As the Internet has matured, so have Internet marketing techniques. We all remember (perhaps not too fondly) the days of spammy, keyword-stuffed websites and email that practically screamed “buy! buy! buy!” in the new online forum.
Today, of course, email marketing has evolved, and most successful marketers have discovered that, if you’re only sending emails to sell things to your list, that list will quickly learn to mark your emails as spam.
Here’s a guide to nurturing your email list so you can market (and sell) like it’s 2012.
- Build trust. In order to sell via marketing emails, you have to establish yourself as a trustworthy figure in that forum. That means planning your marketing strategy such that you send emails only when you truly have something worth saying. In other words, don’t send emails to your list just to send emails. Demonstrate that you’ll communicate when it’s important, and your list will learn to listen.
- Tell a story. Humans are hardwired to love narrative. We used to gather around the cave fire and listen to the exploits of heroes, and now when we hunker behind our screens, we want the same thing. In email marketing content, include stories about yourself, your product, your clients—anything that gives your list a compelling reason to open your communications and take action.
- Create value. Send strong content, and your list will respond. Creating value goes hand in hand with building trust: when you show your list that your marketing content is actually valuable to them, they’ll respect and trust you. Consider creating value by reporting on studies, providing tips, distributing free content, or taking surveys that you’ll actually use.
- Get to know your list. Finally, give your list a chance to respond to your emails. Particularly if you have a bigger list, your communications may apply more to one segment than another. Ask your readers what most interests them, and then you can send them only marketing communications on those subjects. This allows you to demonstrate your trustworthiness, increase the value they get from you, and streamline your selling process.
Once your email marketing list is feeling nurtured, it will be primed to buy from you. Stay tuned to Copy Doodle for tips.
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