Over the last six months I’ve subscribed to a ton of blog email lists and newsletters with good results. Say What? A ton of email lists? In this world of information overload why would anyone want their email saturated with more content? Well there is a lot to learn with all this information.
First you want to have a dedicated address to receive all these emails. Starting today do not use your high volume gmail account to sign up on these lists, they will just get lost in the weeds. Don’t use your business address either, that should be focused to your work related communication. Create an address like [email protected] and use this exclusively for all signups. It’s important to segregate this from the rest.
E-Books
Many bloggers will offer an E-Book as an additional incentive for users to join their list. Give the reader some value in a book in exchange for their e-mail address. Many go the route of, “Drive Massive Traffic to Your Blog” followed by “Subscribe Here” (queue the four red arrows pointing at the signup box).
There are definitely some weak E-Book offerings in the space, but you’ll predominately find most E-Books provide some value. I’ve found in many cases the E-Book trumps the content in the posts of that blog. Most bloggers are going to put forth their best effort in that E-Book for many reasons. It’s an introduction to the reader, and an opportunity to make a strong impression. If the E-book doesn’t deliver, the blogger risks losing that subscriber.
Two of the best free E-books that I’ve read were from Glen Allsopp and Sarah Arrow. Both were very well done with many key takeaways.
Content Delivery
Over time you can really build a funnel of quality content. You’re curating content right from one email address. You’ll inevitably get some that are trying to sell you on every email, but you can simply unsubscribe to weed them out.
How much time do you spend each day hunting for content to share with your followers? You’ll be tweeting away from your mailbox. If it’s coming to you each day with a bow on it you’re going save time and improve efficiency.
Newsletters are also sent out when you opt-in to a list. In most cases, newsletters will provide nuggets that are easy to digest. You don’t want to stop learning. Most verticals are not static. We know Social Media, for example, changes hourly. Keep the content coming to your doorstep.
Idea Generator
If you own a blog, chances are you are building a list with an opt-in box. You can see others opt-in box and methods to gain subscribers. You can’t see what others are doing inside unless you subscribe.
We can learn from what others are doing with their EMail Marketing strategies.
Are they sending a welcome letter? Can I tweak mine accordingly?
Are they sending using plain text or are they displaying a template?
How frequently are they sending emails?
Are they delivering offers? What type of offers? How often?
The more you’re exposed to the more ideas you’re going to generate. So the next time you’re at the signup box and can’t seem to hit subscribe button, think about all of that great content you’re leaving on the table. Keep learning and improving. Be a sponge.
@sbhsbh
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Great tips, Steven.
I especially like the dedicated email address one.
I've been organizing on the receiving end when it would make better sense to send subscriptions to a list specific inbox.
Thanks and have a great weekend.
Thanks Ray…I think most create headaches for themselves by receiving this content in their main e-mail account…the separation works wonders…
I agree with @rayhiltz, the dedicated email address is a smart idea. I know people who use a specific email address when they sign up for trials, etc. (especially if they are checking out a competitor), but I hadn't thought of doing that for subscriptions. Hmm. Thank you for the idea (and potential work, LOL!).
Thanks for the comment Shonali. When you know what your getting by dedicating a place it's less irritating. Put them in one box and it will be better experience.
Hi Steven
I also like the idea of creating a different email address to have all the emails from list we are subscribed to, it is a good way of keeping track and not missing any.
I think the reason I do not sign up to many lists is that I do not want a load of spammy emails but you have made me stop and think about this, I could be getting many new ideas for my email marketing strategies.
Thanks for sharing
Pauline
Hi Pauline,
When e-mails are coming too frequently and you're not seeing the value, time to unsubscribe. Same goes if someone is pushing products/services too often.
You're basically curating for yourself, and it's relatively painless.
Regards,
Steve
Thanks for the mention Steve. Me, in the same breath as Glenn Allsop, I nearly fainted ;)
I used to have my emails organised to feed into a special newsletter feed, but a few comp[uter changes meant I lost the settings, a dedicated email would have solved this for me :)
Haha…You're E-Book is one of the best I've seen Sarah. Top of the line. The dedicated e-mail works. :)
"First you want to have a dedicated address to receive all these emails. "
What a simple and ingenious way to solve my biggest draw-back :-)
Thanks!
Simple right. :) My pleasure.
Good points Steven, I subscribe to a ton of newsletters and feeds. I get a lot of great ideas from other bloggers and marketers. Just paying attention to their system and style can be an education in it's self. What kind of subject lines are they using? Do the start with a question? What type of call to action do they use? What time of day do they send and at what frequency? Do they go with personalized emails or generic? I also pay attention to what looks cheesy or lame so to aviod that kind of thing. I could go on and on and that's before we even get into content and motivation. Oh, plus I love to read. lol
Hi Brian. It's an education. So many ideas to be had, and yes you take the good with the bad. There's a lot out there to see…
I advocate the same believe it or not. I have learned a lot this way. Not just about good writing, but bad writing. Still haven't quite nailed it myself. Though I like to see what other people send me and how they handle their list.
Thanks for the comment Susan. Yes, there is a lot of "variety" out there for sure. We definitely learn from the good and bad.