Size Doesn't Matter: Big Email Lists Are Over-Rated

 

Everyone wants a big email list when they get started. I’ve had big email lists. I’ve had small email lists. I managed an email list of over 100k names. And I’ve helped many clients build their own lists over the years.

And having a lot of experience here I can tell you that you do NOT want a big email list. 

Here’s what you want… and if you don’t want it I hope I can persuade you to want this.

What you really want is a list of people who will do ALL of the following:

1: Open your emails

2: Read your emails

3: Get value from your emails (give you feedback)

4: Take action

5: And most importantly… Become buyers

It does not matter how small that list is. It only matters that they do all of the above. ALL of the above… not just some. Especially number 5.

I have had people with humongous lists email my offer to their list where no one bought. I have also had people with very small lists mail my offer and sold thousands of dollars worth of product.

List size doesn’t matter. Conversions matter. How many people become buyers and buy regularly is what matters.

This is why my newest email offers you will see ask people not to sign up. And I am serious about it.

I tell them straight up not to join my list unless they will open my emails and be cool with getting the occasional offer. 

This is called qualifying the prospect. Same thing I would do when scheduling a meeting with a prospect.

I would rather have 1 appointment per week with a prospect very likely to become a client than 10 cold prospects who are unlikely to do so. 

So when you build your email list, don’t worry about the size. Focus on the quality of the people who will join. Don’t be afraid to qualify people out of your list.

You’ll make a lot more money with a lot less effort.

What Does Pizza And Karate Have To Do With Online Marketing?

Being my first article here, I was asked to make this about me: To introduce myself to you.

I hate talking about myself. As a long time blogger and podcaster my goal is to help my audience through my content. But this was the assignment so I'll give it my best shot...

 

Who Is This Guy?

I own a company called Nuclear Chowder Marketing, a digital marketing agency. We help businesses large and small get more business online (and offline).

Most of our clients come to us looking to improve traffic to their website. Our specialty is SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

However, we are different than most SEO companies. We’re not just concerned about traffic. Driving traffic is a piece of cake.

Our passion is in building traffic AND conversions. The conversion, when traffic turns into a customer, is the real secret to success for any business both online and offline.

Most businesses want more traffic. And that's important.

But what you do with that traffic is where the rubber meets the road (and where the real money comes).

Because of this we practice an integrated approach to online marketing which connects the dots from search to social to email to content and more.

Where It Started

In 2002 when I became part owner of a martial arts school. My role was to market the then struggling and very small business.

I immersed myself in all things sales and marketing. Coming from a technology background, I was also able to take advantage of emerging online technology… such as Google. That was a lucky stroke as online marketing was about to become a hugely important tool for any business.

Very quickly, the school went from struggling to one of the top schools in the country.

Opportunity Knocked

One day a parent of one of our students came to me and asked if I would help his business. He told me he was searching online for a pizza place and our school appeared in the search results.

He was so amazed by that and the fact he saw our school everywhere that he hired me to do the same for his business. In 2006 my digital marketing agency was born.

In 2010 I sold my share of the school back to my partner and went full time helping businesses with their online marketing. Today we are what I call a full service digital marketing agency.

We can handle about any sized online marketing need. We create simple to extremely complex websites and manage any level of online marketing for companies large and small.

What's In If For You

What brings me here as a contributor to this blog is my passion for teaching. I have always loved teaching, which is what originally brought me into martial arts school ownership.

I joined the Hartford Springfield Speaker's Network to better my speaking skills so I can share and teach more.

I want to challenge you to think beyond traffic in your business. I want to challenge you to adopt a fanatical focus on conversions.

My goal is to bring you content that will help you increase the conversions in your business. So you're not just attracting qualified prospects but turning more of them into happy customers.

Do You Have A Question About Online Marketing?

I hope you will enjoy and get value out of the content I’ll share here from my many years experience in online marketing and business. I'd love to answer any questions you have. Leave your question in the comments below and I'll answer in an upcoming article here.

About Mike Brooks

Mike Brooks is President of Nuclear Chowder Marketing, a Digital Marketing Agency. He is the author of The Nuclear Chowder Marketing Method book available in print and on Kindle. Mike is passionate about helping businesses and entrepreneurs get customers online. Website development, advanced search strategy, social media, email marketing and mobile are just a few of the ways Mike helps local business owners with their online marketing. Mike also speaks and trains people all over the world.

Top 4 Reasons Why You Don’t Need a Website (part 2 of 3)

Last month I shared with you how one can lose valuable time and money when they believe they need a website; and what they can do, along with questions to ask themselves, to help them along their decision making process.

This month I’d like to share with you four reasons why you don’t need a website.

1.   There are other ways to be visible online
Please don’t fret over not having a website. There are plenty of other ways to get your message out to the public, and for prospective clients to reach you, learn about you, and ultimately use, and pay for your services.

It can be as simple as what we are all doing here on the HSSN blog! Being a contributor in already established blogs or online communities is huge in terms of being able to reach the specific audience you want to work with, connecting with them on a human, relationship building level, and still have the opportunity to offer snippets of the wisdom (or promotions!) you have to share…and all you need is an email address, or phone number for them to reach you.

The same approach can be used with podcasting, video-casting, or with creative inter-twined social media campaigns. No website needed.

2.   You want repeat clients, and lots of them!
People buy primarily due to an emotion (to get rid of or obtain one) or because they truly feel you “get them” and they relate / connect with you. Notice I said connect with you…not connect with your website. A website does not replace you; it simply cannot; repeat clients know this. Why? Because repeat clients relate / connect with humans not websites and therefore they do not care if you have a website, or not; if they like what you are offering and a relationship is there, they will continue utilizing your services. No website needed.

3.   Hard to believe, but not everyone is online…
I know; I know this is a challenging one to take in without complete disbelief and lots of head shaking. I talk to lots and lots of people; by looking at many of them one could “expect” that they are familiar and comfortable with being online (and will easily find your website). When in reality it is the most challenging and frustrating activity one could ask them to do. Not to single out any one group of people, but I’m not talking about 80+ year olds. These people are much younger and are a big population of buyers. They would rather be introduced, by a trusted friend or family member (i.e. a referral) to a service, or are more comfortable with receiving an old-fashion printed piece via mail or to be picked-up at an event they are attending. If by chance ones target audience even partially includes this group of people, and a website is the primary marketing focus, and if the lack of online comfort-ability is not taken into consideration; the business owner could be scratching their head wondering what is not working.

This is when inter-connecting other non-website online tactics with off-line ones will assist in reaching potential clients. For example: the topic for a blog article or podcast or video you created for an online community is sure to have key points and solutions that your non-online prospective clients would want to learn about. Produce a rack card, postcard or other creative piece with the key points and solutions stated in the article and leave them with other businesses, that are not in the same industry as you, but that touch the same type of client you wish to serve. Your message will reach these non-techy people in a manner that feels safe for them and in an environment where they are open to hearing and receiving your message. Without realizing it these prospective clients will thank you (mentally) for thinking of them in this way; which is the start of the human, relationship building connection that guides the purchasing decision. No website needed.

4.   Create more human connections
Instead of having your own website to create, maintain, promote and wait for visitors to find and (hopefully) inquire and purchase…why not determine a few diversified key places / topics your ideal clients are interested in. Reach out to established businesses in those places (of course it is best if you believe in their practices and mission), create relationships with them (again with the human, relationship building!) and design an arrangement where your product or service is delivered as an added benefit for them to showcase on their website for their clients. This approach allows you to reach your target audience on many levels, from angles they never expected (such as; where they like to eat, favorite leisure activity, personal or business goals), and most likely on an already trusted website. This really can be done off-line too (like in my example in number 3 above), and you can tailor your message specifically to each website you are a guest on – which is super helpful when trying to reaching your ideal client and getting the “Yes!” you are after. The website-guest-vertising has, you, the business owner, reaching ideal clients where they already are, not waiting and hoping they find you were you are. Best of all – you guessed it – No website needed.

Each of the above points can be expanded on in a few different ways; maybe another day in another article. For now, my message is that a website is not the all of marketing, it is not even a piece of marketing a website is more like a small sliver of the marketing pie. One can and will do just fine in business without a website, as long as other approaches are being taken in its place; but also note that having a website does not mean business success either. Either way you look at it one does not mean the other is true… a website does not mean a successful business just as not having a website does not means a failing business.

A business is built on value – giving value to others. Humans give value. No website needed.

In the next article, of this three part series, I will share with you the: The Only 4 pages Your Website Needs (if you choose to have a website, that is).

Until then, happy marketing!

Chana Monahan

Greenhouse Graphics, llc. Where Ideas Grow

860-379-2974

grow@greenhousegraphicsllc.com

www.greenhousegraphicsllc.com