Can a Mailing List Add $10,000 to Your Income??

If you keep that Ajax signup form in your website, will cause you problems with your PR!

 

Because it is healthy to debate things so we can learn more about it. I don't see any harm in discussing this.

Well they are not using it because it doesn't work.

Comparing million (and billion) dollar companies run by some of the smartest people in the world to idiots that buy penis enlargement drugs is not a valid argument.

That's a valid point, but at the same time I think a mailing list is a fundamental part of any site.

Yes it is common sense to pitch to everyone - I completely agree. But you are missing the point of what a mailing list can acheive...

I'll try to explain it a different way...
Take RSS - If you have a blog you will put up a link to subscribe by RSS as it allows your most passionate audience to keep up to date with your blog.

You do this even though only a few signup to become subscribers, and those that signup may never check your RSS Feed again.

The reason you do it is because that small percentage that do subscribe to your feed are HUGELY passionate about your site and you have a big influence over these people and they often influence the success of your site very heavily (many will be other bloggers and can often add to the viral impact of your site).

Having an RSS Feed is considered standard (and quite vital) to a blog's success.

But according to you it is not worth having an email signup box (in addition to RSS) because so few signup, and only a small percenatge (I find it about 25% after a few weeks) that do actually read your emails. Yet RSS subscribers do the exact same thing.

But yet an email signup actually has huge advantages over RSS because:
- You can send an automatic autoresponder series to push more sales, drive people to your best posts\reviews\sales pages and build a more solid relationship.
- Email your list with important news and announcements and know that on average approx xx% will open it and read it allowing you to increase the chances of a viral spread of that news.
- Reach people directly so you get a better response rate than you would with RSS since people have to actively choose to look at your feed with RSS, but with email it is put right in front of them.
- Post regular updates automatically (using RSS to Email technology) so they are sent the latest post everyday (or bidaily, weekly etc.). Since most readers won't understand RSS (but will understand email) delivering updates in this way is vital.

At the very, very, very least you should allow people to subscribe to your blog by RSS AND Email. Feedburner allows you to do this and you'll find a large percentage of readers will choose email over RSS.

But using a service like Aweber allows you to integrate broadcast messages and autoresponders (as well as RSS > Email) giving you a lot more power over how you communicate with your most passionate audience.

And you can also offer a mailing list signup to make sure more readers keep coming back. why not do both???

You are forgetting that people have short memories. Emailing them directly with updates, news etc. from your site will encourage them to come back when they normally wouldn't - simply because they forgot.

 

Thanks for your advice, I have about tripled my mailing list with the current daddy's birthday JV giveaway. where my list was 57 or something before JV now 165.

I am expecting I will get about 600 before the final endorsement. Well that's not bad for a newbie like me.

click on join JV link on my signature if you want more information.

thanks again RodD

 

What happens if you buy an opt-in mailing campaign? Do they work, has anyone bought from anywhere?

 

It can definitely work, although, even if people are double opt in, getting the email through to people has posed a problem due to increasingly aggressive spam filters.

 

Ok, I'm game for a discussion.

You're right. I agree. I stand corrected.

But with so few signing up for it, and of those most will not read past the second e-mail, many Webmasters just don't want to fool with it.

And, yeah, you're right, if it is automated, no work is put into it, so why not do both?

The only exception would be if it is somewhat of a squeeze page, where not that much info is given. Just about all of that site's visitors will back on out, and a newsletter will not make back all that money that is lost.

Give PLENTY of info, free tips, the ordering form, a "send to a friend" form, AND a newsletter form.

But, anyway, Webmasters should know that this is not the cat's meow, regardless.

But like you said, it doesn't hurt to put it in anyway. A few sales here and there could add up for some of them.

For me, however, I don't fool with it. I already have free tips on my site, and if that, along with the extras in it doesn't convince them to buy, they ain't going to, regardless. So why should I give them even more free info?

In my line of work, e-books on dating, sexual health and marketing /advertising, there are a lot of dumbasses who are lazy, they won't work to get what they want, and they want things on a silver platter. I don't want to give them more info. I'd like to tell them to get off their ass and make it happen!

I know I can make a sale or two with a newsletter, but since practically all still won't buy, while at the same time I am giving away even more stuff to the lazy Gomers, I choose to not do it anymore.

That's just one example on why a Webmaster doesn't do newsletters.

I instead tell them with well-worded messages on my pages to put my site in their "Favorites," and "Bookmarks" if they are using Firefox.

Later on I am putting in a little tutorial on how to do it for the ones who are new on the Internet. They hover over a link, and a pop-up window comes in. The window goes away when the mouse is removed. This eliminates clutter on a page.

That's my replacement for newsletters.

I stand corrected on most of what you have said, though. Sorry, but I was thinking too much about squeeze pages and other shit, and I wasn't thinking clearly.

 

Email follow up marketing is the key to residual income, customer loyalty, and increased sales conversions. Whether you choose to believe it, direct response marketing is the center stone of all successful internet and off-line companies.