Do I need to build a personal brand to make email marketing work?

People buy from people they trust, they seldom buy
from an anonymous entity (The WSO Forum is an
exception).

The people on your list will be more likely to respond
to calls to action if they feel they know you.

Draw your own conclusions...

John

Yes, absolutely you can! If you've got helpful information about your niche, and you engage them, then yes, absolutely you can! I've done this in 2 different niches in the past... which I then transitioned to a more BRAND type business where I have people who are "experts" in the niche being the face of the biz... that has increased profits significantly.

So with that, you can do it... but then also think about how you can expand on it by potentially hiring someone to be the face/expert.

Yes you can make your site a personal brand to make email marketing and for trust factor

I am sure that once you post your picture and tell people who you really are, this is when your sales can climb.

People buy from others who they can trust and not having your name or your picture included can dramatically decrease sales for you.

If you are going to email people, you must let them know your name and also have a picture of yourself.

Nothing to be ashamed or afraid of.

Of course it can work.

However, from what I've noticed in the past...

Is that it works out much better (for everyone) when you list really knows more about you.

Who you are, where you live, what you like to do in your free time, pictures you post on FB, etc

(whatever it may be)

Email marketing works best as a form of relationship marketing.

If you have a relationship with your list they will be much more likely to buy from you.

I'll be the contrarian and say that branding (for email) isn't required...

I've known plenty of "Boss" email marketers who never identified themselves at all... (I know affiliate kingpins who've made truckloads of cash without any "Legit" branding... Period)...

But here's the key - It all really depends what your intentions are...

Obviously if it's your goal to be a "Guru", "Authority" or a "Rock star" obviously you'll need to create some type of branding... Right?

A better question to ask is "What are my goals, and what branding will help me best accomplish my goals".

And... If you want to create some Authority site, or some brilliant idea... It needs to be branded right?

I'd say the most important variable, is offering the right message, at the right time, to the right audience.

(But, big daddy Eugene knew the power of a well placed image better than just about anyone hehe)...

And... I think other marketing / "mail order" geniuses of old would have backed me up on this.



Just my $.02...

#contrarian

PS: Remember that life is kind of like chess. It's possible to checkmate without utilizing all of your pieces. And there's countless ways to do it...

PPS: I've also noticed that there are different types of email marketers. Some of them play a "raw dog" statistics game. Others are more artistic. I'm somewhere in between. The real question to ask is where are you, where do you want to go, and what branding do you require in order to accomplish that?

Stay cool. ;D

I personally believe that the brand that you build comes from the quality of products or services that you provide. Having someone face attached to something doesn't really matter unless what you provide is either personal in value (self help, online therapy or legal services) or its a local service.

As for hiring someone to be the face of something....what are we talking about for your product or for your company? Royalties will play a part in both but based on what it is will determine the cut. Lawyers come into play for that.

Trust is definitely one of the most decisive factors in getting people to buy from you or listen to you.

Think about it, who would you most likely get your cell phone service from, Verizon or Pepito's cell phone service?

Cheers!
Pedro

Generally your online business starts and ends with selling yourself not your products. Your costumers would buy your products after being comfortable with what you advise them for FREE. So branding yourself is so vital to build trust and credibility with your costumers

i think trust factor is the key for your list to take action . if your site doesn't feature your face. you need to introduce yourself at your very first email . hope this help

The “need” is what your customers really want, not what you think they want. Test with different themes and you’ll get an idea of what they actually want.

it would sure help you. It's one thing to buy A product and it's a different thing to buy A product from XXX company/brand

The internet can be a cold, impersonal place and the only way to establish trust is by letting the people on your list know they are talking to a real person. Who do you think they would rather buy from, a nameless/faceless entity or 'joe that regular guy who had great success at relationships'? Play to your strengths. Maybe you're self conscious and just don't feel as if others would buy from you if they saw your picture. So pay someone to take a really good photo. For the small amount of money you will invest, you can easily get that back in sales of products recommended to your list. Make sure those people on your list and visiting your site know you are a real person and you have/had many of the same 'relationship' issues they are facing and then let them know how you solved those issues. Then you will find money in the list.

Not needed but highly recommended you put your face on the internet.. why?

Because Internet Marketing is a highly competitive space. If you want to stand out you got to build relationship with your audience.

It is like treating Internet Business as a Business Offline where you build relationship and you got to know them better and they got to know you better. and Other people are more likely to recommend you to their friends.

Just for example when buying cars and other items. You ask for referrals or you buy only from people you already know. That is normal because you are more at ease with that person and you know that you will not get scammed or you know that that person will not sell you crap. It works just the same in the IM Space.

I remember a marketer who was absolutely faceless and using a pen name, yet he or whoever was behind this 'personality' made a 5 figure income in the IM niche. His name: Michael Jones . To refresh the memory, he was the 'author' of the affiliate code, clickbank code and many other products that killed it. For a long term business then I believe you need personal branding although you still can make a lot of money selling quality products without it.

No, no personal brand needed. Just psychology.

I have have had trouble navigating in new niches that I am unfamiliar with. It is best to observe first by watching what is going on in that niche. Look at what others are doing and spot a pattern. Then develop a plan of action steps that will meet your needs and goals for what you want to accomplish. Then act! If Branding is the ultimate goal, it is best to be consistent in appearance and quality. Being a trusted and known brand is what it is all about. Some people call it an "image". You will find that a brand is ultimately how others perceive you, no matter what "tricks or psychology you try".

Could somebody post links of faceless marketers for example?

It’s hard to compete these days if you don’t want to show your face in the internet marketing world. Many marketers show their face and give more trust to people who are looking to buy their product.

I dont agree, there is no need to show face to build the trust. However it does have some impact. But I have seen lots of of companies and marketing website with no faces but some real quality offers, reviews and reference work to go with.

I think that a face will help. All of the big IMers do it and there is a reason why. If you really can not have a photo of you then what about getting a cartoon picture done via fiverr.

Yes, You need to build your brand. If people trust you and are already aware of your brand name, they will easily buy something from you.