How to Give Your Email Subscribers Value

We’ve talked in the last couple of days about why you need email subscribers and how to get them. Now let’s talk about how to give them value – and notice I’ve said give them value, rather than get the most from them. By giving them value, they will stay subscribed and in turn, they will become your best customers, assuming you are hoping to monetize your blog.

Which provider?

There are several providers of email services out there. I’ve tried managing the list myself, which is free. And I’ve tried managing it through Constant Contact, who provide a free trial. I now use Aweber, and if you talk to most serious bloggers, you will find they do the same. They are simply the best set up for what we want to achieve. They will cost you $19 a month for up to 500 subscribers, but believe me, they are worth every penny. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you’ll start off with a free provider and then transfer to Aweber either – you will lose a lot of subscribers in the switch over. I did, John Chow did, and many others have. You’re better off biting the bullet now and taking on the Aweber service, even if you’re just starting out with your blog.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

(Disclosure, the links to Aweber above are affiliate links and I will earn a commission if you sign up with them. I don’t recommend them because of that, I do so because they’re the best. You won’t pay any more for the service if you do use my links, but if you prefer me not to earn a commission, then use this link to Aweber, which is simply their URL)

How should you use your email list?

1/ Note that all good email list providers require a double opt in. So subscribers will have to confirm via an email that they would like to join the list.

2/ The first thing you’ll want to do is set up at least one Auto responder. Your first one will be an email from you thanking them for subscribing, and it’s to this that you can attach any free gift you have offered. You can set up as many auto responders as you like, so you could have a series which goes out to new subscribers at intervals. All of these emails will appear to come from your email account, and people can reply to them in the normal way. You can personalize them to use people’s names and add interesting templates. My subscribers get a simple thank you, with the free Ebook I offer. If you haven’t seen it, why not subscribe now?

3/ Once you have your auto responder in place, you’ll need to put a form on your website through which people can subscribe. You can have a simple in line form (like mine) or a pop up form, or even a hover over form. The latter can work better, but some people find them intrusive.

3/ Next I would recommend setting up a blog broadcast. A BB takes your RSS feed and turns it into an email. You can set it to go automatically, using time periods or number of posts. Mine goes out every time I reach 12 new posts.

4/ You can create a broadcast email any time you want. I use them regularly:

• I send an update on what’s happening in my life every ten days or so
• I keep people posted on any interesting offers I hear about
• I put out additional detail and information on posts I write, just for my subscribers
• I tell people about my own products that I want to offer to the market

A blog broadcast is a one off email – send them as often as you like. Aweber’s reporting system will tell you how many people have opened them and which links they have clicked. Just avoid the pitfall of blasting them out too often, and of trying to sell things to people all the time – both may result in unsubscribes. Remember every email (quite rightly), that you send, contains an easy link to unsubscribe from the list.

5/ You can have multiple lists. You can create as many lists as you want with Aweber, which allows you to segment your readers. In my case, most of my readers are fellow bloggers, so they fall into that category, but some have simply bought my book Living in Lanzarote, so those people are on a different list and they just receive information relevant to their interest. You can combine lists when doing a blog broadcast, so some will go to all and others won’t.

6/ Integration is important. Aweber integrates with Paypal and shopping cart software. This means you can automate so many things, which makes your life as a blogger so much easier. For example, when people order my book and make their payment, Aweber can then send them the book, with a thank you note from me, or if they order the paperback, they get an acknowledgement from me that the order will be en route to them.

7/ Deliverability is vital. In this age of spam, actually getting your emails through is the most important aspect. Using any provider other than a top flight one could affect the deliverability of your emails, which will cost you subscribers and potentially, income.

That brings this series to an end. I’d be interested in hearing your views, ideas and perhaps interesting ways you use email – please let me know in comments.

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