OK – so you have a mailing list. Congratulations! It isn’t easy but you have made a start. Or, perhaps your list has grown over the months. You’ve a reason to be proud of that growth. But something is wrong, isn’t it? There is a niggle at the back of your mind, and it’s this: my mailing list isn’t making me any money.
But making money online is why you started, isn’t it?
Well, there comes a point when a cool appraisal is needed. I am going to assume that the content of your emails is good. I’ll also assume that your autoresponder plumbing is good too – in other words, you’ve got the opt-ins and the confirmations and the broadcasts all sorted.
So what’s the problem? What is going wrong? Here’s a clue: Do you like being shouted at? No, me neither. But so many mailing lists shout at their receipients. You know what I mean – the uppercase letters. The sales hype. The frenetic effort to get you to click, to click, to click on the link. And, if you’re like me, you pass on.
The thing is this. The tone of voice of the email is all wrong. And the secret of making money online with your mailing list is this: Find Your Voice.
Your voice is the tone of your emails, the mood, the color. I bet if you check your inbox (or spam filter) you will find daily emails that are just plain aggressive. There is not a shred of customer facing skill. Not a modicum of politeness. Or, there are others that are creepy. Over use of your first name and so on.
My experience is that I did not make serious money online with my mailing list until I had the confidence – and the skill – to write genuinely, honestly, and personally to my readers. Until then, I realise with hindsight, I had unconsciously copied the style of online marketers who I thought were successful, and taken on their mannerisms. But, of course, it was fake. And your readers can smell it.
So what changed? Well, one weekend came when I was about to go on vacation. I was in a rush. I had to get my email out. And I wasn’t sure that the product I was recommending was right for everybody.
And that is exactly what I wrote. I said how I was feeling; I shared where I was taking my family; I was honest about my reservations but suggested they take a look anyway.
The result? I had more sign-ups than I had ever received. And what is more, I had responses to my mail out from people expressing appreciation for the way I had been straight with them.
Now, it can take time to “find your voice”. I was lucky. But you can experiment. One experienced marketer I respect always refers to the weather. Another talks about her family. The thing is, you immediately create a bond with your reader that rises above sales and marketing. You are talking to them as you would to a friend, or an old classmate. There isn’t any reason to schmooze, or elbow bend.
If I’m frustrated, I say so. If I’m bored, I let people know. If I’m elated,I share that as well. And try to be as real and authentic as possible about the tip, product, referral or sale that is the subject matter of my correspondence.
So my advice is this: you will make money on line with your mailing list. But you have two options. You can beat people into submission. Or you can attract them by virtue of the authenticity of your voice. And the second group will buy from you time and time and time again. I know which I prefer, don’t you?
My best to you – James Gladwin