In a previous article, I showed you how to write an article. If
you are planning on building an email list, then knowing how to
write articles will be an indispensable skill for you.
(You can find that article here:
http://www.smallbusinesshowto.com/newsletter_03032003.html)
The reason why is because you are going to need content for your
newsletter. There are some excellent sites out there that offer
great free content for your newsletter, but if you want your
newsletter to stand out, you will need to write some of your own
content.
Now you've probably heard it said a 1000 times by the top online
marketers: the single most important thing that you can do is
build your list.
I challenge you because there is a second part to this: build a
relationship with your customers and readers. Provide them with
content that they can use and products that they want. You'll
have loyal subscribers who will buy your products.
Ok, so how do you build a list?
First, there's two types of lists that I recommend you offer.
You can use either one or both.
You can build a newsletter and/or offer free tips or a free
course.
1. Newsletter Before you do anything else, you need to decide
what your newsletter is going to be about.
Be specific. You can't write about everything.
If you've created a target market for your business, then you'll
know what you are going to write about.
For example, my newsletter, Small Business Success is for small
business owners, but I am looking for specific small business
owners, people who have 10 or less employees or no employees at
all, but they do most of the work themselves. They may work at
home, but they may have an office.
My goal is to provide them time saving tips and tools to help
them run their businesses faster and easier. I want to help them
make the most valuable use of their time so that they can make
more money.
Once you've created your newsletter idea, write a few articles
to publish. Don't wait until you're ready to publish because
it's very difficult to publish a newsletter, especially weekly,
when you're working under a deadline.
Next, you'll want to visit some newsletter directories and study
comparable newsletters to help you write your newsletter
description. You want to do this because you will be promoting
your newsletter and you want a description that will get you
subscribers.
Here's five directories you can use to help you:
http://www.EzineSearch.com http://www.EzineWorld.com
http://www.E-Zinez.com http://Ezine-Universe.com
http://www.BestEzines.com
Once you've completed your description, begin submitting your
newsletter to these directories then submit to as many other
directories as you can. Currently, there are 40 major
directories that will drive plenty of traffic to your newsletter.
2. Autoresponders Now, I'm sure my friend Mac thinks I'm picking
on him again. After all, he sells metal polish. There's only so
much that you can say about metal polish.
For people like Mac, autoresponders provide the perfect solution.
First, he could provide a weekly tip to customers on how to get
the most out of each type of polish he offers.
Second, he could offer a weekly training tip for distributors to
help them sell more of his products.
The goal is to remind his customers and distributors of his
products.
With the right autoresponder, not only could he load messages to
be automatically sent out at regular intervals, but he could
send out product updates as they become available.
Here are some places that you can find free autoresponders to
get you started:
http://www.getresponse.com http://www.freeautobot.net
http://www.responders.net
The important thing to look for is unlimited messages, the
ability to post messages to your list, and if you are new to
HTML, form script.
Again, your autoresponder can be promoted much the same way as
your newsletter list, but don't forget to put a sign up form on
your web site.
Although this is an involved marketing technique, I believe you
will find it to be the least expensive and most profitable
technique in your marketing arsenal.
About the author:
Jinger Jarrett is the author of "10 Ways to Promote Your
Business for Free", and the free ecourse, "How to Really Start
Your Business in 30 Days." Get your free copy of her ebook by
subscribing to her newsletter. Send a blank email to
SBS@parabots.com or SBSecourse@parabots.com to get the ecourse.
