Author: geomc57

List building and email marketing may be considered “old fashioned” and even “un-sexy” compared to social media. The rallying cries of “Email marketing is dead!” are ringing out all over the social media world. But you probably need to know that these cries are simply inaccurate. They are also hurting the bottom line of those businesses who listen.

List building or social media isn’t the question. The key is to use them both, together, to maximize results for your business. List building and email marketing provide your business with the most direct line of communication for turning leads into sales, which is why the smartest entrepreneurs have no intention of giving it up any time soon.

Social networks are great. I like to use them. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Instagram (IG QR) at any time.

We believe that if you are asking, “List building OR social media”, you are asking the wrong question. I use both. I still focus most of my marketing on list building and email marketing. Why?

Social networks thrive on the sharing of good content, and your only real job on social media is to give people something to share.

When people see something on your social media site, some will like it and click it to learn more. When they do they have just told you something. What did they tell you? They are saying they value at least this particular piece of content.

When they get to your site, your job is to continue communicating with them on that topic. When it comes to ongoing communication, email is the best choice.

Email marketing helps you avoid just another update in an overcrowded Twitter stream. An update they may very well miss. Email allows you to stay in front of your audience.

When your information is on social media, it can get lost on the page with a lot of other posts. When your information is in an email that the reader asked for, you have their attention.

This is why so many successful entrepreneurs focus on list building and email marketing.

Still not convinced?

Look at the data.

In order to convince you that email should be your top priority when it comes to communicating with customers, look at the statistics and data and see how and why email marketing and list building lends itself to better engagement.

Email is More Popular than Social Media

According to a recent study by Ipsos, nearly 85 percent of people who use the web will use email, compared to only 62 percent who use social networking sites.

The key difference to note here is that all social networking sites were included in that 62 percent, which means that each individual site has far less of an audience than you think.

Email is universal, widely used, and still the biggest place where business is conducted online.

Worse yet, by using multiple social networks (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest), you are dividing your audience across multiple platforms.

Compare that to list building and you can quickly see how email marketing can be very powerful as a single focused distribution channel for content and updates.

Email is Made for Business

One thing to remember when evaluating why social media updates, ads, and even promoted posts are so ignored is the fact that you are competing with fun and games on social media.

When the average user logs into Facebook, they want to see new pictures from last Friday night (so they can un-tag all the evidence), updates from family members who are out of state, political debates, and witty status updates from their friends.

Not only does email trump social media in both quantity (more users) and quality (better engagement), email marketing was simply made for business.

Email as a communication channel is personal.

As consumers, we are therefore naturally more receptive to things in our inbox. We guard our inboxes much like a mother wolf guards her pups … because they are filled with things we choose to see.

This more intimate method of communication lends itself to more honest discussions and decisions. This is an important reason why people will always be “warmer” to being sold via email, and just another reason why email will always beat social media when it comes to marketing.

When Facebook went down, we knew they would fix the issue. We did not panic. We were not afraid of losing a ton of communications we needed. When our email provider goes down we scream blood murder. Why? We need those emails. We areafraid we will lose an important communique.

When social media is experiencing problems all I do is log in to my autoresponder and launch an email campaign to generate sales while social media works out their issues.

Which do you prefer in your business, List Building or Social Media?

The quick answer is, “No”. There really isn’t a big secret to email marketing success. We all see the reports about how profitable email marketing can be and how every business should be using it. But if your business isn’t experiencing success, you may be wondering what you are missing. This article is designed to help you get unstuck and starting experiencing the power of email marketing.

The first step is to get rid of any confusion about what email marketing is and what it isn’t. Email marketing is not about spamming a bunch of people with ridiculous and unbelievable offers. The power of email marketing happens when you actually build a solid relationship with prospects and show them how you can help them solve a problem.

In fact, the first real secret to email marketing success could be narrowed down to that one word: Relationship. Think about it like this: We all prefer to do business with someone we know, like, and trust. Given the option of where I like to do business, I intentionally choose to spend my money with someone that I believe is going to take the best care of me.

The next so-called secret to email marketing success can be to understand the process involved. What I constantly bang the drum about is that we need to drive traffic to build the list so we can build rapport to drive sales. Let’s look at those steps.

Step 1: Drive Traffic. This can be via advertising, networking, social media, etc… Drive traffic to your capture page so you can …

Step 2: Build Your List. As people come to your site, they will see your offer and have an opportunity to request more information by filling out the capture form. Once somebody joins your list, you can begin to …

Step 3: Build Rapport. Set up your automated followup letters to show your subscribers that you understand their problem and that you can provide them with a solution. As you begin to build  that rapport and your readers begin to realize they can trust you, you can then …

Step 4: Drive Sales. This is the step where your subscribers make the decision to say “I trust you. Here’s my money. Help me solve my problem.”.

When you approach email marketing with this philosophy of providing a solution, sales becomes the natural result. Businesses that are able to do this effectively are successfully tapping in to the secret to email marketing success.

We highly recommend connecting to us on your favorite social media sites to stay updated and informed.

Find us on Facebook: http://www.thaiearner.ws/OurCommunity

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/geomc57

Or Twitter: https://twitter.com/geomc57

Best advice I can offer.

Got questions for us? Comments? Feel free leave a comment below!

Email Marketing Tips

1) Be sure to add subscription forms to your Websites or Blogs. This helps you capture valuable information from site visitors that otherwise might leave your site without taking the desired action.

2) Offer something of value to your subscribers in exchange for them giving you their contact information. This can be a free report, a free download, a coupon, or discount.

3) Backup your subscriber lists regularly. The last thing you need is to lose your list of prospects! This list is your gold mine. Protect it.

4) Personalize your messages by inserting your prospects’ name, email, and other relevant information you have collected from them.

5) Target your email marketing list even further by collecting more detailed information such as their phone number, address, etc. Add custom fields to your subscription forms to fine-tune your targeting even further.

6) Focus your advertising on directing prospects to your capture pages or your website that has a subscription form. By focusing on lead generation, you can then follow up with your prospect lists over and over again. This will dramatically increase your success rate.

7) Manage your prospects responsibly. By sending relevant offers and building credibility with your subscribers, you can reasonably expect your subscribers to stay with you longer. Some of my sales have come from subscribers that had been receiving my messages for more than two years!

If you are serious about making money online, it is critical that you learn how to consistently generate online sales. Email marketing has been a critical step in that process for affiliate marketers, network marketers, developers, restaurants, and more for many years. In this article, I plan to show you exactly how I do it using email marketing autoresponders right here within TrafficWave.

The reason I know this works is because I have been personally using this system since about 2010. Back then, people would tell me it wouldn’t work. Today, people are telling me it won’t work. And, I am still using these tools to constantly generate new leads and consistently generate online sales in a variety of industries.

When you look at things with your business eye, it is very evident that email marketing works. Tell me if any of this seems familiar to you:

Have you ever bought concert tickets from a company or band that emailed you about the upcoming show?

Have you ever gone to a restaurant because of an email notification you received about a discount or special offer?

Have you ever visited a web site or blog by clicking a link that you got in your email?

Have you ever booked a trip or vacation in response to an email notice you received?

Have you ever made a business decision based on information you got from an email list you subscribed to?

These are all examples of email marketing in action. Businesses around the world are using email marketing to consistently generate online sales because it works, it’s cost effective, and it’s just easy to do.

No matter what industry I have worked in, the basic process has been the same:

Step 1: I create a series of followup messages that are specifically written to build the know, like, and trust factor. I want my readers to feel like they know me and can trust me. Why? When they are ready to buy, they are more likely to buy from someone they know, like, and trust.

Step 2: I create a hosted capture page and/or installed form code on my web site. Why? When someone visits my site or capture page, I want to be able to give them important information about how I can help them solve a problem. When they fill out the form, they are added to my contact list and my autoresponder begins sending out the letters I wrote in Step 1.

Step 3: I begin driving traffic to my capture page or website. Why? If nobody knows about my offer, they can’t order. So, it just makes sense that I promote the offer. I use paid advertising, free advertising, social media channels, youtube, link exchanges, etc… People that are interested in my ads and posts click through to learn more. When they click, they are taken to a capture page or an article that includes a capture form where they can request more information if they want to learn more.

I’ve used this system profitably to sell all sorts of products and service ranging from thai coffee to yoga mats to computer services, entertainment, and yes … even my email marketing autoresponder right here at TrafficWave.

This is how I know it works: Experience. Use these same steps for your own projects to generate leads and consistently generate online sales.

Email Marketing Tips

Email Marketing AutoResponder letters are powerful tools. Successful online marketers use them to automate repetitive sales tasks, build and manage multiple prospect lists, and send out regular articles, updates, and announcements.

More than providing an automated response to an inquiry, AutoResponders can be your own automated sales force working online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Used properly, AutoResponder letters can automate the process of building your lists, following up with your prospects, and helping you close more sales.

Let’s look at how someone might use AutoResponder letters to help build a list of targeted prospects.

The first step is to create 5 to 7 messages about your offer and add them to your AutoResponder Campaign.

Before you get started writing letters, you need to ask yourself a very critical question: “What problem am I solving?” This doesn’t have to be a big involved answer but you do need an answer.

The big mistake I see people make is that they start with asking, “How do I get more sales?” or “How do I get more leads?”. Of course you want more lead and more sales. These will come IF you learn to ask the right questions of your readers. The question you absolutely MUST ask yourself is, “What problem am I solving?” or “What problem can I help people solve?”.

When you figure out how to solve a problem for someone, and you can show them how to solve it, you will want to focus all of your writing (for your capture pages and your letters) on letting folks know how you can solve that problem for them. Don’t forget to use lead magnets to entice visitors to fill out your form.

As a result, you will generate more leads and convert those leads in to customers. Always ask how you can help your prospects solve a problem. Then show them how to solve the problem.

So let’s get in to creating your AutoResponder letters. These are the letters your AutoResponder will send once someone subscribes to your list by filling out your capture form.

These messages can be set to go out every 2 days.. With 7 messages, your prospects would receive your autoresponder letters over a 2 week period.

Here is a simple guideline you can use to create your own autoresponder letters:

Message 1: Sent Out Immediately.

In this message you would thank them for requesting your information. Give them a brief history about yourself to build some credibility. They need to know you are qualified to share the information with them. Then give them an overview of the information you are offering.

Be sure to include a link to your web site so they can get further details, place an order, or contact you for more information.

It’s also a good idea to include your name and email address. Include a phone number if you want prospects to call you.

Message 2: Sent Out 2 Days Later.

In this message, you may want to give them a brief reminder of what you covered in your first message and focus on the benefits of your offer. What’s in it for them? How is your product, service, or opportunity different from others? Use this message to let them know.

And be sure to invite them to your web site, include the link to your site, and include your name and email address so they can contact you.

Message 3: Sent Out 2 Days Later.

This might be a good place to include some testimonials from your company or a little more of your own personal story. If you are new and haven’t quite created your own story yet, share success stories and testimonials from others that have used your products or services. Give an overview of how people are using your product or service. If you are promoting an affiliate plan, explain how others are building their income with your plan.

And, as always, be sure to invite them to your web site. Include the URL and include your name and email address so prospects can contact you.

Message 4: Sent Out 2 Days Later.

In this message, pick one feature in particular to focus on. Maybe it’s about how your offer can help them save money, be more productive, lose weight, make money, etc…

Remind them that you are available to answer questions and provide support.

And, as always, be sure to invite them to your web site. Include the URL and include your name and email address so prospects can contact you.

Message 5: Sent Out 2 Days Later.

Use this message to be a little more personal. Let your prospects know that you are available to help them in any way you can. This message could be used to simply thank them again for requesting your information and assuring them that you are a real human being and interested in helping them succeed.

And, as always, be sure to invite them to your web site. Include the URL and include your name and email address so prospects can contact you.

Message 6: Sent Out 2 Days Later.

Use this message to stress another set of features from your offer. Share a few more testimonials from others or from your own experiences with your product, service, or opportunity.

Briefly review some of the details you have shared from previous letters.

And, as always, be sure to invite them to your web site. Include the URL and include your name and email address so prospects can contact you.

Message 7: Sent Out 2 Days Later.

This message can be used to ask for some feedback from your prospects. Tell them you have enjoyed sending the information and you hope it was helpful to them. Ask them if they have any concerns or what might be preventing them from making the decision to purchase from you or join with you.

Sometimes, you will get some good feedback from folks. They may share some concerns they have or tell you why they feel your offer may not be for them at this time.

Thank them for agreeing to receive your information and let them know you are still available to answer any questions they may have.

And, as always, be sure to invite them to your web site. Include the URL and include your name and email address so prospects can contact you.

Now That Your Letters Are Created And Ready To Go:

Once the letters are loaded in to your AutoResponder Campaign, your next step is to begin getting prospects for your AutoResponder to follow up with.

The idea here is to begin advertising to attract prospects to your offer. Give people a compelling reason to request your information. This is where you want to start thinking like your prospects. You are asking them for at least a name and email address. What are you giving them in return?

Maybe your information shows them how to start and profit from their own home based business. Maybe you are offering tips on how to better protect their identity. Maybe you are offering weight loss tips or nutritional information. Maybe you are offering information on how to promote a web site.

Since I sell AutoResponders, I offer prospects free information to show them how AutoResponders can help boost their online sales.

I have added a subscription form to my web sites.

I use lead capture pages.

I include my email subscription address in my ads.

I include my email subscription address and/or my URL in discussion forum posts.

Then I focus all of my advertising on my lead capture pages so that people will request more information from me. I don’t try to sell them up front. I want to capture their information first. THEN I will focus on following up to close the sale.

As people request your information by filling out your subscription forms or emailing your AutoResponder, their information is captured in your database.

Now your AutoResponder goes to work sending out your autoresponder letters.

For the next two weeks, your prospects will be receiving your sales letters. You don’t have to remember to send them out. You don’t have to remember which prospect has received which letter. Your AutoResponder is working for you behind the scenes.

Now your focus should be on three things:

1. Continuing to advertise to get more prospects in to your AutoResponder
2. Using the feedback you get from prospects to adjust your letters.
3. Segmenting and following up with your subscribers.

You may need to make a few changes. Maybe you see a recurring question from prospects. That recurring question is letting you know that you may need to cover that information a little better or more in depth.

This is just a simple guideline you can use to create your own follow-up messages for your AutoResponder. You may use more letters or less. The average for successful marketers seems to be in the 5 to 9 range.

Notice that each letter ended with a “call to action” where you invite the prospect to your web site or to contact you for more information.

This “call to action” is a critical element to the success of your messages. You must let prospects know what to do next and how to do it.

Ready to take your email marketing to the next level? Click here to find out how to get your emails delivered and opened.

Still looking for a good autoresponder service? Check out our free autoresponder trial.

Check More Email Marketing Tips

Have you ever run an email marketing cost benefit analysis? It may help you better understand how powerful and valuable email marketing can be for your business. When looking at spending any money on a marketing campaign, it makes sense to do your research.

Let’s start by taking a look at the published ROI (Return On Investment) numbers for various digital marketing channels:

This graphic shows us that most digital marketing channels can be profitable.
(More detailed stats available at DMA.)

When running your email marketing cost benefit analysis, the big question is: “What sort of return should I expect for my email marketing dollar?” All other aspects being the same, any business is going to prefer a $40 return on a $1 email marketing spend. This doesn’t make the other digital marketing channels a bad choice. In fact, we use a wide variety of digital marketing. Each of those channels points to our email marketing and lead generation funnels.

How do you do the cost benefit analysis for your business?

The basic idea is to calculate the value of bringing on a new sale and the value of getting repeat business from existing customers.

As an example, if you can generate $100 profit on a new sale and it costs you $100 in advertising and support to generate that new sale, you broke even on that sale. If you spent $50, you have an ROI of 100%.

If that same customer can be expected to generate repeat sales or referrals, then your ROI is even better.

When talking to new prospects about TrafficWave.net, and they see that we offer a Free 30 Day Trial, they quickly realize that any new sales means an incredibly profitable ROI. We have customers reporting an ROI on their email marketing campaigns well over 1,000%.

The key for doing your own email marketing cost benefit analysis is to calculate the profit you can expect from the average new sale. This will vary based on your business model, your profit margins, how well you upsell, whether you can expect referrals or repeat business, etc…

Then deduct the cost of your email marketing campaign with TrafficWave.net at $17.95 per month. How many sales does your business need to see in order to generate a profit from your $17.95 monthly email marketing spend?

Here is a simple example:

Joe Marketer sells a product online for $49.00.
His profit on each sale is $25.00.
After deducting $17.95 (the cost of his TrafficWave account), his profit is $7.05 on that first sale.
($25.00 – $17.95 = $7.05)

Each additional sale that month increases his profit margin as he is now clearing  $25.00 for each sale after the first sale.

If Joe makes 10 sales in the month, his profit is $232.05 ($250.00 – $17.95 = $232.05)!

(Your own results will vary based on your costs, profit margins, etc… )

When you break down the email marketing cost benefit analysis like this, it’s easy to see why so many businesses are excited about using email marketing to generate leads, follow up, and drive sales!

Email Marketing Tips

In your business you should be able to Generate Sales whenever you decide to do so.

Depending on your business model you may do it differently.

One might send an email to their customer List about a special for their VIP customers.

Another with a popular website might make an unbeatable coupon offer.

And a Social Media Influencer might offer a special code for a specific product purchase.

One thing they all have in common is a captive Audience, a List, A Customer List, a Prospect List, a Membership List.

There it is again, the List. You need a List.

No business survives, online or offline without building a specific list of customers and prospects.

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Is email marketing in bad times a good idea? I think so. Let me talk about why.

During economic down turns, many companies will pull back on their marketing budgets. This means less competition with other advertisers, which leads to more opportunities for your business.

Fear also creates some of your best opportunities in marketing. If your product, service, or opportunity can help alleviate some fear or pain or loss for your readers, a down turn in the financial climate may be your golden opportunity in disguise.

So this is a great time to dust off some of your email marketing and autoresponder letters.

Email Marketing has proven to be an inexpensive method for reaching customers. By analyzing your previous successes (and even your past failures) you can breath some new life in to your sales by effectively using email marketing in bad times.

Here are some tips you can use to boost email marketing effectiveness:

Review your past statistics including click-throughs and open rates.

If your stats show positive results, rebroadcast that offer (if it’s still relevant).

If your stats for a particular offer are weak, revamp the message by reworking the subject line, the copy, and/or the call to action. More Copy Writing Ideas!!!

Look for previously missed opportunities. Perhaps your message can be revamped to capitalize on current events.

Once you are done revamping your letters, Recycle subscribers that have previously finished receiving your autoresponder letters. That way they will be reminded without getting the exact same email.

Review your lead capture pages to see if you can improve your subscription rates.

Be sure your messages are personalized by merging contact information in to the subject lines and message body.

Review your current email marketing messages to see if they can be broken up into articles and submitted to article directories or blogs.

By periodically reviewing past performance of your email marketing campaigns, you can often spot opportunities for improvements which can lead to increased revenues.

The best part is that your only investment in this strategy is a bit of time and mental focus.

I highly recommend connecting with me on your favorite social media sites to stay updated and informed.

Find me on Facebook: http://www.thaiearner.ws/OurCommunity/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geomc57

Or Twitter: https://twitter.com/geomc57

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