List building is big business; it is the goldmine and key to business success both online and offline. A profitable business needs a hot and buying list that grows and stays hot and buying. The care and feeding of your list is often a bit of a mysterious art. There are as many models for this as there are marketers and it an be overwhelming. Here are just three fast ways to lose your list fast. Stay tuned for future articles on growing your list.
#1 Message/Market Mismatch
This occurs when you send your market (your hard earned and well build list) a message that doesn’t match their needs, their pain, their desires, and their priorities. Case in point, I’ve been approached at least three times by a teleclass company who wants to partner with me to grow my list and at the same time tap my list with their products. They are selling a high end program to teach individuals how to be health coaches. I know my audience (my list) and this isn’t a fit for them. While there may be one or two that want this, I won’t jeopardize my priceless goldmine by blasting all of them with a message mismatch. Could I make money off it? Sure I could but the goodwill I’d lose and the reputation damage I may incur isn’t worth the risk. I treasure my peeps and strive to give them the content and value they want and need.
#2 Ignore Your List
Shockingly I hear this confession way too often from “busy” not always “productive” (and often not profitable) business owners (offline more often than online.) This seems to occur when making the transition from old school marketing techniques to new media tools and strategy. List is just another word for your database and if you aren’t touching them regularly (think every other week at a minimum), they are going cold and stale rapidly and going to ripe for the picking by your competitors. Care and feeding isn’t about pitching and selling; it is about sharing business tips, product trends, topical news, personal nuggets and the like.
#3 Spam Your List
Now, I know what you are thinking, why would anyone do this. I agree, but they do. I just climbed off one marketers list that has just become NOISE. I like him as a person, we’ve talked by phone and it surprises me he has taken this tack, but he has. In fact, he isn’t the first I’ve unsubscribed from in recent weeks. There seems to be a trend where marketers when not making impact just turn up the NOISE instead of taking a step back, surveying and finding out what their list really wants (rarely is it more pitching.)
Your list is your gold, treat them right and regularly with consistent and persistent value and goodwill and you’ll be able to mine them profitably for years to come. For more list building tips and social media secrets check out www.superchargesuccess.com. You deserve riches in your niches, find them easily and comfortably with the knowhow to build your business the right way today.
How right you are Melissa (and Jenni). Often overkill marketing is practised by so called ‘Gurus’ who rely their high list numbers to produce their sales. Of course people generally are becoming more savvy re such tactics – and they will become more so. So Gurus who continue to use such tactics in the long term will find themselves ‘being switched off’ more and more, and the productivity of their list dwindling. It raises doubt to the Guru status being claimed at all. What will they have left then? A disillusioned audience who will keep them switched off forever! Good job too!
Hey Jeanette,
And for that reason I just decided to label each email subject line with (Melissa Recommends) so they know there is an offer, and (No Pitch Zone) to indicate just value content. I do recommend but want my peeps to have a heads up before they open up and feel tricked (hate that feeling)
Hugs, Melissa
Hey Melissa,
Good article. I too am very protective of my list. Thanks
Linda,
You are very welcome, yes I bet your list gets lots of TLC :).
Hugs, Melissa
As we exhort in REALIZE..lists are real, live hungry, hurting, laughing, baby-making people with emotional baggage to match their internet needs.
Even the word ‘traffic’ is a de-basing of the fact that everyone in a ‘car’ is the same individual with the same human needs and a choice on how to fill those needs.
The NOISE is off-putting and it is curious to keep following the (highly successful) ME-drum beaters to see just how far they will go beyond insult. (Frequently the case with success-dazed super-egos who believe we’ll perish without them. Well we certainly won’t . Simon Sinek says, ‘I only want to conenct with people who believe what I believe’
hence the need for resources which help people to syndicate solidly, safely and sweetly for mutual benefit.
The One and Only..:)
Jenni,
As always we birds of a feather are flocking together! Yes, it has always felt inhuman to me to refer to my peeps and tweeps as a list or traffic. Goodness knows I wouldn’t want that moniker but sure I am that to at least a few (used to be more till I hit the unsubscribe button).
Hugs, Melissa
Melissa thank you for always sharing relevant information. Like you I have an ID background and have recently used partners to launch one of my products. Now I have clarity of how to match partners so not to jeopardize anyone’s list.
I’ve too recently opted-out of mailings because of NOISE and SPAM. Jenni and Jeanette are both correct. My motto is every hidden thing will be revealed. Egotistic marketers will eventually be exposed and people of your sorts, Melissa will remain standing strong. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Deana,
Glad to know you had a launch and with partners, YAHOO! Let me know the details and I may be able to make recommendations. I’m a dedicated connector for the success of others.
Hugs, Melissa
Great subject and you hit it right on the head Melissa! Keep the great content coming!
Thanks Renny,
Always a treat to get your comments and feedback, keep it coming.
Hugs, Melissa
Thanks Melissa. Great info and love your new branding!
Thanks so much Camille,
Not finished with it yet but feels a lot better and pulling the curtain way back, no more guesswork.
What a relief it is and doesn’t involve Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz.
Hugs, Melissa
Great points, Melissa! I have recently unsubscribed from several lists, too…getting them too often and with either repetitive or irrelevant messages!
Thanks for the tips!
Have a beautiful weekend…is it starting to change color in the mountains yet?
;-D Kathleen
Hey Kathleen,
It is starting to change and indicating a tough and long winter ahead. I can’t complain as I fell asleep on my deck this afternoon for 30 minutes with the sun shining and blue sky above, kitty in my lap. It doesn’t get any better, well only if an SO were to be sitting beside me, LOL.
Let me know if I overboard at all always. I don’t want to lose any of my treasured peeps :).
Hugs, Melissa
Great one, thanks Melissa, and I love your new branding and new photo 🙂 BP
Thanks Beba,
Always a treat to hear from you, how are things in your business? Drop me a line.
Hugs, Melissa