Email marketing is still a powerful marketing and blog promotion tool despite the changes in the ways we communicate online. Although we’re seeing where social media is rapidly evolving the medium and effectiveness of conversations, email still has a place in reaching responsive audiences and building relationships. The trick to email marketing, and practically every other form of marketing online, is that we have to start respecting the medium, the process and the people we see as our users, readers and potential clients.

 

To market your blog successfully you’ll have to get out of the mindset of treating subscribers and readers of your blogs as mere users or statistics and start thinking of every single reader as a valued client with whom you value and are building a relationship. Email marketing is relationship building, not mass marketing like television ads. This attitude flows into all aspects of your blogging business and will reap greater rewards as you invest more in building relationships. It’s just that simple. Yet however simple the concept may be, it still requires patience and a long-term vision since no serious relationship is built overnight.

Email marketing is a powerful method for owning your niche and still many bloggers are not taking advantage. Here are some tips to get you started and make the best out of your audience.

Building the Trust Factor

Just think about how difficult it is to trust sales people and the many random encounters you may have on a daily basis. What will be required for these persons to gain your trust? What do you think your readers require of you before they can start relying on you and trusting you?

Here’s what you need to focus on:

1. Create Content with a Difference – Identify the areas in which your blogging niche is lacking and begin offering solutions. When I say solutions, I mean valuable articles and guides that present information in a format and quality they will not find elsewhere. Deliver content beautifully.

2. Use Your Real Voice – Let your real personality shine, don’t try to copy other seemingly successful bloggers but create your own signature style of writing and presenting yourself. We’re all attracted to authenticity and are quick to identify the fakers.

3. Be Proactive & Offer Assistance – Always try to provide added value where possible. Opportunities present themselves when users comment on your blog asking questions and offering opinions – engage them and their blog in return. Reach out to others in your niche on social networks and be known, check in regularly.

The goal here is to build a reputable profile and online personality. You’d be more inclined to give someone who you trust and are familiar with your email address, right?

The Necessary Email Marketing Tools

Investing in an email marketing service from a company like GetResponse is an absolute imperative as you build out your marketing. Never try to initiate an email campaign using your standard email accounts. There are so many limitations here that will make it a huge time waster.

GetResponse allows you to quickly and easily create and design email marketing campaigns, view delivery statistics and other reports, social media integration, managing mailing lists, setup auto-responders, use pre-made responsive email design templates and a plethora of other features that will help make marketing a cinch. It simply makes sense.

Integration on your WordPress Blog

Once you’ve created an account with them you can start using their free blog integration plugin which allows you to place subscription forms at practically any location on your site.

GetResponse has a lot of guides and how to articles on getting started with their service as well as how to master email marketing in general. So they’ve got you covered.

Techniques to Acquire Subscribers & Begin Converting

Now there has to be some benefit for subscribing to your mailing list. Again I’ll ask you to put yourself in your readers’ shoes and seriously think about why you would subscribe to anything on your blog. What are you looking for or expecting to receive when you sign up to a website you’ve read? Offer something of value that is believable.

Here are some ideas of what you should do:

1. Offer a Useful Guide – Find a strong topic to write a guide that is about 3 – 5,000 words strong. Make the guide unique and break it down into 2 parts. One smaller teaser portion is to be published on your blog and the rest forms part of a PDF download or secure page. To access the rest of the information via the download, the reader needs to subscribe. Bear in mind, however, that your published article should still provide some usefulness but try to leave the reader wanting more. This is your opportunity to make a great first impression.

2. Visibility is Key – Place a subscription box at the end of your articles with a strong call to action.

3. Ask users to sign-up – Nothing beats asking. You’d surprised what you can achieve. Invite readers to subscribe to your list and briefly explain the value they can expect from you.

4. Comment Sign-up – The GetResponse WordPress plugin has a feature which offers signing-up as readers leave comments on your blog. If they’ve gone that far to leave a comment then there’s a chance they will sign-up. Give that feature a try.

The Next Steps

As you become more experienced with blogging and marketing you’ll realize that it’s all about building solid relationships. Remember that everyone counts and you should never disqualify a connection because they do not seem to have much weight or influence in that niche. It’s impossible to predict anyone’s future and the value they will bring. Of course, you’re not building relationships simply to get something in return in the future but this needs to be a genuine part of your daily blogging life.

Email marketing is still lucrative, you just need to play your cards right.

Have you been doing any email marketing for your blog or business? What has been your experience and which strategies work best for you? Please let us know in the comments below.