Despite what you may have heard on social networking sites, email marketing is not dead. Sure, social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google +, etc.. provide a great platform to reach potential customers and prospects, but email marketing must be a part of your overall marketing strategy.

The first thing most people do in the morning is check their email, and it’s probably on their smartphone (hint: is your site mobile friendly?). Your email needs to stand out from the rest of the junk in their inbox for a chance that it might be read. how do you do this? Put the following 5 tips into action and reap the rewards.

1. Subject Line-  This is where it starts. You have to capture your readers attention right here. Think of this as a compelling headline that you would write for an article or blog post. It must make the reader want to open the email to find out exactly what’s inside. Make sure the email content is congruent with the subject line though, if it’s not you will be marked as spam and never get opened by that reader again. Really put some time and effort into the subject line as it is the gateway for getting your email read.

2. Get to the Point and Give a Call to Action- Try and be as short and to the point as possible without sacrificing valuable content, unless a longer email fits in the context of you want to get across. Also, give a specific call to action for what you want the reader to do next. If you capture their attention correctly they will follow your call to action. Remember, a call to action does not always have to be: “click here and go buy this”. It could be to provide feedback, share an idea, or put a helpful tip into action for their own benefit.

3. Provide Value- Don’t just think of what you want out of the correspondence, think about what problems your reader is facing and how you can help them. Strive for a win-win scenario in the email relationship you develop with your reader and an avalanche of benefits will be on your way. A good auto-responder sequence will look to provide value and build the know, like, and trust factor and only “sell” occasionally. Giving stuff away for free is a great way to help form this relationship, but you must be able to solve your readers problems whatever they may be.

4.  Who it’s From- By doing #3 and providing value you will begin building your personal brand. Capitalize on the know, like, and trust factor by using your own name as the sender. The only thing your reader will see when they open their inbox is the sender name and the subject line. If they know your name, like and trust what you have to say, then you will have a much easier time getting the reader to action your call to action. Also, craft your email as if you are talking directly to that person. Use their first name in the email copy and sign your first name at the bottom.

5. Auto-responder- Please make sure to use a reputable auto-responder company that has a great deliverability reputation. You want your email to end up in the inbox and not the spam folder. I use Aweber (*this is an affiliate link*) for this exact reason as do most of the online marketers out there. In addition, make sure there is a clear unsubscribe link and use the confirmed opt-in feature to make sure you are only sending emails to people who actually want them. iContact and MailChimp are other reputable auto-responder companies too.

There you have it. This is just the tip of the iceberg with email marketing, but if you can get these 5 tips down, you will be a master in the making! Sign up for my email list below and see how I structure things in my email marketing. There’s my call to action ;)

All the best,

 

 

 

 



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Building an online presence is the first step in starting your online business and it is a very important one. There are many reasons why, but the biggest reason is this: people want to join and work with individuals that they know, like, and trust. It’s simply the truth.

You are probably asking this question now… “How do I get a person to know, like, and trust me over the internet?” Well, it’s a process, but your “about me” page can get you moving in the right direction. This is how you should craft your “about me” page-

So, let’s break it down… Know, Like, and Trust-

Know- Give your reader a glimpse into your life. Where you’ve been, what you’ve done, and where you are going. Who you are, what you do, and why you do it, in a story format can be very powerful at letting your reader to get to know you and in many cases they will relate to some part of your story.

 Like- This is where your story is real important. You have to craft your experiences, your reason why you keep pushing on, and your goals for the future, into a well written story. Talk about your struggles, your failures, as well as your successes and the things you overcame. Talk about the reason why you are willing to go through the struggles. It could be your family, to live the life of your dreams, etc… whatever gets you up in the morning. Remember to be yourself though. If you try and be someone you are not, it will be evident and people will end up disliking your story.

 Trust- If you write your story in an authentic manner like we have talked about so far, trust will follow. If you are honest, transparent, and likeable in your about me page, your readers will trust you. Remember, gaining someones trust should not be taken lightly. Always lead your online business with honesty, integrity, and a willingness to serve others with these values.

Now that you have an idea of how you should write your “about me” page, there are some other things to consider as well in making the most effective “about me” page.

  • Opening Paragraph- Introduce yourself and say something like “ Welcome to my personal website” and thank them for taking the time to learn more about you. Next, start to set up the problem you were facing and include your reason “WHY” you started your online business. Starting any type of communication with the reason “WHY” is powerful and will get peoples attention.
  • Problem and Solution- Make sure to establish the problem and then give the solution you found. Examples of problems that you may have faced could be; overcoming negative thoughts, tired of the 9-5 corporate job, wanting more out of your life, not enough time with family, etc…
  • Call to Action- Offer help and tell your reader what you want them to do next. It could be an invite to work with you, to call you, connect on facebook, visit your blog, etc…
  • Pictures- How many times have you heard a picture paints a thousand words? This is absolutely true. Pictures are amazing, and can convey things words just can’t. People connect with pictures.  Place pictures of you, your family, and your pets having fun throughout your page. Convey that you are a real person living a great life!
  • Design- Don’t overdo your “about me” page with loads of graphics, flashy animations, or pop up opt-in forms. The main goal is to get the person to read your story and not get distracted. Let your story shine on the page. Headlines are also very important. You need to break up your story into bite size paragraphs to keep the readers interested

Your “about me” page can go a long way in helping you build your brand, online presence, and establishing yourself as an authority figure in your business. Once this foundation is built, like-minded people will read your story and seek you out to work with.

Some examples of effective “about me” pages:

whoiskevinschmidt.com

www.ronforney.com/

GaryVaynerchuk.com

 

If you found this article helpful, please share it with friends :)

 

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