List Building, Email Marketing and Web 2.0
There may have been a little confusion with a couple of articles
that I’ve written in the last few weeks.
So, I figured I would try and clear a few things up.
First, the question was raised by Donna-Lee. Donna-Lee asked;
“I am a bit confused by the contradictory information…
You have to have a list… it’s a must for internet success.
But, email is for “old-timers”. I realize the importance of
incorporating web 2.0 into our marketing plans, but what
good is a list if it isn’t effective?
How do you incorporate your list with web 2.0
without ’spamming’?
Can you please give us a little more on these topics?”
Good questions. And Donna-Lee raises some good points.
You are correct when you say that you have to have a list. It’s
an absolute must.
For any business to survive, whether it’s a “bricks-n-mortar”
business or an online business, lists are essential.
Lists of:
> Potential customers (leads)
> Customers/buyers – without this list there is no business
> Partners/Vendors – this list includes JV partners, product
manufacturers/distributors or producers, etc.
But, what we’re focused on in the online world is double opt-in
lists of leads or potential customers and lists of buyers.
(For an explanation of “double opt-in” leads visit Aweber, which
is who we recommend for list management.)
Double opt-in leads help us avoid the spam issue, by the way.
Whether or not we’re using Web 2.0 tactics in our marketing or
we’re using the more “traditional” forms of advertising and
marketing of running ads in newspapers or magazines or Pay-
Per-Click advertising, we should be constantly trying to capture
the contact information of the people who respond to our ads.
If I gave off the impression that email is dead or not effective,
that was not my intention.
I just used the comment that my son had made to me, “Email
Is For Old-Timers” as the headline of the article.
Having him say that to me made me realize that the next
generation of Internet users just might be a different animal
that we’re dealing with.
Their ways of communicating and interacting on the Internet
have spread to the mainstream or the majority of the Online
population since more and more people are using these Web
2.0 modes of communication.
My point is that we should be learning about these Web 2.0
modes of communication, embracing them, figuring them
out and using them in our marketing efforts.
We should keep in mind that building a list of customers and
potential customers should be our first and foremost priority.
How do we integrate the new Web 2.0 modes of communication
with our list building efforts?
By constantly keeping the goal of list building at the forefront
of our marketing efforts.
If you put up a blog (and you should have a blog no matter
what business you’re in) you should have a way for people to
sign up to your list. (Take a look at the upper right hand corner
of this blog’s main page)
When you build Squidoo lenses you should have a sign up form
on every one of them so you can share even more information
about whatever topic you are writing about as well as share your
marketing message with them in your follow up communications.
Pretty much any webpage you put up whether it’s a sales page,
content page or just about any other page, should have a sign
up form.
Every Web 2.0 property that will allow you to put a sign up
form on your profile and content pages should have them.
Again, any of the lead capture forms that you put up will be
double opt-in to avoid the whole spam issue.
Although email can be challenging as far as getting your message
delivered, opened and read, it’s still very effective.
Especially if the prospect that signs up to your list is very interested
in the subject or content that relates to whatever it is that you are
marketing.
If they’re insanely passionate about whatever the topic of your
content is they’ll be more likely to open your message.
If they are on alot of other publisher or advertiser’s lists, it may
be a little more difficult to get their attention and to get them to
open your message.
Email marketing is an art that you really should spend some time
studying.
I’ll share some resources here soon that go into how you should be
using email in your marketing efforts.
I hope some of the confusion has been cleared up about the use of
building lists, email marketing and the use of Web 2.0 in your
marketing.
Until next time, keep the home fires burning. It’s cold out there!
(at least it is in this neck of the woods)
Talk to you soon!
Jerry
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