We’ve all heard the phrase “the money is in the list” but too often people make a list and aren’t sure what to do with it.
So I want to show you 3 simple ways you can use your list to build traffic, make better products, and make money.
1. Tell your subscribers about new blog posts
My e-mail list is one of my best sources of traffic. Frequently when I publish a new blog post I will send a short message to my e-mail list telling them about my new post.
This is so simple and yet it is one of my biggest traffic sources.
Of course this requires you to publish new stuff on your blog periodically.
2. Ask them about their problems
Chances are people subscribe to your e-mail list because they want information that will help them solve a problem. And there is an easy way to capitalize on this.
First, put up a post on your blog inviting people to ask questions. In the past I have bribed people with a free prize if they ask a question.
Second, send an e-mail out to your list telling them about the free prize and inviting them to ask a question.
In the past I have had hundreds of people come to my blog and ask me traffic questions. Because of this I have a very good understanding of what traffic questions people have.
What do I do with this information?
This will help you to understand what people’s needs really are and develop better products that are highly targeted to your subscribers. Or you can use this information to find targeted affiliate products to promote.
The huge benefit of inviting people to ask questions (and actually answering them) is that you build a relationship of trust with your readers. When they trust you they are more likely to buy stuff from you.
3. You can send advertisements to your list
Once you know what your subscribers really want you can periodically send them advertisements for different products.
There are a couple different ways to do this.
First, you can send them a solo advertisement. This is where you send an e-mail that is only an advertisement. This is an effective way of getting people’s attention and making sales. Just don’t do it too often or people will leave your list.
Second, whenever you send out a link to a new blog post you can also have an advertisement included in the e-mail. You won’t get as many sales with each e-mail but you can safely include an advertisement in every e-mail you send.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I completely agree with you when you say to tell your subscribers about new blog posts. the reality is that most people won't subscribe to your RSS feed, so they'll either stumble onto your latest post or find out about it because you've sent them an email. Bloggers need to get better at growing email lists!
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Good advice. Building an e-mail list is a scary idea for people starting out but it's well worth it.
Yes that is good advice in point # 3, and something some people rarely follow. There are some gurus (who shall remain nameless), the emails they send to there list are 100% marketing/sales pitches for their own and affiliate products.
At least once in a while, but preferably much more often, sending helpful information as its own email or even combined with offering a product as you suggest would probably be more positively received by the subscribers.
These are all really good things to do to build traffic and make money. I like how you mentioned setting up a question area for bloggers. This will get things flowing and should open up more ideas that you can use for clients and subscribers. Targeting specifics can really set you apart from the competition and give you more to build off of. Now after knowing several areas of interests and concerns, you can put everything together and create more effective content for your subscribers. Thanks for sharing, this information can go a long way.