Why the Long-Term Relationship with your mailing list is more important than short-term sales
What is a mailing list to you?
If you think of your mailing list as something that you can use in order to promote your products and try to get sales
then you may be missing out on the true potential of this incredible asset.
In reality,
A mailing list has much more potential than just a means of selling
and if you know how to get the most from it,
then it can be the difference between being a small website and a huge, international brand.
The reason for this is simple:
Mailing lists allow you to build a more meaningful and personal relationship with your readers than any other form of marketing.
This is a form of marketing that allows you to communicate directly with each subscriber,
Right inside their inbox.
Your messages will be rubbing shoulders with messages from friends and family
and what’s more important is that you’ll be able to actually get responses as well.
How to Think of Your Mailing List
To get the most from your mailing list,
you need to change the way you think about it and the way you approach it.
That is to say that your mailing list is something that you will use in order to open up the lines of communication with the ‘insiders’ in your group.
These are your truest fans and in that way,
they almost have some level of ownership over your site.
They’re a part of a movement
They’re there to contribute their ideas and suggestions as much as they are there to buy from you.
So, write to your mailing list as though they were your friends or your business partners.
Let them know what’s new for the brand and ask for their input.
Most importantly: when they respond, write back.
By doing this,
the recipients on your mailing list will feel as though you really care about them
and they can really trust you.
This not only makes them much more likely to buy from you in the long run
but it also turns them into ‘true fans’.
And if you’ve ever read the book 1,000 True Fans,
then you’ll know that it only takes 1,000 such followers in order to accomplish global success.
True fans are fans that will share your content,
that will spread your message
and read every message you send.
This is much more valuable than making a few direct sales!