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A: Your eMAIL LIST -- Your CONTACTS -- Your LEADS!
A vital component of the Virtual Wealth FORMULA is ... having your "own" L-I-S-T. It is by far, the most important ASSET on your (Online Business) Financial Balance Sheet.
We have all see the phrase -- “the fortune is in the L-I-S-T”. Of equal importance is this phrase ... “the fortune is in the FOLLOW-UP”.
Do we really understand WHY these phrases are important?
Busy Lives - For starters, the reality is - we all live in a fast-paced world, where most people manage 'multiple' schedules, between running their businesses / professions / careers / home lives. How many times have 'you' intended to - review an article - or to check out a training presentation - or even place an order Online ... only to have your schedule "interrupted" - by a co-worker, a spouse, a family member, friend, crisis on the home front ... or any number of other possibilities?
Timing - Your potential customers / clients / associates are exactly the same way. They may not have the time to review your full Blog message, or video, or Webinar ... right at that moment ... so an E-MAIL reminder would be perfect for them.
Some of the best reasons to 'focus' on LIST Building and on E-MAIL Marketing are these:
a). To keep your name [and offers] in front of your prospects;
b). To follow-up with prospects at any time you may choose;
c). Your eMail Marketing campaigns (via AutoResponders) are running 24/7 - so they are working for you - no matter what you may be doing - or where you may be located.
MORE Reasons ...
eMail is PERSONAL - It is a friendlier communication medium than Blogging, or even Social Media. When people see your e-mail in their Inbox -- along with their friends' e-mails -- this can act to build some trust.
eMail is an ASSET - With Twitter. YouTube, Facebook, and other channels, you have to go through a “middleman” to access your audience. But with E-MAIL, your message is delivered directly to your readers ... you don’t need anyone’s permission.
eMail is PRIVATE - When you start a conversation in someone’s Inbox, they feel like they can be themselves, and share whatever they may be struggling with ... what they want ... or questions they may have. This can start to build rapport with readers.
Nearly Every Person in the World now has an E-MAIL ADDRESS - With more than 3.9 billion e-mail accounts globally (according to a recent study by Radicati) - 3/4ths of which are consumer accounts - E-MAIL is by far, the biggest marketing channel on the planet. This number is projected to reach 4.9 billion e-mail accounts in 2017-18.
That means that E-MAIL outnumbers all the users on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and every other social media channel - combined. That makes it the world’s largest Social Network. If you haven’t tapped into the power of eMail Marketing, you are missing out on an incredible opportunity to engage with the people who may want to hear from you!
TRUTH ... E-MAIL is Not Dead! :>)
Perhaps you’ve heard ... that people don’t read eMail any more .. or that it is better to use Facebook, or Snapchat, or whatever, these days. If you have believed these claims, you’ve been duped, unfortunately, because ... E-MAIL still remains every entrepreneur's biggest single Online Business A-S-S-E-T.
Note - With the average person spending up to 50% of their time in their INBOX (says the DMA) - here are some other interesting facts about E-MAIL ...
- The 'average person' receives 11,680 E-MAILS per year (average of 32 per day)
- 42% of all E-MAIL in a person’s Inbox is considered essential, or critical
- E-MAIL is still considered by most to be the best collaboration tool for teams and individuals
- People use E-MAIL for more than just 'sending messages' ... 76% use it to exchange documents ... and 50% to archive important messages
- If you've been avoiding building your eMail LIST - because it seems like an outdated technology - it is time to face the facts ... E-MAIL ain’t going away! :>)
WHY is this so IMPORTANT?
First, because most E-MAIL subscribers will likely have joined your eMail LIST from your Website / Blog - and "verified their identity" by clicking on a link there (OPTIN).
This usually means they are extremely interested in what you have to say, and/or offer.
According to Direct Marketing Association, eMail Marketing, on average, sees a 4,300 percent return on investment (ROI) for businesses in USA alone.
This gives us further proof that eMail Marketing is simply a smart way for you to grow your Online business ... more importantly, it is your top Online Business ASSET.
Here's MORE validation ...
eMail is PURPOSEFUL - To get your e-mail, a user needs to sign up to your eMail LIST, and "confirm" their e-mail address. Someone doing this much work is obviously interested in hearing from you, and they are much more receptive to your message.
eMail is TARGETED - As mentioned earlier, the user has already shown interest in your content / products / services. Since you already know "what they like", you can then deliver them highly relevant content and offers, to get better results. This is called segmentation (this could be covered in a later Blog Post. :>)
You OWN Your eMail LIST - You do not own Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google (or even your Affiliate Marketing or Network Marketing business). This means that all your Social Media campaigns, your SEO efforts, etc, can go to complete "rubbish" - if (when) these platforms change their policies! On the other hand, you "own" your eMail LIST ... and it is "not influenced" by decisions and actions of other businesses.
eMail is One-on-One - People read e-mail in the privacy of their own Inbox. That is, the message is not on a public timeline or newsfeed. They can ask you important questions, or express concerns - directly, and in privacy - with confidence. This helps to build trust and connection ... and is precisely why every smart business in the world has their own eMail LIST.
Return - Big name brands learned this lesson a long time ago, and that is why
they are willing to spend thousands (millions) of dollars on Social Media campaigns, to get people to sign up for their eMail LISTS.
They understand perfectly that eMail Marketing is one of the best long term investments - with a much higher financial return - because people will continue to get their messages - at a very low business cost - for a long period of time.
E-MAILS have been shown to generate a much better ROI compared to other marketing channels. A survey by Demand Metric of marketers just in the United States, shows that E-MAIL MARKETING achieved a median ROI of 122% in the year 2016 -- generating a $44 ROI for every $1 spent (which was up from a $38 ROI in the year 2015).
There is a wide variety of Online tools and software programs available today, that can help both companies and individuals to simplify, and streamline, the process of sending personalized e-mails to their prospect / customer / client / patient base.
Segmentation - In fact, you can now easily "segment" these different groups, and send them "specific marketing messages" - that target their personal needs and interests.
By segmenting your eMail LIST, you can take the "personalization" of your e-mails to a whole new level. Demographic, geographic, and behavioral (e.g., past purchases) are a few of the types of data that you can use to target different segments of your e-mail list, and send more relevant and personalized e-mail content.
Automation - And with "automated" e-mails, you can not only "personalize" them - you can also "increase the number" of one-to-one marketing communications". Automation is the cornerstone of successful triggered, and nurturing, eMail Marketing campaigns.
Top companies, like HubSpot / Aweber / GetResponse provide Segmented / Automated eMail Marketing software - where you can test / optimize / improve your mailings, and at affordable rates.
How do You BUILD a Good eMAIL LIST?
Well for starters, build your email list the "right" way. Despite all the new Social Media platforms, one thing hasn’t changed ... the "permission to get into people’s Inboxes" is still one of the most powerful tools you can wield when it comes to effective marketing and communication (eMail Marketing - to grow your LIST).
There are a great many ways to "build" your eMail List, including ...
Put out a sign-up sheet ... Leverage business cards ... Host an event ... Invite people to 'join the club' ... Organize a giveaway / incentive ... Drum up e-mails with 'direct' mail ... Try some telemarketing ... Do a Webinar ... Optimize your Website / Blog for opt-ins ... Add Social Sharing buttons within your e-mails ... Consider Pop-Ups (but with caution) ... Seek customer referrals ... Optimize your e-mail Sig-line ... Partner with influencers, etc.
Here are a couple of (Bonus) sites that go into this deeper:
BONUS (#1) - Twenty Five (25) Ways to Build Your eMail LIST => Click Here
BONUS (#2) - Forty (40) MORE Ways to Build your eMail LIST => Click Here
The BIGGER Picture
This Website / Blog addresses both the "Basic Version" - and "Version (#2)" - of the Virtual Wealth FORMULA ... leading to the Virtual Wealth LIFESTYLE of complete FINANCIAL FREEDOM. In "Version (#2)" ... we include the LIST (see in this chart):
Integrated - You'll see that a BLOG ... along with an Online MARKETING SYSTEM ... and an Online HOME BUSINESS (of the right kind)... all work together - in "synergy" - to build your eMail L-I-S-T (which becomes your biggest single BUSINESS ASSET).
Understanding this - and implementing it - will truly "separate" you from the huge crowd of "me too" Online entrepreneurs out there. You will be "different" - so will your success!
Looking at all this ... [in Version (#2)] of the Virtual Wealth FORMULA:
(( Important - Please remember that, for this FORMULA to work at its "ultimate" ... you must also incorporate GOOD MANAGEMENT of PERSONAL FINANCES ... total DEBT ELIMINATION ... and the right FINANCIAL MINDSET
