Are You Reading Your List? by Kevin Wirth: KEVS-KORNER

"...whenever I do this, I always seem to run into SOMEthing I can respond to"

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Are You Reading Your List?

5 Tips On How To Break The Ice With Your Subscribers.

Word Count: 814

Updated 02/23/05

Have you ever met someone who reads their dictionary? What do you think about this kind of person?

Well, I'm one of those types. Don't get me wrong, I don't do it very often, but I DO frequently refer to my Huge Random House dictionary when I want to be really sure about what a word means. And almost every time I do this, I find myself captivated by the prospect of learning one more new word.

But for online marketing, there is something very similiar that I do, and I'm almost always pleased with the results.

Sometimes, I just pick one of my autoresponder lists, and start reading. Yep. It's funny, but, whenever I do this, I always seem to run into SOMEthing I can respond to.

For example, earlier this week I was reading one of my autoresponder lists and I noticed someone had signed up using a name I can’t repeat here. So I sent him off an email expressing my hope that he really didn’t think he WAS what his name said he was.

His response was this:

I use a lot of `fantasy names´ when I sign on for `free´ newsletters.
I use them for (mostly) two reasons.
1. To check if I´m `talking´ with an autoresponder or a living person.
2. To remind myself, when I get these letters that the sender doesn´t
really care about me. It may sound silly but I get close to 200 e-mails
every day and many of them can be very persuasive.

For your information: Of the 18.344
(eighteenthousendthreehundredfourtyfour) e-mails I have in
my files you are the second one to react on my choice of name.

So, yeah – I guess I am unique because I took the time to actually respond to this individual at a personal level – outside of the messages I send out with my autoresponder. Over 18,000 messages have been sent to this person, and I’m only the second individual who noticed and wrote to him about the name he used.

Tells you a lot about who is looking at and interacting with their list, doesn’t it?

Having a list doesn't mean you're limited to just sending automated messages to your subscribers. You can't begin to imagine how cool most of your subscribers would be (not to mention shocked!) to suddenly see a PERSONAL message from you in their in-box.

What can you say to them? Here are 5 ideas to get you started:

1) Establish common ground. Say something like, "I was just stopping by my list when I saw your name. I just wanted to know what got you started in (your niche here)." Ask what they like most about their niche, and what their USP and Target Audience is. That ought to get them started talking about their vision, if they have one.

2) How can I help you? Ask your subscriber what they are struggling with currently (their biggest challenge), and offer them some of your time to help them solve whatever it is they are struggling with. Yes, you run the risk of not being able to help them much, but even if you fail, just your willingness to do something speaks volumes. Chances are, you WILL be able to help them. And THAT will create a level of loyalty that you can't ever buy anywhere, at any price.

3) Here's a Free Gift. "I was wondering if you would like a free half hour of my time or a free resource of your choice from topic A, B or C". Most of them will be delighted to hear this from you, and impressed. And, you will have assisted them in solving a problem or getting better educated about something of interest to them.

4) Can I see your web site? What? You don't have a web site yet? Well, are you thinking of creating one? What's your target market? Ask questions about what your subscriber is doing, and offer to help in any way you can. You will create a bond that will not be easily broken. It may lead to many profitable joint ventures down the road. Remember, today's newbies are tomorrow gurus. You just never know if one of them happens to be on your list today.

5) We're practically neighbors. Whenever I see someone who lives in my home state, I almost always drop them a quick note just to say "hello", and invite them to contact me if they want. Ask them what their favorite part of the state is, and what it's like where they live. Use this as an opportunity to ask them any of the questions I've outlined in the previous four tips, and you just never know, but you might actually get to meet some of your subscribers face to face.

Do this, and you will almost always find yourself cultivating customer loyalty responses.

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Kevin Wirth is the owner of KEVS-KORNER ezine, a free online newsletter offering articles, tips, resources, and insight on over 150 different marketing tactics. He is bringing together a growing community where you can work with others to create and market products online. To discover how Kevin can help you grow your online business, and get a free gift just for visiting, please head on over to www.kevs-korner.com.

This article was first published on KEVS-KORNER February 23, 2005.

Kevin and 'Sailor'

Kevin Wirth is the editor of KEVS-KORNER ezine and publisher of several reports and articles on many diverse topics such as Customer Loyalty, Internet Marking Tactics, and Seafood. A 25 year veteran of Corporate America, Kevin consults with netpreneurs and small businesses to help them attract and retain customers and design, build, and market digital products. He is also an expert on Team Dynamics, Project Management, Process Management, Risk Engineering, and Information Management. For a free sampler of his articles, reports and to sign up for a free subscription to KEVS KORNER ezine, be sure to visit Kevin's home page at:

http://www.kevs-korner.com.

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Are You Reading Your List?

5 Tips On How To Break The Ice With Your Subscribers.

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