where it was that I signed up for his list. I really can't. And no it's not because of age.
This was a test and he failed miserably.
Really though, do you think you'll remember who John was or where you signed up for his list?
Use your full name or people will forget and click the unsub link.
While on the subject, if your name is long or hard to pronounce, you might want to think about using a pen name.
Not knocking anybody's name here. I think it's kind of cool to have some long name, or three words in your name. But unfortunately, it could keep folks from remembering who you are, or who you were.
Although, now that I think about it, three words in your name, might be a good thing. You'd be different from the norm, that's for sure.
How To Improve...
Now that I've been Mr Negative. How about some positive?
Something I see like NO one doing...
Ask someone you know to subscribe to your list. It's best if they are a internet marketer.
Your mom probably can't help you with your list.
Love my mom, but she has no clue what a blog is, or a sales funnel, and she'd say, "What the heck is an Autoresponder?"
But seriously, get another set of eyes on your emails. They could see or notice things you haven't. Maybe things you don't want to admit?
You know, we can get to close to our stuff.
What's it going to hurt?
Course, you REALLY need to be open to criticism.
No crybabies in this game.
Funny, I see people who say they are not making money with their lists, or that they can't afford their autoresponder service.
If you're not making money and you can't pay the AR bill, something is wrong.
I don't have to tell you that.
If my AR service is not paying for itself, it's my fault. No doubt about it.
No excuses, no one else to blame.
People are always asking for website or blog reviews. But I have yet to see one person ask anyone for a email critique.
Have you?
Well, there are guru's who charge for such a service, but that's another story.
Another way to improve is to study other successful marketers and what they are doing, or how they are doing it.
Don't rip them off. Just learn from them.
Some will actually sue you if you do steal their stuff.
Particularly study the emails that you find most interesting. Ones that get you to read the entire message.
Study the marketers who's emails you open up without even thinking or reading the subject lines. (these are also the people that can give you great insight into building relationships with your subscribers).
How Do You Know When You're Doing It Right?
Obvious if your making money with email marketing, you know you're on the right track. At least on one of the tracks.
Another indicator that you might be hitting the mark is when your subscribers actually reply to your automated emails.
Hopefully not with angry words or angry birds.
But when people reply as if they think you sent that email only to them, you could be golden. the more you get the better.
It is actually a good idea to ask questions in your emails. From my experience, most people won't reply, but if you get enough of them, you now have a gauge that you could be doing it right.
Few Things To Remember...
Unsubscribes are going to happen, no matter what you do in your mailing.
Thing is, you can't take it personally.
There WILL be people are not hip to the groove your putting down.
It's okay. And it might be better that they are not on your list. They are probably not a good fit for your business and they might just be taking up autoresponder space.
You need to keep in mind that email marketing is not about the size of your list. Plenty of marketers who have enormous lists that have a hard time making any profits.
There are also smart marketers, who rake in the cash with small lists.
Work on the relationship and building a targeted list and you'll come out on top.
There is one more point I want to make. Even if they don't subscribe, remember they can stop reading your emails, and that usually leads to your emails going straight to their spam/trash folder.
Who's gonna see it there?
Same as an unsub.
There is also a theory, which I believe, that email providers keep track of your subscribers interactions with your emails and sort them accordingly.
Would you rather be in the inbox or the promotions tab?
Your choice.
That wraps up another exciting adventure in profit tweaks land.
I am Sure I have not covered every possible way to lose subscribers, but think that covers the most important ones.
Do you have anything to add? Something I've missed? Suggestions? Feedback? Did you bring me a snickers bar?
I'd love to hear your thoughts, make sure to leave a comment below...
