The most common Backup Response on the Web is the e-zine, an e-mailed newsletter. Once you have some decent numbers, it takes only a day to get an e-zine up and running.
Provide good content, keep PREselling, and you’ll succeed at building longlasting visitor-to-client relationships.A newsletter prevents the familiar “out of site (ahem!), out of mind” scenario by allowing you to stay on your client’s radar with regular contact. And, more importantly...
It builds the trust that is so necessary to convert a visitor/subscriber into a paying client. Trust, trust, and more trust -- it’s critical in the service-selling industry. Your newsletter is the conduit with which you will establish your credibility, culture relationships, and convert subscribers into paying clients. For you, publishing a quality newsletter is not an option.
Why?You build your whole site with your MWR (i.e., getting a visitor to contact you to inquire about your service or hire you) constantly in mind. But you also must realize that only a small percentage of visitors will actually deliver your MWR during a first visit.
So set up your Backup Response -- a subscription to your e-zine. Building a sense of community and trust by nurturing a great relationship with customers is the goal of a newsletter. There’s just no better way to keep in touch with them on a regular basis. Every time your potential customer receives a new issue, you...
• remind her about you and your service• build trust
• develop a relationship
• build credibility
• promote your services or partner merchants' products
• build your image as an expert in the field.
What percentage of visitors can you realistically expect to turn into subscribers to your newsletter? That’s a very difficult question to answer since it depends on so many factors...
• The type of audience your site attracts -- are you appealing to Web-savvy professionals, or Internet newbies? Newbies are generally information-gatherers who want to learn as much as they can as soon as they can. The more savvy user is fairly selective in her reading choices.
• The nature of your service -- providing a very specialized service? Or a more general/common one?• Your site’s topic or focus -- is it a very targeted narrow niche? Or are there hundreds of sites with similar themes? In other words, if you are providing a source of information your visitor is unlikely to find anywhere else, she’s more apt to subscribe. On the other hand, if you’re targeting a competitive niche, you’ll have to work harder at building a subscribers list.
• Your visitor’s first impression of your Web site. A positive impression creates an open mindset, one that is willing to explore to learn more.• The quality and content of your page copy, and your site in general. If you write poorly on your site, a visitor will assume that your e-zine is junk as well.
• The persuasiveness of your subscriber campaign -- are you “selling” the benefits of signing-up clearly and frequently enough? Provide your visitor with lots of opportunities to subscribe. If she sees your subscription form only once, the impact is minimal and the chances are high that it won’t even register on her mind.
In fact, the percentage of visitors that readily convert into newsletter subscribers can vary greatly -- from less than half a percent, all the way up to 5 percent. Today on the Net, building a substantial newsletter e-mail address list takes time and perseverance.
Don’t let that discourage you -- newsletter lists are famous for snowballing quickly. Quality publications generate interest, recognition, and best of all, referrals. And a small, quality list wins hands-down over a large low-quality list where 75% of the subscribers never even look at their newsletters. Size is relative.
It’s free but… you still need to sell the idea that another piece of e-mail is a good idea. After all, your visitor is going to give up her e-mail address and the time it takes to read what you send.
This means that she has to decide, right now, while she’s on your page, if she wants to hear from you again... if continued contact with you will be worth it.. if she wants to pay the price of anonymity and time. So you will…
• stress the benefits of your particular newsletter• add a clear “call to action”
• finish with a subscription form
Make sure the benefits are clear. Add a testimonial. Link to back issues. (Some Webmasters write an issue or two no one else receives so they will have back issues. Visitors can see what they will get.)
Linking to back issues is an effortless way to “sell” your e-zine. A potential subscriber can see first-hand the kind of content your e-zines offers. No surprises or disappointment when she receives her first issue.
Back issues also show your present subscribers that you are thinking of them. For one reason or another, one might have missed a particular newsletter. Archiving makes it easy for her to access the issue.
And finally, back issues on your site can help to increase your ranking with the Search Engines (SBI! will submit them automatically). More traffic means more potential subscribers!
Stress that your e-zine is free.
Killer Covers.com
Readers like familiarity and predictability… so develop a template and stick with it. Make only minor, incremental changes every now and then, saving your last issue as the template for the next one. From top to bottom, here’s a quick list of things to address in your format...
1) Name your E-zine. You want your subscriber to smile in recollection when she sees it. Make the name short and memorable, descriptive, and relevant to your content.
2) Subject, including Issue Number and Date3) Small logo
4) First text block -- start off your e-zine with a catchy benefit-oriented slogan. For example, under your Cactus Gardening logo, you might type into your first text block...
“Prickly Issues, Creative Solutions”5) After that, experiment with a combination of text blocks, line breaks and divider lines, so that you can deliver the following “starting information”...
i) Valuable PREselling Proposition -- stress the key points of your e-zine.
ii) A promo pass-along -- add something like this...
If you like this e-zine, please do a friend and me a big favor and “pay it forward.”
If a friend DID forward this to you and if you like what you read, please subscribe by visiting...
(Then add a link to your page that promotes your opt-in newsletter.)6) Issue number and Date (you did it in the subject, now repeat it in the body)
7) Table of Contents -- show your reader what you’re covering in this issue. Provide tantalizing “read me” headlines in your TOC.
8) From this point, experiment with…
• headline blocks to start each section
• dividers
• line breaks
9) Then the content! -- since you’re writing about a passion, something you know, I assume you know the material. Master the relatively simple art of finding your own voice, one that connects you to your reader.
Provide what your subscriber wants to hear, not what you want to talk about. Make her happy... provide a benefit, ease a pain. Make her look forward to receiving the next issue!
An e-zine is a letter... a newsletter from you to your subscribers. So keep the HTML version simple and conservative. Unless your material needs photos to enhance its value (ex., “Travels through the Caribbean” wouldn’t have the same impact without photos), keep the format simple, and relatively graphic-free.
Become an e-zine publisher easily with Site Build It!’s MailOut Manager. It provides all the tools you need to get started and then to manage your e-zine production from that point onwards.
http://service-selling.sitesell.com/
As usual, all the rules of good copywriting apply. Remember that your recipient is viewing your newsletter in a very confined page! Leave lots of white space, plenty of “scannable” headlines. Do everything you can with your e-zine to allow reading to flow properly.
A regularly scheduled e-zine (based on how much time you can give to writing quality content) would...
• build the habit of dealing with you. At least every month, there you are, friendly as pie, helpful with great info... and obviously, an authority!
• develop feelings of obligation. Since she keeps getting free, quality stuff from you, when it comes time to do business, she will turn to you, not a competitor.
Of course, never forget the target... get your MWR (i.e., that first contact from a potential client). To get the MWR, first you have to give. Give great content.
10) You might want to add one more text block before the closing information (unsubscribe, etc. -- details a bit later) for your readers. This text block could include anything. For example...
Comments? Ideas? Feedback? I’d love to hear from you. Just reply to this e-zine and tell me what you think!
But do not let your Backup Response become a one-way street, where you just give, give, give. You must weave in reminders that you want your visitor’s business, or your subscribers will just fall into the habit of receiving great content... free. After a while, they just take, take, take, while you give, give, give. They don’t even thank you anymore!
So...i) Always tie the content back to your MWR. But be subtle. Whenever possible, draw your subscriber back to your Web site for full details or a complete article. Use benefit-oriented “teaser headlines” to get the CLICK!
ii) Provide excellent content, but make it clear where the “best stuff” is (in your MWR, in case you were wondering). This is a thin line to walk.A profitable e-zine not only gives, it takes. It should directly increase your chances to get your MWR.
Give, then take. As long as you “take” with class and subtlety, your subscriber won’t object. She understands that there is a trade-off, as long as it’s done in style. If she does object, she’s not a potential client.
Let me put it bluntly. If no one has hired you to do a project after the 10th issue of your e-zine, you’re doing something wrong. Ask a friend (one who’s not afraid to be brutal) to read your e-zine…
“Tell me the truth. What's wrong with my e-zine?”Because if you do it right... e-zines deliver in spades. 11) Closing information. You need to give readers a chance to unsubscribe, etc.
Make sure to save all this as a template for future e-zines (more on this below), so you don’t have to do it all over again.
You’ve already created a form for subscribers on your sales page. You may opt to include this form on other pages, or at the least include a link from other TIER 2 or TIER 3 pages to your sales page.
Some people create pop-unders to advertise their e-zines.Do include an e-zine button on your navigation bar so visitors can find the sales page easily.
Be sure to include many references to your e-zine so your visitor has many opportunities to sign up.
If you can, it’s a good idea to entice visitors to sign up for your newsletter by offering a freebie of some sort. The greater the perceived value of the freebie, the more effectively you’ll be able to solicit subscribers with it!
Some examples of popular freebies? Sure...E-books, especially those with an attractive cover, always draw attention. Special reports, insiders’ tips, and e-courses work wonderfully as well. If you’re the adventurous type, you can always buy the resale rights to a product and provide that at no charge to your visitors.
Of course, by tempting your visitor with a freebie, you’re actually working to fulfill your Back-Up Response. But don’t expect the freebie to do all the work for you. These days, most marketers “in the know” offer something to their visitors in exchange for an e-mail address. So don’t expect your goodie to leave your visitor breathless in anticipation. Really work to establish the perceived value of your freebie.
Sell your offer. Explain the benefits, fire your BIG gun, and most important of all, use riveting copy.
SBI! makes building an e-zine a snap. From a building block approach, to creating the template, to creating the subscription form, to automating the mailing list, to tracking statistics like open rates, Mail Out Manager (free with SBI!) does it all…
• Send Mail to an E-mail Address List
• Add subscribers to an E-mail Address List
• Export E-mail Address List
• Change or Unsubscribe an E-mail Address
• Get MailOut Stats
• Get History and Archives
• Rename Your E-zine(s)
SBI! sends your e-zine in HTML format (via MailBuilder, which works similarly to SiteBuilder), automatically translating it to text for those subscribers who have email software that does not read HTML. (No, you do not have to create two versions!) From top to bottom, beginning to end, it streamlines all operations so that there’s no “drag” on your time.
See the Action Guide for more details…http://action-guide.sitesell.com/
To prevent spamming and/or to prevent people from giving other people’s names and addresses without consent, use the “double opt-in” approach… your visitor must confirm her subscription.
Here’s how the SBI! double-opt-in system works...The potential subscriber receives a “Request for Confirmation” e-mail after signing up on your site. Within the body of this e-mail, the subscriber clicks on a link that will officially add her name to the Opt-In E-zine Address List. (And at the same time, SBI! notes whether to send the e-zine to the subscriber in text or HTML, depending on your subscriber’s specific e-mail software.)
Although adopting a double opt-in policy means you will grow your list slightly more slowly than a marketer using the single opt-in approach, there are several reasons why it is smart to adopt such a strategy...
1) A double opt-in policy builds a truly qualified, high value list. Do not be concerned about losing a few subscribers. The confirmation step ensures that your subscribers are interested in you and your product or service.
2) A double opt-in policy establishes your credibility with the subscriber, and emphasizes the value of your publication. It’s a great way to demonstrate that you are not simply paying lip service to a SPAM policy, but have taken concrete steps to prevent it.
3) As SPAM continues to increase in volume, so does the average surfer’s intolerance for it. A double opt-in policy lowers the risk of being reported to a SPAM policing server by an overzealous surfer.
4) SBI! also gives a visitor who does not want to be a subscriber the ability to “blacklist” an e-zine so that she won’t receive a confirmation request again. The link is found within the confirmation e-mail. (This decision is reversible at any time -- how-to instructions are included, too). This prevents the malicious from signing up someone over and over again just to cause you trouble.
The value of a qualified subscriber’s list? Priceless -- no MasterCard can buy that!
The example above explains the SBI! system. Remember that if you are a client of SBI!, the Mail Out Manager is free.There are other systems…
You can go the free route, or you can pay for list hosting (services that take care of all the technology of e-zine publishing).
As usual, I recommend that you use a paid service because nothing’s really free. Yahoo!Groups does a great, and free, job...
http://groups.yahoo.com/
But they only insert a little ad for you in every mailing. Do you know what people think when they see that?
Small fry. Your image is worth more than the few dollars per month that a quality list host will cost you. You’ll never see e-zine publishers like Ralph Wilson using anything but a top-notch service like SparkList...
http://www.sparklist.com/Or consider Topica…
http://www.topica.com/
Either way, paid or free... from the time you decide to do an e-zine, you can be taking subscriptions in less than a day. As a result, there’s no rush to publish your e-zine. Put up your subscription form during the lag period when you see the first fruit of your traffic-building efforts.
List your newsletter in major e-zine directories on the Web. You’ll find these work much the same way as the main directories (discussed in DAY 8). Drill down through the categories and sub-categories to find the best place and submit your newsletter to the most appropriate section of the directory.
Some submission tips to consider…Try some tinkering first. Do a search for your most important keywords at each directory, and note from which categories the returned results are coming. Check for keywords in the Title and the Description, as well. Remember, your subscriber is most likely to find you as a result of a keyword search. So do your best to ensure your site is listed for each particular keyword.
Keep in mind that your Description is the only impression a directory visitor will get of your e-zine, so make sure you sell it!
Bottom line on the e-zine directories?... It depends. If your e-zine is about a popular topic that is likely to generate many keyword searches and you’ve listed your site properly (with a compelling Description), there’s no reason why these directories shouldn’t bring a constant trickle of subscribers to your newsletter.
Of course, if your newsletter is about a highly specific niche topic, your major concern will be listing in directories that receive enough traffic to generate keyword searches for that topic. It’s ideal if you can find a directory dedicated to a category that includes your theme.
All in all, if you can hit the major e-zine directories in an hour or so, it’s not a bad way to spend your time. Just be sure to do your homework. Learn how to submit properly, or you’ll be wasting your time.
Here are a couple of suggestions to get you started…Ezine Articles
Or you can automate your promotion with…
Newsletter Promote
There’s a pleasant bonus when you market your newsletter. Not only will you build your e-publication, you will build more traffic to your site (if you provide a link from your subscription page to your home page). On top of that, you will also generate some all-important link popularity... which is always a good thing!
If you know that your potential ROI (Return On Investment) is high, it may be well worth your while to investigate... 1) Paid co-registration resources. You pay either a flat fee for every subscriber delivered (usually it’s pretty reasonable), or a base advertising rate (delivered by impressions). If possible, always stick to advertising that guarantees you results.
An example of a pay-per-subscriber service is...LeadFactory
2) Rent an opt-in list. Some reputable companies build and manage huge optin lists that are divided up according to interests, demographics, and so on. You can rent a list (or a portion of a list) in order to place an ad. The only caveat for advertising in this manner is that you must be very selective in choosing a company to do business with -- otherwise there’s a very real possibility that you will be guilty of spamming some or perhaps all of the recipients.
Some of the better services include...PostMasterDirect
An e-zine is not the only way to stay on your visitors’ radar screens…