NOT that you should be speaking down to people on your list. Or treating them like toddlers.
That’s a surefire way to have people mash the “unsubscribe” link… HARD.
Here’s the thing…
To have a happy business… that’s built on a thriving email list… your list needs guidance and training.
Like any child does.
To know the boundaries. Learn good behavior. And lower the risk of temper tantrums.
Like raising a child, it starts in the early years.
And for your email list…
This is right from the opt-in page where subscribers join.
It’s there that they learn what they’re getting themselves in for.
Your welcome emails will continue to back up this scene-setting. And help create the right expectations.
Then things like the kind of emails… and how often you send them… shouldn’t be a shock to anyone.
If you start off with being up-front and transparent… you’ll be training your list well.
Tragedy is…
Some people don’t realize this. Or ignore it… to their own peril.
A classic case… that happens time and time again… is with people sending “goodwill emails.”
Wanting to be helpful. And NOT wanting to go near that “icky” sales stuff.
The problem comes when they realize they can’t keep sending these kind of emails forever if they want to put food on the table.
Plus, they may have “clicked” that the principle holds true…
That people value things in proportion to how much they pay for them.
So the moment they put just ONE product link in…
Even though it’s something that could be incredibly beneficial for those people on their list…
Their subscribers give them the virtual middle finger.
(Why could I NOT find an emoji for that? 🤔)
They do this because they feel betrayed. They aren’t being given what they were promised.
So, take care…
Like a child, your email list will copy your behavior. And any broken promises or hypocrisy will be amplified back to you.
It’s NOT to say it’s impossible to make BIG changes with your list.
Such as jumping from one area of focus to another. (Like I did… going from freelance writing… to email list-building.)
The key is simply being… TRANSPARENT.
And using good old-fashioned communication. (Wow! Shocking!)
Telling people what’s happening. When. And why.
Because you can’t expect everyone to still be clinging to the go-cart, when it takes an UNANNOUNCED U-turn.
BUT…
It’s YOUR list. You make it what you want it to be.
If you set expectations up from the start… that there’ll be promotions and this or that else… then you’re being up-front.
When you train your email list to see a call to action as a regular part of every email…
No one can say you’re trying to pull the wool over their eyes.
Or be shocked if you suggest a product to them that they might find useful.
Subscribers are always free to let their fingers walk over to the unsubscribe button whenever they want.
Ready to build your email list? Go here…
EmailForTheWin.com
Chris Milham