Do you really feel miserable when you log in to your autoresponder service and see that someone, or several people, has unsubscribed from your list overnight? Of course, it may that your email list is so large you don’t notice, but if you are starting out those unsubscribe statistics cut deep. I know when I began my online business my stomach churned when I saw an ‘unsubscribe’ message.
Well, let’s get some perspective. Of course you should expect unsubscribers. I’ve unsubscribed from lists, and so have you. It may be because I am going through a fit of email housekeeping and tidying my inbox; it could be because I am no longer particularly interested in the topic covered by the writer.
But, wait a moment, there are other reasons that I unsubscribe from a list. Here are five of the most important standards that are often forgotten or overlooked. If a newsletter or email series doesn’t meet these quality standards, I will almost always unsubscribe. Are they true for you as well?
First, am I receiving quality emails? Are they attractively formatted, appropriate for both HTML and text readers? Is the writing up to scratch, or are there typos which make it plain the material hasn’t been spell-checked. Do you make sure that your writing is geared to the email format, with shorter paragraphs and line breaks than would be the case in conventional article writing? If you include images, have they been optimised for the web? What is the ‘tone’ of your email? Does your reader feel he or she is being shouted at? Get some honest feedback and find out how others perceive the look and feel of tour communication.
Second, are your email communications believable and trustworthy? Don’t feel that you have to mimic well known internet marketers. If you are endorsing a product, make certain that you do not hype it overmuch. If the product is only aimed at beginners, make that plain – you don’t want a queue of subscribers wanting a refund. If you are a relative beginner, don’t be embarrassed to admit it. People like candour and honesty.
Next, do you email your subscribers on a regular basis? Once you have decided on a mailing schedule, stick to it. When your readers subscribe, tell them that they will get an email from you on a weekly, fortnightly, or daily basis, whichever it is. Woody Allen said that eighty percent of success is “showing up” and the same applies to list building. How often have you signed up to receive emails only to receive them sporadically, and then not at all for a month or two? At first it can seem that you are on a writer’s treadmill, but practice does make it easier to write your newsletter or weekly email.
Fourth, learn to retain your subscribers by including expert opinion or endorsement from readers. When you get positive feedback, include it in your emails. Similarly, see if you can interview a well known internet marketing personality – they can be extremely approachable and often want to help someone starting out. This has certainly been my experience.
Finally, give away good freebies on a regular basis. I believe there is far too much hard selling of mediocre products on the web, so it is a milestone when a marketer I respect gives away a product for free. Generosity will attract and retain your readers; even better, it will encourage them to recommend your emails to others.
So what will stop readers unsubscribing from your list? These five essential factors: quality, credibility, regularity, blue-chip recommendation, and high value freebies. If you can tick all five boxes, you will build a marketing list that others will envy, and which can generate an independent income stream for you for many years.
My best to you – James Gladwin