31 Ways to Monetize Your List - Part 2

17. Here’s something very valuable you can cultivate in your subscribers: create top of mind awareness.

This means that when they think of a particular problem or topic , they think of you FIRST. That’s a powerful way to increase sales, because people think of your business even if your ads or emails aren’t right in front of them.

Here’s how to cultivate that top of mind awareness:

· Send emails regularly – at least weekly if not more. Don’t let yourself be out of sight, out of mind!

· Create a memorable tagline or slogan to include in every email. This works particularly well if it’s centered on a solution or unique selling position.

For example, “The Copywriter’s Copywriter… For When You Need to Make a GREAT Impression.”

· Build brand awareness. Be sure to create an HTML template with your logo and colors built right in, so your subscribers see it every time you send an email.

18. Here’s how to get more exposure, more traffic, and establish yourself as an expert: swap content with other newsletter publishers.

Everyone gets free content, and everyone gets free exposure too. Here’s what to look for in a potential content-swapping partner:

· Look for someone whose list is right around the same size as yours. They’ll be more likely to agree to the swap if the exposure you can offer to them is about equal to what they can offer you.

· Choose reputable partners. If you’re not familiar with someone, research their name in Google to be sure they have a good rep in the niche.

· Look for partners with multiple platforms. Those who post their newsletters on social media or blogs will help you get extra exposure.

19. Your subscribers are a good source of traffic. But the question is, how do you get them to forward or share your emails?

Here’s how:

· Make your email share worthy. This means including something unique, something inspirational, something extraordinarily useful.

· Tell people to share it. In other words, offer a strong call to action to boost response. E.G., “Share this set of tips with your friends – they’ll thank you for it!”

· Give people an easy way to share it. For example, you might include social media buttons within your email for easy sharing.

20. Tip: Consider sending important emails with multiple formats to boost response.

You see, people prefer to get information in different ways. So if you offer different formats, you give people the opportunity to choose their preferred way to receive information. And that means they’re more likely to consume the content.

For example: you can give people the option to read a text email, or they can watch a short video.

21. Be original.

If your newsletter is just the same as everyone else’s newsletter in your niche, then your subscribers have no particular reason to stay on your list. And if you’re not varying the content you send, they’ll get bored. That’s another quick trip to the unsubscribe button.

Here’s how to keep readers engaged:

· Don’t use cookie-cutter emails, or the same format every time. This makes you seem more like a robot rather than a person, which decreases trust.

· Do offer new twists on old strategies. This shows your readers you can give them something fresh, which will keep them coming back for more.

· Do use a light, conversation tone. This keeps readers engaged and reading right to the end, where they’ll see your call to action.

22. Remember this: you don’t have to think up everything yourself. Instead, you can seek out inspiration from other sources. This makes content creation quicker and easier.

For example:

· Check which videos are popular on YouTube in you niche, and then provide similar content.

· See what people are talking about on social media.

· Browse popular blogs in your niche to uncover hot topics.

· Find out what’s selling on sites like Clickbank.com or Amazon.com – these are hot topics.

· Use a keyword tool like MarketSamurai.com to discover what your users are searching for in the search engine. Then write content around these topics.

23. TIP: Create a singular goal for each email, and then write your email around that goal.

Here are examples of goals. You might want your readers to:

· Watch a video.

· Click on a link to purchase a product.

· Fill out a form to get more information.

· Register for a webinar.

· Tell their friends about your business.

· Enter a contest.

· Read a post on your blog.

· Join your social media network.

· Take advantage of a freemium offer.

And so on.

First pick a goal, then make sure every word of your email is built around getting your subscribers to take that specific action.

24. Want to keep your readers excited about your newsletter? Then offer them some variety. Create an element of surprise, and they’ll open your emails just to see what you’re going to offer them next.

Here’s a list of the type of content you might send to your readers over the course of several emails:

· One short yet very useful tip, just 100 words or so.

· A long article with an in-depth explanation of how to get some result.

· A link to a video.

· A list of curated content (e.g., “Top 10 Blog Posts You Missed This Week…”)

· A product review.

· A link to a freemium offer.

· An infographic.

· An unexpected flash sale with a steep discount.

Those are just a few examples. Key point is to remember that variety is the spice of life (and it’s a key to a profitable mailing list).

25. Tip: Use the power of curiosity to boost response within your emails.

Curiosity is a powerful psychological motivator. If you can make people curious about what is inside your email, they’ll open. If you can make them curious about what’s behind a link, they’ll click on it. And if you can make them curious about a product, they’ll buy it.

For example, check out these phrases you might use in an email to arouse curiosity and boost response:

· Click here to discover the secret to whitening your teeth using ingredients you already have on hand at home!

· Find out the weird trick Hollywood celebrities use when they need to drop 10 pounds fast…

· Are you making these costly mistakes? Click here to find out…

26. You’ve got a cold list. You had good intentions, but you just didn’t nurture it enough. Now you want to put the electric paddles on the heart of your list and give it a jump start – how do you do that?

Like this: Be honest and let them know you screwed up by not emailing them lately, but you want to make it right. Then give them an absolutely irresistible freemium offer. This freemium should be highly valued and highly in-demand in your niche.

TIP: If you haven’t emailed in quite some time, be sure not to send promos out in your first several emails. If people don’t recognize your name, they might mark your message as spam.

27. Your list is full of busy people. They’re checking your emails in a checkout line at the grocery store. They don’t always have time to read 1000 words. But they might still be interested in your content or offer.

The solution? Post an “Are you in a hurry?” message at the top of your email to boost response.

For example: “Are you in a hurry? Click here to get the highlights in less than 200 words.” Then behind that link you can offer the top five points in a bulleted list. This might be five reasons to buy a product, or five tips for achieving some goal.

Those who want to read your full email and get all details can do so, while those who only want the highlights can get ‘em. It’s a great way to better serve your readers and boost your conversions at the same time.

28. Try the “get your foot in the door” technique to boost responses.

Researchers have found that if you ask for a small favor first and then later ask for a larger favor, people are more likely to comply with your request. That’s because they want to appear consistent.

For example: ask readers to download a freemium, and then later ask them to purchase the premium version.

29. TIP: Format your content for those who skim your emails.

As much as we’d like to think that every single subscriber is going to read every word of our emails, it just doesn’t happen. A lot of people skim the content. That’s why you need to format in a way that gives the skimmer the highlights and benefits of your message. This includes:

· Using subheadlines to highlight important content.

· Offer benefits or other content in a bulleted list.

· Inserting graphics with enticing captions to draw the skimmer’s eyes back into the content.

· Using a “P.S.” that showcases a major benefit or other point.

30. Increase engagement and response by developing your own voice. In other words, don’t write dry, robotic content. Use these tips and instead:

· Tell personal stories to increase engagement and to give readers a glimpse inside your life

· Inject some humor into your content. Since humor is subjective, use this tactic sparingly.

· Write like you’re writing to a friend. This creates a conversational tone and that unique “voice” that attracts and engages readers.

TIP: If you outsource, outsource your emails to one person so you can maintain the same voice.

31. Here’s how to improve your conversion rates for every email you send: learn the art of good copywriting.

No matter what kind of content you send to your readers, you can boost your open rates, read rates and response rates if you employ good sales copy techniques. This includes:

· Writing benefit-driven headlines.

· Telling stories that engage your readers on an emotional level.

· Overcoming common objections using proof, justifications and more.

You might want to pick up books by the copywriting masters, such as Victor Schwab, David Ogilvy and Joseph Sugarman.