E-Mail Marketing , Proper Use and Abuse

Back again today with some more insight on E-Mail marketing.
Many on the Internet feel that it is a "dying method of Marketing" with all the filters and concern of SPAM regulations.

My 5 year history on the Internet has proved to me that correct E-Mail marketing practice is very rewarding and Effective in Building SOLID business relationships.
Content delivered to your List as expected is a primary concern. If you offered a subscription to a newsletter regarding Fly-fishing it would not be beneficial to blast broadcasts about MLM marketing.

I was impressed by a recent Blog Post by Bob "the Teacher" Jenkins along the same lines.

Here is an Excerpt from Bob's Post
YOUR List is NOT an ATM

Today's lesson: Your list is not an ATM!

Every day, I get an email from somebody that promises to help
me turn my email list into an ATM - something I can press a button
and just get instant cash any time I want.

Usually, these wind up in the spam folder, where they belong.

Regardless, it's important for you not to take this line of thinking
with your online marketing.

If you're like me (a former high school teacher with no professional
training in sales or selling), you may feel funny asking people for
money whether in person, on a website, or via email.

So when you're taught by gurus that your list is an ATM, you get
this knot in your stomach, but you figure that's the way it is.

Well, it's not.

Sure, your email list is a revenue generating part of your business.
And used wisely, can be responsible for more income each month
than you ever made in a year in a previous job.

But you don't actually make that kind of money by treating your
list like an ATM.

You get there by having a solution-based approach to your marketing,
and recognizing that although you may have a list of 100 or 100,000,
each email is read 1 person at a time.

And each person is unique, with responsibilities, bills to pay, vacations
to dream of, and to-do lists a mile long.

People aren't looking to give you their money. They want to solve a
specific problem, and they want to find people they can trust to give
them those solutions fast and cost effectively (notice I didn't say cheap).

When you're writing an email to your list, think of this formula:

Serve
Earn
Serve
Earn

First, you need to help them realize there is a problem that you can help
them with. Serve

Then you earn their TRUST so they will listen to you. Earn

Then you help them solve their problem (either with your direct help, or
a recommended resource that you connect them to). Serve

Then you earn your keep so to speak (i.e., get paid). Earn

In this economy, people are increasingly tight-fisted with their cash,
and wary of people who are going to treat them like an ATM.

Think about this with every email you send to your list (or tweet your post,
or status update on Facebook).

There's nothing wrong with getting paid what you deserve for
helping people. But make sure your priority is your readers' priority,
(i.e., connecting people to solutions to make a difference in their lives)
and you'll do very well in the cash flow department as well.

As a result, you may find yourself enjoying generating revenue in
your business instead of feeling slimy.

What do you think? Post a comment on my blog and let me know
if this helps you...


Bob Jenkin's Blog