Are you a nameless, faceless marketer who is just trying to sell to people? Or, are you a real person with real feelings, struggles, and successes? Do you understand the members of your audience? Do you truly care about their success and what’s going on in their lives.
Of course you do. And of course you’re a real person. You have to let people know that. Email can seem cold and impersonal, which is sort of crazy because that’s not what ‘email’ started off being.
It’s almost as if there are two corners to one’s email inbox. There’s the corner that’s filled with emails from family, friends, and colleagues. This is the more personal one—the one people are more likely to open and feel connected with because the content is important. People are both intrinsically and externally motivated to open these emails.
Then, there’s the other corner to people’s email inbox… the marketing corner. People receive email sales and marketing offers from companies and people they’ve bought from and from freebie list offers they’ve signed up for. Sometimes, they aren’t even sure how they got on a certain list. Emails from these senders are the least likely to be opened. Why? That relationship isn’t there. The typical business or marketer isn’t open with the reader—they don’t care about building relationships.
Do you see the connection? You want to be part of the group that’s more likely to get their email opened. You want to build relationships so you can earn more as a list marketer.
As part of building a relationship with your audience, it’s important to be open with them. Now, even very large, smart companies often develop a personality for their business so they stand out—it’s part of their branding. I’m assuming that you are a solo marketer or the owner of a small business.
But, it actually doesn’t matter the size of your audience, it’s important to be open. It’s you and your personality that will differentiate you from others. Business owners are always trying to find a way to stand out in the crowd, and this is one of the best ways to do it.
Don’t be afraid to share bits of yourself and your life when you send emails. Whether it’s an informational email or sales email you’re sending, people want to hear from you for a reason. They’ll get caught up in your story and how you always seem to relate it to them and their needs. This is interesting and intriguing for people… and it will keep them wanting to open your emails when you send them.
They will want to hear your story and share in your ups and downs. They will want to hear what’s worked for you and what hasn’t worked for you. Don’t be shy about sharing the things you do right and wrong. Don’t pretend to be someone who does everything perfectly all the time.
Part of this is about being relatable. You’ll be so much more relatable if you’re very honest. In the past, many email marketers have developed a reputation for being dishonest. They painted a brighter picture than was true or told people things just to make a sale.
They pretended they were perfect, extremely successful, and more, when they weren’t at all. People see right through this kind of thing these days and that’s a good thing for an honest, caring marketer like yourself who cares about building relationships with the members of your list.
To be successful with email marketing and business in general, you don’t have to be anything you’re not. Be helpful, be open, be honest, and don’t hesitate to share your story.
When I talk about being open with your audience and sharing a lot of yourself, I don’t mean that you should make it all about you. But I do mean that you should become a relatable person for these people. They should become emotionally invested in you, your success, and what you think about what’s going on with topics that they’re interested in.
People just want to connect. This is especially true in the online world where it can be difficult to feel like you’re connected with anyone at all. It’s that human connection and those feelings that will make you stand apart from others.
Connect with these people on a personal level. Whenever you talk about yourself and what’s going on with you, always relate it back to them and what they want and need. They’ve joined your list because they want something. You have that something they want.
Always be thinking about what can help them. Be the one who tests and tries different things so you can report your results and help people on your list out in a way that no one else is. Be the one who isn’t afraid to say that the product everyone else is promoting isn’t that good after all.
Your honesty will get you far. The fact that you care about the people on your list because they are people you truly want to help will help you stand out. The fact that you’re open about what’s going on with you and what works for you will get you the admiration of your audience.
If you don’t know an answer, find it. Be willing to research. Be willing to get to know the members of your readership even more than you already do.
Open the lines of communication. Make it clear that your list members are welcome to email you back. Make it clear that you care about them and that you are personally invested in their success or happiness or whatever it is they’re after—whatever the reason is that they’re on your list and staying there.
Care about people and they will care about you. Give a lot and you’ll get a lot. Build relationships, be open, and succeed as an email marketer. Seriously—this advice works, so take it to heart.
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