“You need a list,” they said. “The money is in the list,” they said. “You need an autoresponder,” they said. So you purchased an autoresponder; you added an opt-in box on your website; you have a couple of subscribers; now what?

Now, you sit down and plan out what you’re going to send to your list. The money is in the list ONLY if you stay in contact with the list. If you send out random emails every few months or every few years (yikes!) chances are you’ll have several unsubscribes and maybe even a few spam reports. Simply because you weren’t consistent in your communication and your subscribers probably don’t remember who you are or how they got onto your list.

Know Your Subscribers

Your subscribers should also be your ideal clients. You may have a few who don’t fit that ideal description and maybe they subscribed because something about your opt-in offer intrigued them but basically, speak to your ideal clients.

What do they need? What are their pain points right now, this minute? How can you help them? What products or coaching packages can they use in their lives right now?

Knowing the general details of your subscribers’ lives and their needs will naturally tell you what kinds of offers to make. Of course, offer your own services and products first but also investigate affiliate programs of products that compliment what you offer.

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions

In this social media age, people are gung ho to offer opinions on absolutely everything, so don’t be afraid to ask open ended questions about what your subscribers need. This is market research and shouldn’t be construed as an invasion of privacy. You want to fill their needs and guessing isn’t a productive way to use your time.

Get Used to Planning

Consistency is key to developing loyal followers so plan your emails to correspond with your other content efforts during the month. Decide how often you will email your list then pick a specific day of the week. Mark it in your calendar so it’s official (yes, you should consider yourself a client). At the very least, tie in your weekly blog content with your email theme/offer or get adventurous and choose a monthly theme. Write it all down so nothing falls through the cracks.

Your Clients Want Your Content…Are Your Producing?

Email marketing is just one small part of content creation that every online business owner should be doing. If you’d like some more tips for creating content your clients want, join my free webinar, “5 Tiny Content Tweaks that Boast Big Benefits.”  We’ll talk about how to create content, how to repurpose content, and mistakes to avoid when creating content. Don’t miss it!