***What will an Email List Do for Me?

Your email box is inundated and yet you wonder if email marketing can work for you. Email marketing remains an effective means of staying in touch with your clients and prospects. And at the same time you have to be smart about it.
Email marketing requires some tools. First you need to use a smart auto-responder program. These are typically third party subscription programs that give you the ability to send emails to people via their service. The reason for using a third party program is that they help you to keep the doors open or your email delivered to various ISPs. If you send out blast emails from your email program like AOL, Outlook, you will often be flagged as a spammer. I recommend an auto-responder that gives you the ability to send out both “blast” emails and set up a series of emails or sequence of emails. This allows you to build relationships via your email quickly. Our newsletter is set up with about 12 emails that automatically go out to introduce new subscribers to our newsletter, deliver their free report, and quickly give them some tips and tools they can use.

The other debate is whether to use plain text email or HTML email. The HTML emails look pretty and aid in readability. The plain text email has a higher deliverability rate and open rate because some programs block HTML code in their email providers.

You can do many things with an email list. You can add a sign up box to your website so that people can stay in touch with you. This can add people that you don’t know to your list and build your circle of influence. Other ways your email list can benefit you:

1. Tell people about new programs/products/services
2. Let people know about special events
3. Share with your contacts special awards or recognitions
4. Share accomplishments of your program or of your clients
5. Share testimonials and recommendations
6. Send special coupons, or discounts
7. And most importantly share good information about your area of expertise.

People love to learn and that is what they are looking to you for. Sharing with them good information is the most valuable thing that you can do with your audience. Again, this builds your credibility and expertise and you become a person that they come to for business. You have built a relationship that pays off.