How to monetize a "thank you" email?

36 replies
I've been trying to come up with a few ways to monetize the "thank you for downloading here is your link blah blah". Anyone doing anything creative and wants to share?

Matt
#email #monetize #thank you
  • Profile picture of the author magicmarcus
    it all depends on the type of niche... but my favorite is giving them steps to getting the desired result.

    if you were in the diet niche it could be...

    thanks for downloading my pdf... follow these steps to lose weight...

    1. go on a diet... click here for a really cool salad diet plan

    2. exercise... here is a neat exercise plan

    3. stop eating cake... click here for the cake hater 2000
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  • Profile picture of the author Landis
    "thanks heres the link to your free report...let me know what you think about it! oh and btw...heres something extremely cool that i think you would like as well *insert link to aff product* talk soon!"
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  • Profile picture of the author webpromotions
    Assuming you just got them on your list right before your thank you page, I would leave them alone at that point.

    Give them time to realize the value in the 'free report' you just gave them...monetize in a follow up email, rinse repeat.
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  • Profile picture of the author GarryMSayer
    Your thankyou email should include a link to your download page.

    A nice attractive .jpg or banner beneath your download link works a treat!

    Make sure it compliments and, preferably, enhances your own product. and is embedded with your affiliate link.
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  • Profile picture of the author drmani
    Originally Posted by Matt MacPherson View Post

    I've been trying to come up with a few ways to monetize the "thank you for downloading here is your link blah blah". Anyone doing anything creative and wants to share?

    Matt
    Some ideas:

    * Offer a gift (free digital download) which leads in to a paid
    product

    * Recommend related products/services as an affiliate (or your
    own)

    * Sell advertising space in the thank you email itself!

    * Make a 'one time offer' that's special and time-limited

    * Link it to a lead generation process where you get paid for
    everyone who opts-in

    * Use it for an ad swap or offer exchange with JV partners

    * Direct readers to a page monetized with Adsense or CPA offers

    * Upsell your high ticket products or continuity programs

    * Invite them to connect and engage them on social media

    * Invite them to become your affiliate

    Might be able to come up with another 5 to 10 if I really
    had to - and had enough time to sit down and think about it
    hard!

    Hope this helps, Matt

    All success
    Dr.Mani
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  • Profile picture of the author drmani
    Originally Posted by Ryan Kole View Post

    ...if you have some decency you would not want to try and monetize it. If you look at it from the point of view of a customer, you can easily come off as desperate and needy, which is bad.

    ...it could also bring questions like "If he makes $5,000/day like the product says, how come he has to monetize the thank you email...?"
    I'll give you a counter-perspective.

    Suppose you knew that many of your clients need more
    money - and you're selling them a way to make $10 a day.
    You know it works, are 100% convinced it will change your
    buyer's life positively.

    You also have a supplemental system that can pull in an
    extra $25 a day.

    Again, you're selling a product that WORKS, not fluff,
    smoke and mirrors - and genuinely care about your client's
    welfare and success.

    Why would you NOT let them know about your 2nd product?

    Decency, concern and caring for your client manifest in
    different ways - and pushing them ethically to do what
    is in their best interests is often a role a compassionate
    and expert authority must adopt, in selling and other
    aspects, too.

    Just saying

    All success
    Dr.Mani
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    • Profile picture of the author drmani
      Originally Posted by Ryan Kole View Post

      We both know how all of this works, but I believe it is in your best interest to not monetize something which is there for the plain reason of thanking your subscriber for opting into your mailing list (which is where you can later on promote your products).
      And you have data to back the belief?

      I have compared both approaches, and find the alternative several times more profitable, both in the short term AND in the long run (think 3 to 10 YEARS from sign up!)

      It shows that you have decency and are not trying to sell them something, but rather offer them something which they can discover for themselves.
      By that token, why build a list at all? Anyone who wants to discover anything you have to share with them can "discover for themselves"!

      Oh, and I guess the somewhat curt tone I'm adopting has to do with your choice of the word "decency" - it somehow got my goat

      All success
      Dr.Mani
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      • Profile picture of the author drmani
        Originally Posted by Ryan Kole View Post

        If you find it to be more profitable to monetize it, then that's great. I am just saying that it might not always be the best thing & most rewarding if you look at how it affects your relationship with your customers. It also depends on the type of customers you have.

        I believe that it comes off as pushy, needy and desperate to monetize this email, so I won't do it. I will gladly put down a few extra dollars that I would get from monetizing the email, if it instead helps improve the relationship I have with my customers. It's your choice, I am just giving my opinion and my viewpoint on it.

        -Ryan
        We're in absolute agreement, here. No two businesses are the same, and testing to find out - and then do - what works best in your hands is what marketing is about.

        As long as you've clarified that you're only stating opinion, and not test results, it's perfectly ok. The only reason I'm making this clarification/distinction is because there are too many statements issued on this forum too dogmatically, which would cause someone else who hasn't done the testing (or wants to risk it) a sizable lost income by way of increased sales.

        All success
        Dr.Mani
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        • Profile picture of the author drmani
          Shaun and I were both trained by one of the best marketing gurus
          out there - Jay Abraham.

          And one principle Jay has drilled into the heads of most of his
          students is that you must always act in your client's best interest.

          He won't even call them "customers" because "clients" is a more
          powerful word, indicating someone who is "under your protection"!

          And he uses a powerful analogy of drinking water. If you know
          that someone needs 6 glasses of water a day to be healthy, you
          are doing them a dis-service by NOT selling them (or trying to)
          the 6 glasses - AND if you try to sell them a lot MORE, which
          they don't need.

          In other words, ALL that is necessary, and NOTHING that isn't!

          All success
          Dr.Mani
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          • Profile picture of the author Shaun OReilly
            Originally Posted by Ryan Kole View Post

            I would like to encourage anybody to always take a look at both viewpoints on any subject and then build their own opinion on it & test it out.
            Agreed.

            Regarding testing, there are some things I know will
            give better results but I just choose not to use them
            (e.g. multiple exit-pops, multiple upsell hell, etc).

            You still need to put different strategies through your
            own moral compass and decide if they're right for you
            - or not.

            If you keep the focus on serving the best interests of
            the subscriber now - and in the future - you can't go
            far wrong.

            Some list owners don't sell right away because they
            don't know how to or they're not yet convinced that
            they're offering something of real value to their new
            subscriber.

            Add more value to the prospect and you'll receive
            more value in return too.

            Dedicated to mutual success,

            Shaun

            P.S. Dr. Mani - it seems we're both singing strong from
            the Strategy of Preeminence hymn sheet!
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            .

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          • Profile picture of the author Willie Crawford
            Originally Posted by drmani View Post

            Shaun and I were both trained by one of the best marketing gurus
            out there - Jay Abraham.

            And one principle Jay has drilled into the heads of most of his
            students is that you must always act in your client's best interest.

            He won't even call them "customers" because "clients" is a more
            powerful word, indicating someone who is "under your protection"!

            And he uses a powerful analogy of drinking water. If you know
            that someone needs 6 glasses of water a day to be healthy, you
            are doing them a dis-service by NOT selling them (or trying to)
            the 6 glasses - AND if you try to sell them a lot MORE, which
            they don't need.

            In other words, ALL that is necessary, and NOTHING that isn't!

            All success
            Dr.Mani

            I too was steeped in the "strategy of preeminence" and
            Jay Abraham's teachings. I actually believe that is the crux of
            "ethical marketing" and the solution to a rampant problem that
            we observe in our industry.

            If we honestly offer "clients" products that actually can/do
            improve their lives, then I think that few would disagree that
            THAT is a good thing.

            How far you go to get the client to consume the product is
            probably the real discussion here.

            A totally different discussion is based on the FACT that most
            people won't actually USE the products that they buy.

            That's the only thing about offering additional (quality)
            products to customers that bothers me. If you keep piling on
            more, then you give them less time to use what they already
            have. However, that same customer is likely to just go off
            and buy the same product from someone else if you don't offer
            it to them.

            So... you sell them products that actually can improve their
            lives, and you do little things to help them to actually CONSUME
            the product.

            That is also a great use for follow-ups... and a great way to
            reduce refunds.

            Willie
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    • Profile picture of the author Shaun OReilly
      Originally Posted by Ryan Kole View Post

      We both know how all of this works, but I believe it is in your best interest to not monetize something which is there for the plain reason of thanking your subscriber for opting into your mailing list (which is where you can later on promote your products).

      It shows that you have decency and are not trying to sell them something, but rather offer them something which they can discover for themselves.
      The focus shouldn't be on what's in the best interests
      of the seller - but rather what's in the best interests
      of the subscriber.

      I ask myself how I can add more value for the subscriber?
      at each step - whenever possible.

      What additional value does a simple 'thank you' e-mail
      give them? Not much! (If you just say 'thank you' and that's
      all - that's what most mediocre list owners do).

      If someone lands on my squeeze page and subscribes
      it's usually because they've got a PROBLEM now. And
      they likely want it SOLVED as soon as possible.

      Similar to Dr. Mani, if I've got a product that helps to
      solve their PROBLEM sooner rather than later, then I have
      a duty to at least present them with the option of choosing
      to look at it.

      (I'm not suggesting a ball-breaking hard sell at all - just a
      simple - if you have X problem and are looking for a solution
      then you may be interested in...
      )

      As an analogy, if I sell headache pills and a prospect
      comes in an tells me they've got a headache, I do them
      a dis-service if I just give them free information on the
      10 Ways to Avoid a Headache, etc.

      If I've got the pills to ease their pain, why wouldn't I
      at least offer them to opportunity to buy them if they
      want to? It's a win-win.

      There's a sub-text from some people here that somehow
      selling is BAD and giving away free information is GOOD.

      If you're selling something of real benefit to your prospects
      then you have a duty to offer it to them asap so they
      can decide whether they want it now or not.

      Dedicated to mutual success,

      Shaun
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      .

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  • Profile picture of the author Willie Crawford
    I see nothing wrong with monetizing a thank you email or
    download page.

    You do want to focus on making sure that they get the
    product first, but I typically invite them to join my affiliate
    program.

    Incidentally, I typically also do that INSIDE the product.

    Deliver real value but they are always going to be asking
    themselves, "where do I go next," and while the answer might
    be "to consume the product" it may not be, and if you just
    leave them hanging, you're leaving sales on the table... and
    for many businesses operating on fairly thin margins... those
    few extra sales can make a huge difference.

    Willie
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    • Profile picture of the author ladywriter
      Originally Posted by Willie Crawford View Post

      Deliver real value but they are always going to be asking
      themselves, "where do I go next," and while the answer might
      be "to consume the product" it may not be, and if you just
      leave them hanging, you're leaving sales on the table...
      Excellent point, I find that happening to me after reading some of this stuff. I think many think their product is it, but there is usually a second step/followup that can be offered.
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      • Profile picture of the author mikeroosa
        I never try to extract more out of them in the thank you email. I typically wait a couple days to a week before I try to sell something else. Everyone has their own style but if you constantly put offers in front of someone they won't open your emails as much. Give them something of value for free like some good content in your email. That's my 2 cents.
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        • Profile picture of the author drmani
          Originally Posted by mikeroosa View Post

          ... but if you constantly put offers in front of someone they won't open your emails as much. Give them something of value...
          I'm just curious - but why is it usually presented as if "offering something
          for sale" isn't as valuable as "giving them something of value for free"?

          Often times, the freebie is itself a lead-generator or teaser for a paid product.
          If you believe you'll get higher conversions by soft-selling that way, it's a
          different argument completely - BUT you're still "selling".

          And if you're comfortable "selling", what makes offering a paid product that's
          top of the line and great value for money a less attractive choice than simply
          loading the buyer with more "free content".

          I can better understand the concept of sending them NOTHING - until they've
          had a chance to consume what you've sold them and they've experienced some
          of the value in it.

          But the reasoning and rationale behind this follow-on strategy of "giving freebies"
          isn't one that I fully understand - and would appreciate learning more about
          from those who have given it much thought. (btw, I FOLLOW that approach
          for some sales funnels in my business... but would shift to hard-selling in a
          heartbeat if I were so inclined.)

          All success
          Dr.Mani
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  • Profile picture of the author sparkman
    As the masters of marketing say, "Always be selling."

    Every opt-in, every thank you, every everythinhg, use that channel to make a sale in one way or another.
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  • Profile picture of the author daddykool
    A good *current* working upsell / cross sell is to simply call them up on their skype / cell / landline / home number (which you should ask for after a sale or include in the signup) so that the *buyer* thinks...

    Hey this guy/gal that I bought from is 1) real and 2) trying to help me with *subject/product/niche/blahdy blah* so maybe I will buy / join up to something else...

    We have been doing this a lot and it works because people/buyers are just fed up with *social networking faceless sellers* etc etc

    The offline old skool is now KOOL again! :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author AlanT
    Originally Posted by Ryan Kole View Post

    ...if you have some decency you would not want to try and monetize it. If you look at it from the point of view of a customer, you can easily come off as desperate and needy, which is bad.

    ...it could also bring questions like "If he makes $5,000/day like the product says, how come he has to monetize the thank you email...?"
    The most effective, and successful, marketers will monetize EVERYTHING.

    If you feel that you're providing a service to your customers by bringing new product choices to their awareness, you will do it every chance you get.

    Otherwise, if it's not to serve your customers, then why are you promoting the product in the first place?
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    • Profile picture of the author AlanT
      Originally Posted by Ryan Kole View Post

      You are missing the point... that's obviously false.

      What you are saying, monetizing it to the max. I don't know of any successful marketer which makes his visitors have to fill out a CPA content gateway, then click away a couple of pop-ups and have to deal with exit pop-ups at the same time when they try to leave the site.

      It's like these download sites which force you to sign-up for a plan or such sites which continue to blast pop-up advertising windows in the background of your browser... you can do this if there is no competition, but in the IM industry you will always have competition (which is a good thing).

      I can say for sure that this visitor won't ever return to that website again. You know that there is a line between making it annoying and offering value to your customers (this is common sense).

      You will obviously try to showcase your other products, but not in a fashion where it is in their faces. I never said that, that's exactly what I am trying NOT to encourage. A successful marketer won't have to rely on any of these methods to promote his products, he is "being" and not doing (also called branding).
      Either I didn't communicate my message as clearly as I should, or you're taking it out of context.

      I never said to blast someone with 50,000 messages all at once. Just that you take every opportunity to promote SOMETHING, usually only 1 thing at a time.
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  • Profile picture of the author aw
    As soon as you get a subscriber, you need to build trust quickly, almost immediately to seal that relationship.
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  • Profile picture of the author SmartHealthShop
    you can either associated a product you are affiliated with or you can up sell the product you just sold or gave away... i.e. "get the FULL bonus report for just $17 that will tell you a, b, and c and benefit you greater than the free report"
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  • Profile picture of the author Vitaliy K
    You can add some of your other products or try some clickbank products and promote them as an affiliate :-))
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  • Profile picture of the author focused
    If you market on a download and provide value in doing so, then it's beneficial to the target. If he opts for the offer, then goes to that download, then market again, etc. until he stops responding.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
      Originally Posted by Ryan Kole View Post

      ... If you look at it from the point of view of a customer, you can easily come off as desperate and needy, which is bad.
      Desperate and needy? Don't you think that depends on how the offer is framed?

      If I make a one-time offer on the download page and 50% of my clients buy it, and not one of the customers who didn't buy it complain, and many of them come back and buy other products, I think the point of view of the client is quite evident.

      It's NOT the same point of view you're projecting onto them either. Projecting your beliefs onto your clients isn't exactly a formula for success.

      I'm not smart enough know what all my customers think and feel and believe, I haven't even met them, so I have to rely on testing and evidence.

      Decency only enters the picture if you're doing something unethical. There's nothing indecent or unethical about matching what people want with what you have to offer. That's what selling is ... a matchmaking business.
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  • Profile picture of the author tpw
    Originally Posted by Matt MacPherson View Post

    I've been trying to come up with a few ways to monetize the "thank you for downloading here is your link blah blah". Anyone doing anything creative and wants to share?

    Matt

    You may also be interested in some of our previous products:
    • One
    • Two
    • Three
    • Four
    • Etc.
    You might be surprised just how well that works.
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  • Profile picture of the author focused
    The suggestion below sounds like a simple and straight-forward approach
    that could prove effective:

    "You may also be interested in some of our previous products:
    • One
    • Two
    • Three
    • Four
    • Etc"
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  • Profile picture of the author Murlu
    I would say either:

    1. Tell people about an amazing offer (you could maybe contact the product creator and see if they could create a discount code for you - this could increase sales).

    2. Give people a "best of" list where people can find your best content. This could include reviews and tutorials that would help reinforce the type of products you are going to promote to them in your list.
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