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I told you last week that sending newsletters has long been my online nemesis. I’m forcing myself to overcome that as we speak. Luckily however, I have been collecting subscribers since shortly after building my first website. If you are currently unsure as to why you need to build email lists for your online properties, here are my top six reasons for getting started today.
Google is Fickle. If you rely heavily on search traffic, it will not take long to find out this traffic source is fluid. One day, you are at the top of the pile. The next day, someone has taken your place. With a list of ready listeners, you can rest assured that someone is going to be showing up regardless.
Email is Great for Relationships. We likely all have a sector of shy readers. They may not feel comfortable commenting publicly, but they may feel more at ease giving you feedback privately. Email lists are two-way streets, and they are easy to respond to.
Social Media Can’t Compare. Less than 10% of your Facebook Likes are seeing your status updates. The great thing about email – if they don’t have time to read it now, it isn’t going anywhere. It will wait in the inbox until someone takes action.
Expand Your Reach. One great feature of newsletter services today is the integration with social media. Your latest newsletter may be sent through your social profiles automatically giving another set of followers the opportunity to see it. Your newsletter may also include social sharing buttons allowing your subscribers to share your news with their friends and followers.
Revenue on Demand. If you are in a pinch for some extra cash or looking for replacement clients, your email list can be a lifesaver. You can hold a quick “fire sale” or let your subscribers know your business has an opening and ask for referrals. You can also notify your list members of short-term sales from others that may be of interest.
You Own It. Facebook owns your Page. Twitter owns your profile. Your RSS feed may be under the control of another entity. If you are paying for an email newsletter service, you own your list. (Please be aware that if you are using a free newsletter service like Mailchimp, they retain control of your list. You can get started with AWeber for $1.)
Click here to download my step-by-step AWeber setup guide.
Join my newsletter subscribers! You will not only receive free updates by email and subscriber-only content, you also get instant access to my Ultimate Work at Home Business Plan.
About Angie Nelson
You know, I am so glad you posted this. It did take me a long time to decide to pay for a newsletter service, but I’m glad I took the step. For a long time I couldn’t justify the expense, but you listed all the reasons why it’s so important to have.
I think it was a good time to remind myself, Anna.
While it may take time building your list, in the end it is worth it. Patience and a lot of work will pay off.
And you have persuaded me to sign up for your newsletter. Stopping in from SITS.
Thanks!
Hi – visiting from SITS girls. I like this post and it has given me plenty of food for thought.
I don’t currently offer an email subscription service but maybe I should.
Sarah
www/acatlikecuriosity.blogspot.co.uk
Very good reasons! Thank you for sharing and giving us some food for thought!
Visiting from SITS and glad I stopped by!
Have a fantastic weekend!
I have a subscriber list and they get all my blog posts when they are published, so I would love to know what more a newsletter would provide me? Is that something that would be more helpful if I am a blog-based business or does it help a regular blog as well. I am visiting from SITS, and you certainly have me intrigued.
This is a really good question! I am just getting back into the groove of creating newsletters again. For a long time all my subscribers have been receiving is a RSS feed as well. In my latest I included an announcement that I improved my Work at Home Leads page (important fact, but necessarily worthy of an entire post), I cross-promoted two posts from other blogs I own that may have been of interest to my subscribers and I included a banner ad for a product I recommend.
Other newsletters I am subscribed to may include additional information on individual posts, articles that are not available publicly, free resources, a Sponsors section, etc. I hope you are following this blog in one way or another. I will try to put together a post next week.
I really appreciate your advice! I started blogging recently and I think this will be extremely helpful for me. However, I am not completely sure about how I should start building my list. Any advice? Thanks!
Stay tuned, Stephanie. I will be covering more aspects of email marketing in the upcoming weeks.