Dynamic Duo: Opt-in Mailing List and a Killer Newsletter - Part 2
PART 2: Doing Better
Even if your newsletter campaign is showing good results (see the
sidebar for troubleshooting tips if it isn't), you should always be
shooting for better response metrics and a bigger opt-in list. Kim
MacPherson, president of Inbox Interactive, a direct-response e-mail
marketing agency, sees e-mail marketing as a cyclic process with three
stages: Open-Click-Complete. "The objective is to optimize messaging
at each stage-or decision point-of this process in order to enhance
response, thereby increasing overall campaign results. In order to
accomplish this, it requires some creative segmentation capabilities
and a little messaging know-how." [9] She offers some good ideas on
exactly how to do that.
Tamara Halbritter and Kevin Sullivan [6] have a particularly thorough
list of strategies for growing your in-house opt-in list, and Dr Ralph
Wilson [12] has several more that focus specifically on broadening
your newsletter's range:
Content. Provide good original content. There are a number of places
you can get free content for your newsletter (example: www.doctorebiz.com),
but your best bet is to write down what you've learned through your
own experience. Give it your own personal touch.
Multiple Forms. Provide multiple opportunities for site visitors to
sign up. When I first started Web Marketing Today I offered a subscription
form only on the main page for the newsletter. After I began using
Server Side Includes (SSIs), I found that it was easy to add a subscription
form on every single page in my site. Subscriptions increased immediately
and dramatically.
Viral Techniques. Ask your readers to encourage their friends to subscribe.
If you've developed a loyal readership and provide good content, this
will help a lot.
Barter Advertising. Search lists of e-zines for e-mail newsletters
that may attract similar readers to your own. If the newsletter has
a similar number of subscribers to your own list, e-mail the editor
and suggest trading four line ads for each other's newsletter. If
there is a size disparity, offer a 2-for-1 trade or some such.
You've Got to Have Heart
The term "newsletter" gets 40 million hits on Google-about the same
as "XXX," and four times as many as "tits." Guess you didn't think
that newsletters are more popular than boobs. Point is that others
have noticed that e-mail newsletters rock; there's lots of competition.
Writing in XBIZ, Michael Green says:
So how are you going to ensure that your newsletter doesn't get crowded-out?
How will you guarantee that your publication gains and develops a
truly loyal readership, when they could so easily be distracted by
your competitors' newsletter offerings? The answer is simple: You've
got to give your newsletter a ton of "Newsletter Personality!" Or
to put it more accurately, you actually need to allow your own personality
the space to shine through and dominate your written publication.
[5]
This is echoed in the mainstream marketing literature, too: "Personality
is the icing on the content cake." [3] After you've done everything
else right, personality is going to be your key differentiator, so
give this element the careful attention it deserves: "Remember that
your readers have a choice. If your publication comes across as faceless
and lacking in personality, then chances are your readers will jump
ship, right across to the nearest competition." [5] Don't give them
an excuse to do that. Do your newsletter up right, distribute it to
your targeted list, and let it make money for you.
Part 1: Opt-In Mailing
List & Killer Newsletter
Sources & Resources...
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