| What is the biggest mistake people make in their email | | | | autoresponder is a great way to schedule an |
| marketing campaigns? It’s not bad strategy – | | | | informational email course, or if you want to send |
| although “poor strategy” is a major factor in | | | | several promotional emails for the same product. Most |
| ruining any profit-potential a website, product or idea | | | | autoresponders (including AWeber and GetResponse) |
| might have. And no, it’s not a lack of leads – | | | | offer templates for generic messages (such as the list |
| building your list is surprisingly easy once you know the | | | | above), making your job a lot simpler. All you really |
| right way to go about doing it. The biggest mistake | | | | need is to customize these templates if necessary, |
| people make is this: They assume that email marketing | | | | and then upload your own messages. |
| should be left to experts, and don’t bother learning | | | | Building Your List. |
| anything about it! | | | | Once you’ve set up your autoresponder, it’s |
| Folks, I’m not joking about this. There are tons and | | | | time to build your list. For this, you need to do two |
| tons of websites out there with perfectly profitable | | | | things: |
| business plans who are missing out on pure gold by | | | | * Set up a landing page through which people can sign |
| ignoring their email marketing campaigns. And no, | | | | up on your list. |
| sending out monthly newsletters about so and so | | | | * Drive traffic (hint: targeted traffic – people who |
| updates on the site does NOT constitute as email | | | | are likely to be interested in hearing what you have to |
| marketing. Email marketing is a process of generating | | | | say i.e. people interested in your niche) to that landing |
| business through maintaining a list of email contacts | | | | page. |
| – people who “sign-up” to your list for one | | | | Let’s look at these individually. |
| reason or the other (usually to gain access to | | | | Landing Page |
| information or some other resource). A properly run | | | | A lot of people simply use a “sign up for our |
| campaign involves at least the following: | | | | newsletter” type of box on their main pages and |
| * Building a positive, responsive relationship with your | | | | expect people to come barging in. That’s not how |
| list. | | | | it works. For people to sign up for your list, they have |
| * Providing your list with a reason to trust you and | | | | to be interested in what you have to say. This means |
| your advice (give quality information first, ask for their | | | | that first you have to educate your potential |
| money later). | | | | subscribers to what they have to gain by handing over |
| * Promoting targeted , useful products to your list | | | | their email addresses to you. Set up a separate page |
| (related (directly or indirectly) to the “reason” | | | | on your website – a “ landing page ”. On this |
| they signed up for your list. | | | | page, you would include a description of your |
| You’ll see from that list of points that simply mailing | | | | newsletter as well as the key benefits to your |
| promotional offers to a bunch of email addresses | | | | subscribers for signing up to the newsletter (a free |
| does not qualify as email marketing. No. That is spam. | | | | report on plus weekly updates, or regular dating tips, or |
| Don’t be like most people on the Internet. If | | | | whatever your niche is). The key here is to convince |
| you’re operating in a niche online, you’re almost | | | | the reader that if they are interested in your field, |
| guaranteed to be sitting on a small gold mine. Profit | | | | it’s in their benefit to sign for your newsletter |
| from it by all means possible, and make the effort to | | | | because it is THE place to get the best information |
| set up your own email marketing campaign. | | | | about that field. And of course, provide a simple form |
| The Tools. | | | | for the visitors to fill in and sign up to your newsletter. |
| To setup your email marketing campaign, you need the | | | | Drive Traffic |
| following: | | | | By now, you’re all set to build your list and crank |
| * A reliable autoresponder. | | | | out the sales pitches through your autoresponder. But |
| * A lead capture form / landing page. | | | | first, you need to drive traffic (read real people) to |
| * Means to bring traffic to that landing page. | | | | your landing page so that they can sign up to your list. |
| * A set of pre-written messages for your list. | | | | Here’s a quick discussion of a few tactics you can |
| * An email marketing plan. | | | | use: |
| If that sounds like too much, don’t worry about it. All | | | | * Write and submit articles in a niche article directory . |
| five points are explained in full detail below. | | | | Make sure you include your resource box at the end |
| The Autoresponder | | | | of the article, with some text describing your email |
| An autoresponder is the most powerful tool in your | | | | course and a link going back to your landing page. This |
| email marketing arsenal. Essentially, it not only | | | | is fairly elementary, but its still surprising how few |
| automates list management (including subscription and | | | | people end up taking advantage of this technique.Make |
| unsubscribe requests), but it can also automate the | | | | sure that you focus on the top content-rich sites in |
| process of sending emails to your list. You can load a | | | | your niche when you are submitting these articles. |
| set of emails / messages to your list in your | | | | * If you expect to profit significantly from your |
| autoresponder, and the script will automatically send | | | | subscribers (in the next lesson I’ll tell you how you |
| the emails out at the dates you specify. The two | | | | can calculate the lifetime value of your subscriber), you |
| autoresponders I would recommend are AWeber and | | | | can afford to spend some money on building your list. |
| GetResponse. Both are reasonably priced and have | | | | Use Google AdWords or Yahoo Search Marketing to |
| excellent features. I personally use Aweber myself, | | | | drive targeted traffic to your landing page. The key |
| although if you want to test autoresponders and see | | | | here is to bid on very specific two-word and |
| how they work I would suggest that you sign up for | | | | three-word phrases, so that not only your traffic is |
| the free version of GetResponse and experiment | | | | targeted, but that you can get these clicks for |
| there first. Setting up an autoresponder is fairly simple. | | | | cheap.Make sure that you’re not paying too high a |
| Both AWeber and GetResponse have a | | | | price for each click (1 visitor), otherwise the process |
| straightforward sign up procedure, and once you’re | | | | might backfire on you. |
| in, they provide detailed tutorials to help you set up | | | | * Simple as it sounds, make sure to promote your |
| your list management process. | | | | newsletter on your website . Don’t just settle for a |
| Pre-written messages | | | | link on every page – include some text and actually |
| List management is really simple with autoresponders. | | | | explain in a few words what the newsletter offers |
| You can preload your account with template | | | | (kind of like a PPC ad). |
| responses for any of the following occasions: | | | | * Offer a freebie – this could either be a free tool or |
| * When someone signs up through a lead capture | | | | access to a section of your website (where you keep |
| form. | | | | the good content) or even a downloadable report. This |
| * When someone confirms their subscription to your | | | | is by far the most common hook marketers use to |
| list. | | | | build their list. |
| * When someone unsubscribes from your list. | | | | * If you have a sales pitch on your website, make sure |
| * When someone sends an email to your | | | | that your “free” newsletter features prominently |
| autoresponder email address (you can configure this | | | | in it. It will provide readers with a risk-free alternative to |
| message to tell the sender that you will respond within | | | | test you and find out if you can really deliver on any |
| a certain time, or redirect them to a different email | | | | claims you make in the sales pitch. In addition, many |
| address). | | | | people don’t buy immediately – they tend to |
| In addition, you can write up several emails in advance | | | | evaluate the pros and cons and deliberate over buying |
| (in case you want to send messages to your | | | | decisions (especially costly buying decisions) quite a lot. |
| subscribers at specific dates in the future) and load | | | | By offering them an option to sign up to your |
| them in your autoresponder. Then, just specify the | | | | newsletter, you secure an inside track to the “buy |
| dates you want each message to be sent on, and | | | | or not” debate in their minds and are in a position to |
| your work is done . The autoresponder takes care of | | | | win their trust and earn their money. |
| everything else. Pre-loading messages into your | | | | |