When you launched your business web site – you hoped for the best. You hoped that people would visit your web site – watch the clouds part and listen to the angels sing – and instantly KNOW that they had found what they’ve found the object of their desire.
However, as the months passed – you probably began wondering why more people weren’t contacting you.
Sometimes – people aren’t contacting you because they aren’t finding your website.
However, if you take a look at your log files and see that people ARE finding your web site – then the problem may be that you need to earn their TRUST before they take the leap and do business with you.
In order for people to trust you – they first have to get to know you. There are two GREAT ways to allow people to “get to know you” online…. an email newsletter and a blog.
I’ll be covering email newsletters here. Email newsletters can take two forms: autoresponders and newsletters.
An autoresponder is just what it’s name says it is – it’s an automatic response. When an email comes in – it “triggers” the autoresponder to begin sending either a single message – or a series of messages.
A newsletter, on the other hand is an email that you send to a LIST of people who have signed up and ASKED for this kind of communication.
Remember when I said that the purpose is to build TRUST with you. Well, the worst thing in the WORLD you can do is to try to build an email newsletter without using a double opt in email subscription process. While I can install such software on your server for you – over the long run – it’s usually more cost efficient to just sign up for a service like Marketer’s Choice.
You won’t build trust by sending emails from your desktop using Outlook Express to a bunch of contacts you’ve collected!
While you can set up an autoresponder on almost any email account – Marketer’s Choice offers the ability to set up the autoresponder to deliver a SERIES of messages delivered at scheduled intervals.
For example, if you offer a free ebook as your “legal bribe” to get people to sign up for your newsletter – you can set up an autoresponder of six follow up emails which are delievered once a week for the first six weeks after someone signs up for your newsletter.
What this does is to help “pre-qualify” your web visitors. If 100 people come to your web site and 10 sign up for your newsletter to get a copy of your ebook – then you know your web site message is on track and you’ve got a steady stream of prospective customers.
By setting up your email newsletter in this manner – it can truly become a “set it and forget it” business building tool.
The other option for email newsletters is to – again – offer a legal bribe to entice people to sign up for your newsletter, and then every two weeks – or every month – you send your list an informative newsletter. Your readers get to know you – and eventually some will trust you enough to do business with you.
Email newsletters are one of the most powerful business building tools on the web. If you need a virtual web assistant to help you set up or maintain your email newsletter – contact me.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
In my own Leadership Blog I do have a newsletter. All my subscribers receive an email notification everytime I make an update or upload a new post. It’s good to know I can contact you to help me with my Newsletter.
Good Work,
Ken Valenzuela
That’s the way to make it happen online! It’s surprising how many business owner’s aren’t getting the MOST from their blog because they don’t have a newsletter to supplement the blog.
Great job Ken.