One of the cool entrepreneurs I connected with during the #blog30 challenge was Melanie Kissell. I invited her to share a guest blog post and gave her free reign on topic. She’s fantastic at brainstorming, has a great sense of humor (go read her blog, it’ll brighten your day), and here she shared some great tips for your newsletter list.
Guest post by Melanie Kissell
You’ve tapped into your unstoppable passion and crafted a one-of-a-kind, super duper, must-have freebie offer for your target audience.
Splendid!
You’re off to a good start and the feeling of self-accomplishment is cause for celebration. How about a Danish? A chocolate donut maybe?
When the party mood lifts, you’re ready to buckle down again and take the next important step. You subscribe to an email marketing system and set up your opt-in box on your web site or blog or both.
Magnificent!
Consider yourself a successful action-taker. Break out a bottle of sparkling cider! You’re about to start building a list.
But wait.
When someone opts in and downloads your freebie offer, then what?! Following your thank-you page (you did create that email message, right?) you don’t have the foggiest notion what you’re going to send your list.
You’re not alone. This is the toughest assignment for most solo entrepreneurs – the care and feeding of your opt-ins.
But maybe you’re an affiliate marketer and you have tons of goodies for sale that you could pitch to your list every day or every week.
Don’t do it.
Or maybe you have a great sense of humor so you’re thinking it would be fun to email lots of humorous quotes, riddles, and jokes.
Scratch that.
Well, how about a nice daily inspirational message? Everyone appreciates those, right?
Wrong. They’ll be “inspired” to unsubscribe.
People are reluctant nowadays (and for good reason) to give over their name and email address. So don’t spam them with coupons, ads, and offers all the time or send them frivolous tidbits. They’re getting enough of that kind of undesirable stuff in their inbox eight days a week.
The way to care for your opt-ins is to feed your list lots of valuable information. Your goal is to nurture the relationship and build trust through sharing informative, engaging, educational, and enriching content.
And if you’re stumped for ideas, just send a survey to your opt-ins and “ask” them what their challenges are and how you can help. It’s one of the easiest ways to make sure you are meeting their needs and insure they don’t opt out!
Melanie Kissell is a single mom to four daughters, big dog lover, avid affiliate marketer, and founder of Solo Mompreneur. She works with single womenpreneurs who show great tenacity and passion for their business, but who are short on time, exhausted, and tapped out financially. Melanie focuses on sharing low-cost and no-cost marketing strategies with her target audience.
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Twitter: melaniekissell
says:
Michelle ~
To take a seat in your Guest Brilliance chair is a privilege I will cherish and the memory of this day will put a perpetual smile on my face.
From the tips of my toes to the end of my nose …
Thank You!
Melanie
Melanie Kissell\’s last blog ..Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them – Affiliate Marketing Part 4
Twitter: LoveRockstar
says:
Thank you Melanie for the wonderful lesson! And so glad to see you on Michelle’s blog. You both are wonderful ladies who share so much information.
MJ Schrader\’s last blog ..Creating Sales Letters in WordPress
Twitter: melaniekissell
says:
Add yourself to the mix, MJ — You Rock!
Melanie Kissell\’s last blog ..Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them – Affiliate Marketing Part 4
Right on!! Leave those jokes and quotes at home! You are one smart cookie :)
Martha Giffen\’s last blog ..Blogging – You Have To Start Somewhere
Twitter: melaniekissell
says:
Have I told you lately that I love you, Martha? :-) Glad you came by Michelle’s blog today and thanks so much for the compliment and the comment.
Melanie
Melanie Kissell\’s last blog ..Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them – Affiliate Marketing Part 4
Twitter: SheilaAtwood
says:
You hit the nail on the head. I think filling my auto responder is the hardest part.
I like to send my subscribers to my blog posts and I will ask them to comment. But I like to keep in mind that my subscribers are the most important and deserve the best. So they get additional tips and content that is not on my blog.
Twitter: melaniekissell
says:
Good idea and good to know, Sheila! I’m on your list. :-)
Melanie
Melanie Kissell\’s last blog ..Time to Tie up the Loose Ends – Affiliate Marketing Part 5
I opt-out of lists that over sell. I appreciate those who give additional information or direct me to sites that are helpful. If I feel this way, I know my list does also. I’m just beginning to fill my autoresponder in conjunction with my new site and I’m keeping your tips in mind.
Twitter: melaniekissell
says:
I like the way you think, Kathy – you’re a true professional. With you steering the ship, your list is in good hands and they’ll have a wonderful journey!
Melanie
Melanie Kissell\’s last blog ..Time to Tie up the Loose Ends – Affiliate Marketing Part 5
Twitter: lisbethtanz
says:
Melanie,
Another great post with important information. It’s so easy to think “everyone is like me, so they’ll love what I’m sending them.” Wrong, wrong, wrong. Thanks for the reminders that too much information is . . . indeed too much. :)
Twitter: melaniekissell
says:
Thanks for reading my guest post, Lis!
What happens with email marketing campaigns is the same scenario as with some of the patients I’ve worked with throughout the years. The doctor gives the patient a prescription medication and a specific way to take it. The patient disregards the doctor because he or she wants overnight results. Here’s how the patient thinks: “If a little bit of this medicine is a good thing, then taking a whole lot has to be even better!” WRONG. COULD BE VERY HARMFUL.
I agree with Kathy Griffiths. I’m choosing to unsubscribe from people who over sell and I intend to treat my list the same way I’d like to be treated — respectfully.
Melanie
Melanie Kissell\’s last blog ..Time to Tie up the Loose Ends – Affiliate Marketing Part 5