What exactly is a mailing list?
Beyond the obvious (a list of email addresses), a mailing list is the best way to stay in touch with a group of people who WANT to hear from you. You gather it from past, present, and potential customers, clients, and fans. These are the folks who are interested in what you are doing and are excited to stay in touch.
Your mailing list allows you to send out regular email updates so people who want to stay in touch with you have an easy way of doing so.
How can you be sure?
Because when you use the techniques outlined below…
…your mailing list will only have engaged and active members of your audience on it.
…you are going to consistently give the people on your mailing list valuable information and ideas that they are excited to receive.
…you will have great things to offer, lots of people who will love to be kept in the loop, and you the right tools to get it out there!
Why is it so important to stay in regular contact?
Like you, your audience is busy. They have a lot going on and they have a ton of news and information coming at them every day.
It is really difficult to catch their attention in the first place, much less to expect them to put in the effort to check back on your website every few days to see what’s new.
The reason we have things like bookmarks, Facebook fan pages, and email newsletters is to make it easier for others to keep up with topics and people they are interested in.
By NOT offering a regular newsletter, you are making your fans do extra work to follow you.
And one of the BEST reasons to build your email list is to establish familiarity with you and your brand. It takes something extra to stand out in people’s minds. A great “something extra” is showing up regularly in the inbox.
By becoming a familiar resource, you stand a much better chance of being top-of-mind for your customers.
A mailing list can be the difference between customers staying in touch with you and forgetting about you.
What’s in it for my customers?
Because the mailing list and newsletter is completely voluntary, you can be sure you will only reach people who actually want to hear from you.
This isn’t some spammy tactic like trying to trick people into clicking a link. This is a benefit you can offer people who will take a lot of value and enjoyment from reading your updates and being part of your community.
By consistently presenting your fans and followers with new and helpful information, you are giving them more opportunity to find something of yours that really resonates with them.
What if the first time someone visits your site they don’t find an article or an image that really speaks to them? Or maybe they love your style, but it just isn’t the right time to act.
Don’t you think they would like to hear about new things you are working on that might fit them perfectly?
Long Term Benefits
Another great aspect of staying in touch with your audience is that it allows you to really build a relationship with them.
Most people who work with small business or individuals want to feel some connection with the people they are spending money with.
By putting in the effort to keep a regular and welcome spot in their inbox you are letting your customers and fans know they are important to you.
The key point here is that you have to craft your email offerings to offer the maximum benefit to your audience. No one is helped by obnoxious “buy now!” emails filled with products that don’t apply to them.
If your email list consists of a passionate group of people, interested in and engaged with your business, they will look forward to every email you send them. In the following posts you will learn exactly how to make that happen.
Leave a Reply