Felicia’s Nana used to walk to the end of the long driveway with her to go get the mail. Getting the mail was an EVENT.
This was before the internet when long-distance calls still cost $1 a minute. So the mail was how people who lived far away from each other communicated.
And whenever there was personal mail Nana would smile and hold the mail to her chest like a precious jewel. If there wasn’t personal mail she would say “Well… I guess no-one loves us” and that would be that.
Communicating by mail is a very personal thing. It can communicate emotions in a way that gets lost in text or social media.
And if you do it right, email can be personal too. Even with a large email list.
It’s a way to reach into your prospect’s mailbox and get their attention. Email is a space that is trusted and it is a place where you can develop a real relationship with your prospects and customers.
And because the average ROI on emails is between $38 and $44 for every dollar spent, it is a smart marketer’s best friend.
Let’s take a look at some basic rules of developing and nurturing an email list.
Drop the fear
There are a ton of people that are afraid to send emails. Like shaking in their socks afraid!
When coaching people, I hear things like “but what if they don’t like me?” Or “what if they unsubscribe?”.
These are super common fears. Pretty much everybody who sends emails for the first time to their list feels this way.
But the reality is there is very little to fear. When someone unsubscribes from your list, they probably weren’t the best fit anyway.
And when writing emails it is actually GOOD to be somewhat polarizing. Meaning you take a stand on an issue. So some people aren’t going to like you. And that’s okay.
If you’re afraid of sending emails, that’s okay too. Just don’t let the fear stop you. Sending emails to your list is one of the highest ROI business activities you can do.
Set aside a block of time to write
Writing emails, especially the beginning, can feel like pulling teeth!
It’s hard to know what to say, or how to say it. But the best bet is to just get started.
So to do that, I recommend setting aside a block of time to write. Block out whatever time you need, whether it’s one hour or three hours, and get it done.
By scheduling this time to get your emails written, you can start seeing that amazing ROI.
(It sometimes takes some trial and error to get to amazing ROI, but it’s well worth the effort)
Make sure you are following the law
If you’re sending mass emails to a list, then you need to make sure you’re following the law. This is pretty easy to do if you use an email service provider like AWeber. They will automatically put a link in the email so that people can unsubscribe from your email list, and keep you on top of the rules about spam.
By using an email provider that knows what they’re doing, it makes it much easier to get started and comply with the law.
Use segmenting
Segmenting emails is pure magic.
What segmenting means is to simply send relevant emails to the people who would be most interested in that particular message.
So if you have a business about dogs, and you cater to different breeds, then send Chihuahua products and information to the people who have Chihuahuas. That’s all segmenting is. By segmenting your list appropriately you will increase your open rates, and get a way better return on investment.
Reap the rewards
Sending emails always pays off. There’s not a person that I know or coach who this hasn’t worked for. If you have an email list of customers or prospects, then you want to mail them regularly. You will be very glad you did, because of the extra money in your pocket from the sales you make from your list.