Why build a list if you can't communicate with your list as frequently as you love to???

[Johnson Tay]

I'm almost embarrassed of starting this thread.

But sometime ago, I started a thread that asked everyone if they were okay with receiving emails frequently (to be specific, on a weekly basis) from a marketer.

The consensus was clear - most weren't cool with it. In fact, some said they would hit the unsubscribe link ASAP while a couple of others mentioned that they'd prob not open the email as they'd be too jaded.

Granted, Warriors' views aren't exactly representative of all the people out who get hit by emails constantly, there's still some truths in them given the general fall "open rates" of emails and spike in "unsubscribes".

That means we can't communicate with our list as frequently as we love to (for the fear of "pissing off" our list causing them to ignore, delete our emails, or worse, unsubscribe) which also means we can't get our sales pitch across to get 'em to buy our stuff. So, why do marketers STILL preach that the money is in the list?

Anyone care to enlighten me?

[mjbmedia]

Possibly cos your opinions were taken from people who in the main are already doing something in internet marketing whereas most marketers are emailing lists where majority of subscribers arent in IM (yet) and are looking for IM info or other niche info.

[Johnson Tay]

Seriously.. if I ever get the chance to talk to David Deangelo or anyone of his staff, the first thing I'd ask is what is your unsubscribe rate like?

The man emails every alternate days and makes $20 million/year... I'm amazed...

[Ken Preuss]

Johnson,

If you could somehow get on Filsaime's, Schefren's, Pagan's (pick whomever) personal e-mail list and they sent you an e-mail a day with some fantastic nugget of information in it....would you ever unsubscribe?

Nope. You wouldn't. Because you know value when you see it.

There are no rules in this game. You get to make them up for yourself.

If you have something truly valuable for your subscribers and they know you care about them, they won't care that you e-mail them weekly or twice day for that matter. If they can't keep up with what you send they will do what we all do - create an e-mail folder and save the gold for later.

Create value for people....then let it define the rules.

Ken Preuss

[Loren Woirhaye]

The more you tell the more you sell. Also you maintain
"top of mind" awareness.

I try to piss people off with frequency so they unsubscribe.
I email usually at least twice a week and would do so a lot
more if I wanted to participate in a lot of affiliate launches.

Forrester Research did a study which found that the largest
group - 31% - preferred to be emailed 1 x per week. This
is among general consumers.

For money-making stuff... well look at Dan Kennedy - he'll
pound you with content on a daily or near-daily basis.

[edman]

It all starts at the optin... Are your subscribers aware of what will happen when they subscribe to your list?

It's more than just getting people to enter their name and email. Maybe they signed up to just get your freebie, then all of a sudden you don't stop mailing... one mail after another offering something.

Maybe if you introduced yourself, tell them you'll give them a freebie, and something else, and then as they wait to get your email, you begin to introduce them to other offers, but this time asking them to subscribe to another list to get it. This way they understand that they are subscribing to receive your emails about that kind of offer.

I'm on some lists where I get bombed with offers daily, but I'm not upset because I expected it. However with some I just hit the un-subscribe button.

I have subscribers to some of my lists that I have a bonding with, and some other lists that won't budge even if I offered to give them $100 just to reply my message with a hello. The only thing I get when I mail them is new un-subscribe notification.... and I know why, till trying to fix it, but it's hard.

So bottom line, the money is in the list for sure, but it depends on what kind of list you have.

[DougBarger]

What is interesting about the point you bring up Ken,

is it reminds me of how in most email accounts, you can create a rule.

Once you have the address from someone you expect to be receiving a lot of emails from,

you can create the rule or filter and then assign each email from that address to automatically be filed in a special folder you create for it.

I think that would be a great way for someone who wants to

keep the various lists they are subscribed to organized so that they

don't get lost in the noise.

[Jerry Mcvictor]

That's exactly what I do, Doug. With gmail I use the Label feature. You can even customize the color of the labels. Because I certainly don't mind receiving messages even if it's on a daily basis, I just want to be able to easily check on them when I have time.

[theceo]

Originally Posted by Loren Woirhaye

The more you tell the more you sell. Also you maintain
"top of mind" awareness.

I try to piss people off with frequency so they unsubscribe.
I email usually at least twice a week and would do so a lot
more if I wanted to participate in a lot of affiliate launches.

Forrester Research did a study which found that the largest
group - 31% - preferred to be emailed 1 x per week. This
is among general consumers.

For money-making stuff... well look at Dan Kennedy - he'll
pound you with content on a daily or near-daily basis.

I agree with Loren!

Good Post!!

[The Wanderer]

Originally Posted by Johnson Tay

...The consensus was clear - most weren't cool with it. In fact, some said they would hit the unsubscribe link ASAP while a couple of others mentioned that they'd prob not open the email as they'd be too jaded...

There are people who e-mail once a week or more whose e-mails I always open. There are people who e-mail less frequently but whose e-mails I rarely read. It makes a difference how well they write, but perhaps even more importantly whether they have anything to say. People whose e-mails are all about selling me their latest product are going to lose me regardless of how frequently they e-mail. If they have something worth listening to-- even if it's just an interesting take on why I should give a crap about their latest affiliate find or just how the product gets the results it does then chances are I'll pay attention.

[Paul Myers]

Ken said:

There are no rules in this game. You get to make them up for yourself.

And then Ed said:

It all starts at the optin... Are your subscribers aware of what will happen when they subscribe to your list?

Wahooooo!

Somebody gets it. Two somebodies, even!

Set the expectations. Make sure people know what you're going to do. Then do it.

I break ALL the rules. I mail at irregular intervals. I send articles that sometimes reach 10 and 12 pages. (3000 to 3500 word issues aren't unusual.) I use words that most publishers wouldn't, like imprimatur and crap. And I commit the cardinal sin for an email publisher: I force people to either actively think or delete the email.

Still, my unsubscribe rate is usually somewhere around 1/10 of 1% per issue. Often less.

Why? That's all stuff I tell them up front. They know what they're getting when they sign up, and they unsubscribe very quickly if they don't want it.

When I came out with a 100-page free Christmas present for my subscribers recently, around 500 times as many people downloaded it as unsubscribed.

So yeah. They're reading it.

I run my list the way that's fun for me. Other people choose to do it their way. As long as folks know what they're getting before they sign up, and you send them what you said you would, it's all good. See...

Your subscribers don't know what the rules are until you tell them.

Consider: The biggest chunk of periodic reading material most people get at one time is their newspaper, which is daily. They get magazines that are weekly or monthly or quarterly.

Very few people have set expectations about how this stuff works, and even the ones who do will make exceptions for things of real interest.

Don't listen to people on forums about this stuff. The loudest voices are always the ones who have some complaint.

Test things. Make it worth people's while to read your stuff, and they'll read it.

This is not brain surgery. Nobody dies if you screw up. Lighten up and have some fun with it.


Paul

[Kingshouse]

Originally Posted by Johnson Tay

I'm almost embarrassed of starting this thread.

But sometime ago, I started a thread that asked everyone if they were okay with receiving emails frequently (to be specific, on a weekly basis) from a marketer.

The consensus was clear - most weren't cool with it. In fact, some said they would hit the unsubscribe link ASAP while a couple of others mentioned that they'd prob not open the email as they'd be too jaded.

Granted, Warriors' views aren't exactly representative of all the people out who get hit by emails constantly, there's still some truths in them given the general fall "open rates" of emails and spike in "unsubscribes".

That means we can't communicate with our list as frequently as we love to (for the fear of "pissing off" our list causing them to ignore, delete our emails, or worse, unsubscribe) which also means we can't get our sales pitch across to get 'em to buy our stuff. So, why do marketers STILL preach that the money is in the list?

Anyone care to enlighten me?

Hi Johnson here is my own contribution,

I am on a certain list and receive sometimes 2 emails a day never mind once a week. I tell you why I have not unsubscribed. This guys stuff is great. He does not hide the fact that he is an aggressive marketer. He has been online for a short time but is making $15k to $18 a month (I know there are people out there mking more!) Do you think I want to unsubscribe. No way!

Secondly I tell people on my list how often to expect my emails. That said I sometimes have to send broadcasts for stuff that is time sensitive.

You really need to tell people what to expect. Find out what they are comfortable with and only send emails when you have something worth sending. If that is twice a day then so be it.

People who really want what you are offering will lap up what you send them, most of those that will unsubscribe are probably on your list just for your freebies.

Just my bit.

All the best.

Kingshouse

[trafficwave]

Originally Posted by Johnson Tay

That means we can't communicate with our list as frequently as we love to (for the fear of "pissing off" our list causing them to ignore, delete our emails, or worse, unsubscribe) which also means we can't get our sales pitch across to get 'em to buy our stuff. So, why do marketers STILL preach that the money is in the list?

Anyone care to enlighten me?

It doesn't actually MEAN anything. You simply got opinions from other people on this forum.

The opinion of your subscribers is the only opinion that matters.

If you are able to provide good enough content that mailing your lists every day works for you, then run with it.

The reason we still preach that the money is in the list is because ....

The Money Is In The List!

How you manage your own lists will come down to what you are offering, how you are presenting it, and (most important) how your list is responding.

I do things all the time that the so-called guru's of marketing say "shouldn't" be done or strategies that "they" say are "dead".

One example:

Banner Advertising. I'm lazy. I've got one banner that has been running since some time back in the year 2000. It gets a few clicks a week. Nothing too terribly exciting. I should probably change the banner and see if I can get that click-through rate up. The point is: You can find people that will tell you that banner advertising is "dead" and you shouldn't use it.

Another example:

FFA Pages. Again ... I'm lazy. I don't change this ad nearly as much as I should but I still get anywhere from 1 to 4 new clicks a day. You will have no trouble finding people that tell you FFA Pages are "dead". But I'm still generating leads using an OLD ... UGLY ... "DEAD" FFA Page. (Seriously ... it's ugly!)

Neither of these two methods are going to rock anyone's world but they both create a steady trickle of new leads.

(Of course, now that I actually looked at my stats to make my point here, I am going to spend a little time on each of them today).

As for my lists, I've got people that have been receiving my information for years now. They keep getting my letters, updates, tips, etc... and they keep buying. I mail them every couple of days or so with my automated schedule and then send out special offer broadcasts whenever I have something to present.

My advice: Build your lists. Play with your scheduling. Track your results. Tweak and fine-tune as you go. Make money. Have some fun along the way.

And if someone unsubscribes, so what? Your goal should be to create a constant flow of new leads coming in. People unsubscribe from my lists all the time. But the overall size of my lists continues to increase because I am always putting more in than are leaving.

[Fender85]

I email my list probably 2-3 a week. I've had 3-4 day stretches where I email them every day. I don't have a SINGLE unsubscribe. Granted my list is small, but I think it's a testament to the way I run my business. My lowest open rate is 27.3%, and my average open rate is at around 43%.

I used to worry about frequency and all, but then I realized that if I'm giving them great, actionable content, who wouldn't want that? Every day I spend a little time thinking about how I can bring more value to my readers, and that's the type of mindset that keeps people following your content.