Time to dig into a bit of theory. Starting with the question:
“Are your customers coming from a reliable place?”
While Facebook, Google, YouTube and LinkedIn offer the ability to get into contact with new people, new traffic and new interactions…
However, imagine a social media soothsayer, whispering sweet truths into your ear:
It’s still their platform. Not yours. Shhhhh.
And sure, while you may be able to form meaningful connections using their advertising platform – you will eventually need to discover your own means of connecting with clients.
This way, when Facebook or Google suddenly changes their advert policies, decimating your ability to market to your favourite audience – you’ll be able to maintain a steady list of excited readers, while your competitors work to rebuild their traffic funnels…
This is something which involves permission from your customers. A way for your readers to choose you, again and again.
Enter: the age-old mailing database.
I.e. a list of people who are interested in your business, your brand, your products and want to keep reading, again and again…
A mailing database is the one thing you get to keep – and if you’re inventive enough – you could potentially maintain a steady stream of customers on your list, and speaking about your brand.
Where would you like to start?
Here Are 3 Milestones To Hit, As You Start Up Your Own Newsletter/Mailing List:
1. Choose A Good Reason To Start This
If you’re a digital marketing agency, and you have a good idea that’ll net your reader maybe, one or two extra customers per month…
Is it perhaps worthwhile for your reader to take 15 minutes to read your idea in the form of your newsletter?
If you could guarantee this result, as a side effect of a best practice that you do for your business anyway (you see it work every week for your business…) – This is a good reason.
You probably have a good reason – or multiple ones, similar to the kind of advice you’d give a client as you make small talk after shaking their hand for a job well done…
If you’ve decided to start a mailing list, taking time to pick a good reason, will align your thoughts as your write your first mailer… and also help your readers know what to expect by reading your newsletter.
2. Broadcast This Reason, As Clearly As Possible
Online, you only have a few milliseconds to convert a neutral reader, into a “receptive, engaged reader.”
For example, when it comes to your website’s layout and design, you have 0.05 seconds. That’s the time it takes for somebody to decide whether they want to stay on your website.
Now imagine what it’ll take to ask someone to hand over their email address? And eventually, their time?
This is why, if you’re going to ask somebody to join your monthly, biweekly or even, weekly newsletter… you need to be absolutely clear about why they should join, and what they will get from scheduling time to read it.
2.2 – 1 Way To Do This:
Demonstrate your newsletter, by actually giving the reader a taster.
Example:
If your reason for starting your newsletter is to help people live better lives (self-help) – and your newsletter promises to give regular tips to relieve daily anxiety with a proven breathing technique…
What’s the harm in creating a singular page that demonstrates the very first tip?
And at the end of the page, you offer monthly mailers just like this one?
This is being clear, and demonstrating you’re helpful, by actually helping the reader on the spot!
3. Staying Consistent
It is one thing to start a mailer.
It is another thing to keep your readers refreshing their mailboxes again-and-again, in the hopes that somehow, your email enters their inbox before the set date.
Keeping these kinds of active readers reading your mailers, means that when you decide to make a sales offer to them, they’ll be more ready to buy than someone you might randomly find on Facebook.
If you feel like as a business owner, you’re so busy that you can’t write out the emails yourself, but don’t want to miss out on having your own buzzing database, consider hiring someone literate enough to take your ideas, research them and write blogs for you.
But above all, try to stay consistent, no matter what.
Our third and last point is more an infinite goal rather than a task to tick off.
Sticking to your idea of “building the one database you get to keep”, you can create a rock-solid list of clients who love what you have to write – and if mailing is your thing, it’s a great value-add alongside services/products you already offer.