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email marketing business

by johnbmw
9 replies
hi
i have a question for the people that are using email marketing and have a list.
they say that before you promote anything to your list you have to try it first. i find that kind of hard to beleive, i mean we're trying to make money not buy things.

but lets say you have a list and you have been sending out free information, ebooks, videos, reports to gain their trust and you finally did. and when its time to promote this product that you havent tried and it turned out to no be so great and not as good as you made it sound, does that crash the trust that you have been working so hard to build?

what is your input on that?
should i not even care? because i know for a fact that a lot of marketers dont even consider that, but i want to be better, more successful.

john
#business #email #marketing
  • Profile picture of the author Ken Preuss
    John,

    To answer your specific question, YES you need to be extremely careful about what you choose to promote. Not only the product itself and the individual who is promoting it, but also the *way* they are promoting it.

    While most people are forgiving, it only takes one horrible joint venture to alienate a large percentage of your list and dramatically reduce sales.

    The way to avoid it is to have hard and steadfast rules for the quality you expect from jv products as well as the *way* the jv is done - in other words what the customer will experience.

    Will they buy a $27 product but then get immediately solicited by phone for a $10K coaching program? Will they buy a $3K bootcamp only to show up and be up-sold the entire time, then have the refund guarantee not be honored? These are the kinds of jv's that can damage your relationship with your list.

    Above all else, know the product you are selling as well as reputation of the person behind it.

    Ken
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    Coming soon for all you IM junkies... The Internet Daily Show

    A Secret to Success: Making serious money online or offline is not complex unto itself - we're the ones who complicate it. Simply sell them what they are already buying.

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  • Profile picture of the author Richard Tunnah
    Hey John,
    Good question. I think you'll get a lot of different answers to it. Some IM'ers do test products before promoting, some promote products from fellow IM'ers that they know and trust but haven't look at the particular product, some promote 'hot' products without knowing much about them and of course some promote products where the commission is good.
    I guess it comes back to the old saying 'there's many ways to crack a nut'. Do what you are comfortable doing.

    Rich
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    • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
      Absolutely. It will kill any credibility that you have with your list.

      Remember, these people trust you. At least they should depending on how
      you've been treating them to begin with (i.e. giving them good content, free
      downloads, etc.)

      If you recommend something and it turns out to be crap, like it or not, they're
      going to hold you partially to blame and it WILL hurt your reputation with
      those people.

      That is why I am VERY careful about what I promote, which is why I promote
      very few affiliate products to my list. Usually, they are people I know very
      well who have put them out and I have also looked over the product myself.

      That will also help. Get or buy a review copy and review it.

      An honest review will go a long way to building trust.
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      • Profile picture of the author David Raybould
        Hi John,

        To add to what these guys mentioned, once you're in a niche and you've made some sales on a regular basis, you'll find a lot of product owners will be willing to supply you with a review copy of their product. They want you to promote them just as much as you want to do it...some of them may even ask you to promote before you contact them...

        Hope that helps

        David
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        Killer Emails. Cash-spewing VSLs. Turbocharged Landing Pages.

        Whatever you need, my high converting copy puts more money in your pocket. PM for details. 10 years experience and 9 figure revenues.
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  • Profile picture of the author Lightlysalted
    If you already have a loyal email list of customers, then you do need to be careful and very selective about the products you promote to them, lest they turn off in their droves. Try to keep your email marketing specific to the niches that your site is about and even better, encourage users to notify you of their preference when they first sign up to ensure they get the right targetted offers.
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    • Profile picture of the author NeelsTheron
      Even if you can't review a product yourself, you can often find reviews or opinions or experiences of a product by doing some googling, looking through forums, asking a few questions...
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    • Profile picture of the author drr
      The whole point of having an opt in list is to have a group of people who know you and trust you. Who follow your input and advice.

      What's the best way of crushing all that? Peddle something that's untried and untested (and that is utter crap on a stick). There's really no point in investing time and money to build a targeted list, and then not care about what is offered to them. It just takes one bad promotion to kill your credibility and have subscribers heading for the unsubscribe link in droves!
      _____________
      The Same Email Marketing Course That Brought In 12,000 Visitors Within 3 Months. Click Here | Lifetime Membership For Top Resell Rights, Source Code, PLR, Internet Marketing Videos & More. Free
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    • Profile picture of the author Mike Hill
      List owners MUST try the products they promote...

      Why?

      because people on your list are there for a specific reason... to get help from you (or whatever else you promised them). They look to you for guidance so if you promote products just for the sale then you are doing them a great disservice.

      There will always be people out there who think everything should be free and will kick and scream at you when you send a recommendation. Personally, I kick those people OFF my list and send them a nasty email back.

      Why?

      Because I just spent time and money to seek out a recomendation for them that I think would fit perfectly for the majority of people on my list. Notice how I didn't say Everyone!

      Majority rules so if you get a promotion that is beyond your years or is way too basic, simply say no thanks and that's that.

      NOT every promotion will be suited to you.

      People tend to forget when they sign up for free information that they will get emails that promote stuff... That's the trade off to good quality information - HELLO!!!

      ------------ This is were things get weird ---------------

      Here catch - curve ball:

      While we're here, another thing that bothers me is the fact that everyone takes things so literal. When something works for someone else and they tell you about it, rarely if ever will it work the exact same way for you.

      BUT

      You have the basic principle that you can use as a GUIDE to steer yourself in the right direction. make changes, be creative... you do have a brain right?

      THEN USE IT... Don't email the creator and whine "This didn't work" meanwhile you tried it for like 5 minutes and it seemed like too much work so you stuck a fork in it.

      Man, it makes me want to QUIT TEACHING and just go off and make as much money as I can using all these marketing techniques people swear up and down - don't work!

      It's pathetic really... Get some basic education about business online then go nuts.... try things - YOU WON'T BLOW IT UP!!!

      Well, I think I'm getting a little off track now but man this burns my ass!

      Mike Hill

      PS. -NEXT-
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      • Profile picture of the author yaji
        I am not familiar with email marketing. But I am wondring if most affiliate programs, like ones from cj.com, will allow you to put affiliate links in your email to promote it. Or every company has its own policy/ToS regarding affiliate links in emails?
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        Thanks, Yaji

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        • Profile picture of the author Mike Hill
          Originally Posted by yaji View Post

          I am not familiar with email marketing. But I am wondring if most affiliate programs, like ones from cj.com, will allow you to put affiliate links in your email to promote it. Or every company has its own policy/ToS regarding affiliate links in emails?


          Huh?... If affiliate programs (for some strange reason) do not let you put your links in an email then direct your subscribers to a review page of the product or a blog review of the product(s)... it's as simple as that!

          Mike Hill
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