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hi everyone. I am using Solos for opt-ins and offering some high quality link bait in exchange for email as the drill usually goes.

My opt-in stats are quite high (49.17% opt-in rate). After the opt-in, how long should I keep feeding auto-responders to the subscribers before I try to sell them something? A couple weeks? A month? Is there an average that works better than another? Does it vary by product? What typically works?

I have so many questions. I have seen so many youtube videos saying different things so I thought I would just throw the question out here on WF. Any thoughts?

Thank you to anyone who can shed some light on this.
#ads #optins #solo
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  • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
    A couple weeks? A month?
    Immediately after they click "submit."

    A killer OTO can make the difference.

    Brent
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    • Profile picture of the author nicheblogger75
      Originally Posted by Brent Stangel View Post

      Immediately after they click "submit."

      A killer OTO can make the difference.

      Brent
      Exactly. I send them an offer immediately after they sign up. Usually, it's the link from my OTO if they didn't buy it after subscribing. It's important to get a high conversion rate with your OTO on solo ads so you can make your investment back.

      The idea with solos is to try and get your leads for free.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Question about your sig... did you really turn $200 into a 6-figure income? Why not do more of that??
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    • Profile picture of the author Kent Hopkins
      Originally Posted by Randall Magwood View Post

      Question about your sig... did you really turn $200 into a 6-figure income? Why not do more of that??
      Yes I certainly did. Don't ever underestimate your volume when dealing with merchant processors. I ended up having to get three merchant accounts to deal with the volume. Particularly be careful when answering the question they always ask when signing up. "What is your anticipated monthly volume" Long story short, I told them 50k/month at most. I ended up having a month where I did 271k so they freaked out and witheld a 60k weekend I had and they held it for 6 months. Makes it tough to run a business when your account is getting dinged all the time by your own provider. I had no choice but to shut 'er down. For now I teach others how to sell video games online since it's the one thing I know, why not capitalize on it
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    • Profile picture of the author discrat
      Originally Posted by Randall Magwood View Post

      Question about your sig... did you really turn $200 into a 6-figure income? Why not do more of that??
      Rmag has a valid point. Do not see really the point why you need answers to questions if you already do that.

      That's impressive, we should be asking you the questions
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  • Profile picture of the author ChrisBa
    Originally Posted by ebraininc View Post

    I everyone. I am using Solos for opt-ins and offering some high quality link bait in exchange for email as the drill usually goes.

    My opt-in stats are quite high (49.17% opt-in rate). After the opt-in, how long should I keep feeding auto-responders to the subscribers before I try to sell them something? A couple weeks? A month? Is there an average that works better than another? Does it vary by product? What typically works?

    I have so many questions. I have seen so many youtube videos saying different things so I thought I would just throw the question out here on WF. Any thoughts?

    Thank you to anyone who can shed some light on this.
    This is a very difficult question to answer. It depends on the scenario. It depends on the demographics, traffic, what the person is expecting, etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author Chris Brindamour
    ebrainic,

    You should go right away to a sales page, hopefully with a bridge page first. Then send them follow up emails if they don't buy right away.

    However, sometimes you need to warm them up before you will buy. The need to know, like and trust you before they will buy from you.

    Chris
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  • Profile picture of the author rishwoj
    There is nothing wrong with selling straight away as long as what you are selling provides value. You need to bear in mind that at lot of people that sign up via solo ads are freebie seekers and will never buy anything anyway so will unsubscribe when you try to sell them something anyway whether that is on the 2nd email or the 10th!

    Also If you keep giving free stuff away without selling then your list starts to see you as someone that always give free stuff and then when you finally do try and sell something they won't expect or like it.

    Always keep your end goal in mind, your are a marketer at the end of the day not a free content provider.

    A good way to sell is to provide value or training in your email (so they learn something) and then do a soft sell at the end ie - To learn more about this Click Here! etc.

    Hope this helps
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  • Profile picture of the author Tony Marriott
    Your list is created to sell stuff so do that right away.
    As Brent mentioned your free offer should also have a paid offer after opt-in.
    My personal approach is a 4 or five email follow up for that same product over the first week. Then add a new product every week promoted by 3-5 emails.

    I know people that do a new product every day and do well.
    Bottom line is you need to sell to your list.
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  • Profile picture of the author zeus136
    We researched solo advertising and found that it is usually more expensive and has a lower conversion rate per click than Pay Per Click advertising.
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    • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
      Originally Posted by zeus136 View Post

      We researched solo advertising and found that it is usually more expensive and has a lower conversion rate per click than Pay Per Click advertising.
      Your website says you are selling T1 clicks for roughly $0.11. For $0.11 per click, you get bots, which don't buy much.

      So, is that the "PPC" you are referring to?

      Brent
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  • Profile picture of the author ydsimple
    You should go for 1-2 emails with valuable info and then promotional email, and so on.
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnVianny
    In the "Thank you" Page, the page contact see after opt in, you have to sell something very low ticket.

    In the autoresponder series in the third mail you have to promote your product.

    There are 3 types of mail:

    Nurture Mails: you deliver value content

    Relationship Mails: you establish a relation with your prospects, telling them something about your life, related to your topic at the end.

    Promotional Emails: mails focused on promotion.

    Alternate these emails.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sparky Heretic
    Congrats on your success in building a list. This is the most important first step to any solid marketing plan, so I hope you're pleased with your accomplishments so far.

    A great mentor I know had a saying, "Everything works, nothing doesn't." You can make anything work when you test and tweak. The only thing that doesn't work is not doing anything.
    I don't put offers on first contact messages, but I know one guy that is super successful by hitting their audience with a one time offer, 2 upsells and a downsell all from first contact. He says it identifies the hyperactive impulse buyers.

    In the end, there's no harm in testing!
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  • Profile picture of the author jonatan snellman
    I don't thing you should make your email sequence much longer than 10 days, simply because things change so fast nowadays so if you make a sequence up to months ahead things may no longer be relevant at that time.
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  • Profile picture of the author xeniux
    Hope this article answered your Q :
    "There's nothing set in stone about how often you should email your customers, but if you send too often, your subscribers are likely to tune out what you have to say or unsubscribe altogether." - Mailchimp-
    https://mailchimp.com/resources/guid...g-field-guide/
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  • Always keep your end goal in mind, your are a marketer at the close of the day maybe not a free content provider. Also in the event that you continue giving free stuff away without selling then your list starts to view you as someone that always give free things then when you finally do try and sell something that they won't expect or enjoy it. There's nothing wrong with selling directly away provided that what you're selling provides value. You need to remember that at lot of people who register via solo ads are freebie seekers and will never purchase anything anyway so will unsubscribe when you attempt to sell them something anyhow if that is about the 2nd email or the 10th! A fantastic way to sell is to provide training or value on your email (so they learn a thing) and then do a soft sell in the conclusion ie - To learn more about this Click Here! etc..
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    • Profile picture of the author Kent Hopkins
      AnthonyMorissonthesc:

      When you say a lot of people gained through solo ads are looking for freebies, doesn't that apply to just about any lead source? The frame they enter upon (the swipe, the blog, the whatever) is what sets the stage and defines whether they are strictly freebie seekers or not, wouldn't you agree? I am curious to know what you base that statement on?
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    I've never been a big fan of offering a freebie and redirecting straight to a sales page. Smells too much like bait-and-switch to me.

    Putting a true OTO on a thanks page that also reinforces the freebie offer ("check your email for your download link") is a different animal, especially with low-priced 'tripwire' offers. Definitely worth testing to see if they work for you and your offer/traffic.

    As for the email sequence following, I'd try starting with a four-message sequence and build from there.

    Message 1 > Onboarding message with fulfillment info, contact info, and a teaser about what's coming next. Open a loop to build anticipation.

    Message 2 > This is an emotion based "stoke the fire" message, painting a picture of what life could be like if the reader solved his problem or gained his desire. Stories (case studies), even simple visualization or stories go here. Open another loop by teasing #3.

    Message 3 > This is the flip side of the coin, where you build a logical case for your ability to solve the problem/provide the desire. The effect should be like those construction sites that use plywood to screen the site, but put peep holes so you can look through and watch. Open a loop by teasing #4.

    Message 4 > This is you full-on sales pitch. Explain your offer, any bonuses (including limited bonuses like early bird discounts). Revisit the "stoke the fire" message from #2, and make a strong call to action.

    Watch your open/click rates for each message. If you notice a sharp drop between messages, look at the earlier message for signs that you are losing them. For example, if you are losing them between #2 and #3, there's something in #2 that's turning them off. Are your promises too over the top or unbelievable? Not bold enough? Try tweaking something - change out a story, add some proof, change the visualization. Change one thing and see if your open/click goes up.

    Repeat as needed. You may find that adding additional messages improves your total conversions.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kent Hopkins
      Originally Posted by JohnMcCabe View Post

      I've never been a big fan of offering a freebie and redirecting straight to a sales page. Smells too much like bait-and-switch to me.

      Putting a true OTO on a thanks page that also reinforces the freebie offer ("check your email for your download link") is a different animal, especially with low-priced 'tripwire' offers. Definitely worth testing to see if they work for you and your offer/traffic.

      As for the email sequence following, I'd try starting with a four-message sequence and build from there.

      Message 1 > Onboarding message with fulfillment info, contact info, and a teaser about what's coming next. Open a loop to build anticipation.

      Message 2 > This is an emotion based "stoke the fire" message, painting a picture of what life could be like if the reader solved his problem or gained his desire. Stories (case studies), even simple visualization or stories go here. Open another loop by teasing #3.

      Message 3 > This is the flip side of the coin, where you build a logical case for your ability to solve the problem/provide the desire. The effect should be like those construction sites that use plywood to screen the site, but put peep holes so you can look through and watch. Open a loop by teasing #4.

      Message 4 > This is you full-on sales pitch. Explain your offer, any bonuses (including limited bonuses like early bird discounts). Revisit the "stoke the fire" message from #2, and make a strong call to action.

      Watch your open/click rates for each message. If you notice a sharp drop between messages, look at the earlier message for signs that you are losing them. For example, if you are losing them between #2 and #3, there's something in #2 that's turning them off. Are your promises too over the top or unbelievable? Not bold enough? Try tweaking something - change out a story, add some proof, change the visualization. Change one thing and see if your open/click goes up.

      Repeat as needed. You may find that adding additional messages improves your total conversions.
      This sounds very similar to successful direct mail campaigns I ran in the 90s. This is solid stuff here, and I just wanted to take a second to thank you. There are some things I really miss about direct mail, but one thing I will never miss is the postage costs. If I can use the same or similar strategies but applied to email and auto-responder marketing, I think I can get this figured out, with the wise words of people like you and all the others who have contributed. Thank you so much for taking the time to spell it all out for my thick head, I certainly do appreciate the help.

      Kent
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Originally Posted by ebraininc View Post

    This sounds very similar to successful direct mail campaigns I ran in the 90s. This is solid stuff here, and I just wanted to take a second to thank you. There are some things I really miss about direct mail, but one thing I will never miss is the postage costs. If I can use the same or similar strategies but applied to email and auto-responder marketing, I think I can get this figured out, with the wise words of people like you and all the others who have contributed. Thank you so much for taking the time to spell it all out for my thick head, I certainly do appreciate the help.

    Kent
    Kent, that's not a coincidence.

    A lot of marketers get bogged down by all the bells and whistles today's technology offers. They get lost in trying to set up complicated funnels and automated email campaigns before they even know if what they offer will sell, and if so, sell at a profit.

    But people are still people.

    For example, a lot of people here will tell you that no one reads long copy anymore. They want short copy or video. But the right people will read the equivalent of the old magalogs or book ads, and they will watch hour-long infomercials.

    I don't have time to dig out the citation, but there's a story about one of the old direct response masters who was having a disagreement with a client.

    Mr. DR submitted a page ad for a magazine that was mostly text, except for one small photo of the product and the response coupon. Mr. client argued that no one would read that much text, and the ad had to be redone with lots of 'white space' to keep people from flipping the page.

    DR offered Client a wager; He'd bet his entire fee for the campaign that he could write a newspaper sized page filled completely with small print, and Client would eagerly read every word of it.

    Client accepted the wager and wanted to know how soon DR could have the page ready.

    DR replied that he didn't need to write the whole page, just the headline:

    "The Real Truth About Mr. Client -- What He Does Not Want You to Know"

    Client wrote a check for double DR's normal fee.

    And the original ad? It ran successfully, dense type and all, for several years.
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnVianny
    Sell them in the Thank you page a low ticket quality product,
    then in the third mail, after presenting what u can do for them and who you are.

    Take in consideration that with solo ads you have to build a funnel of one year, cause these people are bombarded by freebie in exchange of mail.

    Also try to put some service to filter false opt in, mail that does not really work
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    • Profile picture of the author Kent Hopkins
      Yeah I was thinking of trying that. I was going to do a $1 to $3 option in the thank you page and likely segment those buyers into another list.
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  • Profile picture of the author P.Sharma
    Hi Kent,
    There is nothing wrong with redirecting them to the sales page if you are promoting a low ticket offer it will convert well.

    But what typically works for High ticket offer is a good email sequence
    Your first 2-3 emails should be value-driven this helps you to build a mutual trust as they start knowing more about you.
    There on you can promote the offers and start driving sales.
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