Email Distribution List – Does Your Organization Have One?

by Kory Taylor on January 28, 2010

A question I often here is… “Do I need a email distribution list in my business?”

Without a doubt “YES” and if you don’t you’re leaving a load of profits behind.

Right now, the most important skill you could possibly learn in Online Marketing is how to effectively communicate with your prospects and clients. One of those ways is through email. It’s no secret that more and more people are going online for solutions and for entertainment. It doesn’t matter if they’re researching a new car purchase or hanging out with their friends on Facebook – you can get in front of them online cheaper than you can any other way.

Simply getting in front of your target market isn’t enough though…you have to get them to take some kind of action. They need to sign up for your free information or click on your banner or maybe they need to fill out a form or a survey to get access to a free eBook.

Whatever the case may be, it is critical that you collect at least an email address, if not a name and phone number.

Distribution Email List Basics

Basically there are two kinds of email lists: Prospects are people you want to do business with and Clients are customers you want to continue to do business with.

Obviously, the client list is the most precious. Your existing clients have already demonstrated that they are WILLING and ABLE to do business with you, but the prospect list is a bit more tricky though.

Sometimes, especially if you give away something for free – a prospect will sign up for the download and then will get upset when you try to sell them something later. The trick to overcoming that dilemma is with your timing and the relationship you have built with them.

Other times, you’re going to get people who hang out on your distribution list and suck up all the free information they can. That’s perfectly fine with me, if they are the sorts of people who take action and just need that last little bit of information to get their own project started. (That’s how I am. I buy my fair share of training and courses, but I’m on all kinds of people’s lists – some that I’ll never buy from but I think they’re brilliant marketers!)

The most prized category is your Repeat Buyers. Your buyers are going to read the stuff you send out, analyze it, study it, weigh it and measure it. If you pass all those tests, they’ll buy from you – either now or in the future. Those people will prove to be the future of your business because once they buy from you and you continue to give great value, they are more inclined to buy from you again. It really lies in the relationship you build with your clientele base.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, the success of your Online Marketing strategies depends largely on how qualified your distribution email list really is. If you work relentlessly to build a relationship with your list and offer real value each and every day, you’ll be well on your way to creating something that will last for years.

Once you have a quality list, there really is no shortage of offers you can promote to them. There are affiliate programs, your own products, your friends services…the list is endless. Just remember to survey your list to find out what they really want and then give it to them. You will find that if you have done a good job of building a relationship that they will be more then happy to respond to a survey which will help you market more effectively to them. It’s a WIN…WIN!

Tips

Treat your new prospects on your list like you just met them at a party…you don’t “barf” all over them and sell right away
Trickle emails to build a relationship over time so they can connect with you…then send them an offer
Survey’s will help you subdivide you list to help you market more strategically to your list
Promote only products that you feel offer HIGH VALUE. This will help in retention.
Aweber is the King of autoresponders and what I use, but I can also recommend iContact and GetResponse
Most of all… Bring VALUE to your list and they will VALUE you…and REWARD you!

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