http://www.kevindohertyonline.com/

I want to share you with a few email marketing tips based on some trends I have noticed within my own business and more generally across the information marketing industry.  As you likely know, a lot of your online success depends on how  strong your marketing funnel is.

I have noticed that one of the biggest mistakes many online entrepreneurs make is putting all of their focus on lead generation without setting up a value-based, consistent, and effective marketing funnel on the back end that their leads will go through.

If you only have one auto responder message set up for your leads, you’re undoubtedly leaving money on the table and missing out on the vast majority of the potential of your business.  Times have changed.  You can’t just sporadically blast sales offers or send out an ezine once a month.

In order to differentiate yourself, you’ll need follow up messages that build trust, convey value and leadership, and essentially sell without overtly selling.  Let’s talk about how to accomplish these important objectives.

3 Email Marketing Tips:  Engage, Share

Value, and Sell Without Selling

1.  Create follow up messages that immediately engage your subscribers ~ Engagement is really the key concept I want you to focus on in your email marketing.  It used to be that you could just share information, send your visitors to your blog posts, and occasionally make offers.While these strategies definitely still work,  they will work much better if you make the effort to reach out to your new subscriber by asking them questions and encouraging them to interact with you.  The more personally involved you are in responding to people on your email list, the more effective your sales funnel will be (this is especially true if you don’t yet have a gigantic list or celebrity status in your niche).Another great way to engage with subscribers is having one of your autoresponder messages be an invitation to your Facebook fan page.  In that email, encourage your subscriber to introduce themselves and ask questions.  The more transparent and accessible you are, the better response you will have.

2.  Follow the 90/10 rule ~ The vast majority of your email autoresponders and broadcasts should be value-based, meaning your main intention is to help the  people on your list.  The more you’re willing to give away for free, the more you’ll get back in return.  Don’t be reluctant to give away some of your best advice, insights, and tips.  This will really show your subscribers that you care about their success and they will be much more willing to buy from in the future.

Make 90% of your emails content-rich and value-based with a 10% focus on making offers and you can’t go wrong.

3.  Precede offers with content ~ Even when you DO make offers, always back them up with really useful content.  You’ll see that a lot of savvy internet marketers create a video pre-launch series for their programs these days.  In my last group coaching launch, I gave away all of the following:•a 17 minute training video•an hour teleclass•an hour webinar (this was actually $20 but I PACKED it with quality info)

While this may seem like a lot of work, it is much more effective than NOT doing it!  You’ll maintain good will with your list and they will tolerate regular follow up promotional emails, as you’ll be backing them up with really great content… so even if they don’t join your program or buy your product, they’ll still get a ton of value from your free stuff.

Frank Kern has a formula for this called CCPC, which stands for content/content/pitch/content

That’s a really great email marketing format that will maintain good will with subscribers, which is one of your most important goals when you set up your sales funnel.

What’s the Outcome of these 3 Email Marketing

Tips?

Your subscribers will:

•stay on your list longer  •buy more of your stuff•spend more money with you•trust you more•feel positive about the emails you send them•spread the word about you through facebook sharing and re-tweeting•promote your stuff as an affiliate•introduce you to centers of influence in your marketplace•consider you a lifelong friend in business based on the value you share

That’s how important your email marketing funnel is!

Bonus!  3 More Email Marketing Tips Based on the FAQ’s I Get

1.  How often should I email my list?

Probably more often than you think.   I think that once per week is an ideal number for most list owners, but there are occasions where you really do want to increase this, like when you’re building buzz for an upcoming promotion.  In that case, it’s often more effective to email your list every day as long as you are sharing good content.

2.  How many emails should I set up in my auto responder sequence?

I recommend having at least 2 months worth of auto responders set up, especially if you don’t send out many live broadcast emails to your list.  The more live email blasts you do, the fewer auto responders you need.

3.  How Can I get a better open rate on my emails?

•share better content•email more frequently (the less you email, the lower your open rate will generally be…who would have thought it??)•create more compelling and curiosity-provoking subject lines

I hope all of these email marketing tips help you take your online business to the

next level!

www.kevindohertyonline.com