If you’re into the making money online business, you’re probably not having any difficulties answering the above question. Of course, you would like everybody on your list to wait impatiently for your next email to go out. So how do you turn subscribers into fans?
Let’s face it. Having a list that only opens 1-2% of your emails is just as bad as having no list at all. If people don’t read what you send them, you will not make any money, and it doesn’t matter if your list consists of 20 or 20,000 people.
Not only do you want close to 100% to open and read your mail, but you would also want them to do so with pleasure and anticipation.
You see, there’s a big difference between luring people into opening your mail with a strong subject line, and to have them waiting for your next mail, and reading eagerly through every word, and – which is probably the most important issue – take action upon it.
In other words: You want fans, not subscribers.
For the last six years, I’ve built that kind of list. Every week, I send out two emails. One with an offer, and one with five tips. People read both. In fact, more than 80% opens up and reads, without counting the persons, who prefer text mail over HTML. To be honest, I’ve had many weeks with more than 100% openings. Some people read my mails several times, and others send them to their friends and family.
The secret behind this success rate is simple: I give them high quality content, and they’ve come to expect that. So when I send them an offer, they know it’s worth looking into.
I also let them see, who I really am. I tell them a short story every week about my kitten, my dogs, my children, or just a little something that has happened to me during the latest week.
This list isn’t a huge list with several thousand subscribers. A few days ago, it counted 1,274 persons, and when I asked them to fill out a survey, close to 20% did so. And I didn’t even offer them a reward.
What matters more than having a big list, is to have a responsive list. And you get that, when people are trusting you, liking you, and expecting only the best from you.
