Permission is a tremendous Gift. It is a measure of trust.
When someone agrees to receive email from you regarding any type of interaction, they are essentially saying two things:
1. I may have an interest in working with you.
2. I trust you. You have my permission to send me your messages.
So continue to build trust by rewarding it. Send them something valuable to them. They will reward you in kind by staying subscribed.
Focus your marketing efforts on people who want to hear from you.
This is the essence of permission-based email marketing. And who better to market to? These are the people who are far more likely – by an order of magnitude – to become actively involved with your business someday. Perhaps even more then once. Possibly even an evangelist, referring others to you.
Jumpstarting Your Campaign
Should you start now, or wait?
The Catch 22 of When to Start Your Campaign
One of the most common excuses for not having already begun an email marketing campaign is, “I don’t have a big enough list yet.” But this is the catch-22. How will you build your list if you don’t have anything to send? Moreover, when somebody asks you why you need their email address, what do you say?
Start now. Then grow your list over time.
The first step is to know what your going to send, and how often. Get your campaign squared away. Then you’ll have a compelling story to tell. You’ll have a great reason for requesting someone’s email address, and you’ll be able to articulate value. (See Extolling the Virtues in this paper.)
Permission is fleeting. So be ready to publish soon.
The time gap between opt-in and delivery – especially the first delivery – is crucial. Don’t wait until you’ve amassed a substantial list before you begin sending your email campaign. The longer you wait, the more likely your subscribers are to forget what they’ve subscribed to. If this...