Category: email marketing

A Secret Hidden Benefit Of Email Marketing

Jon Olson 4 Comments

You don’t need another blog post telling you how important building your email list is.

I’m willing to bet you’ve heard every marketing expert on planet earth tell you that email marketing is one of the first things, if not the first thing, you should spend your time and energy on.

This is information that you already know!

And you are savvy enough to be reading this blog so, yeah, I am assuming you understand the importance of email marketing.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s dive into a hidden benefit that no one seems to bring up.

Here’s the situation, using your autoresponder account here at Rocket Responder you will be setting up email series. In these series, you will communicate with your subscribers. You will be highlighting the benefits of you and your company while trying to build life time relationships with these subscribers.

So far so good…

What happens during these communications can lead to sales but let’s be honest, most emails you send won’t be opened. And our job as email marketers is to become better with those open rates.

However, like mentioned, most emails won’t be opened.

So one would ask, what’s the point of even sending emails at all, if we get 80-90% of these emails to not even be opened at all.

This is why…

Did you catch that?

By embracing email marketing we become top of mind to our customers.

First the bad news…You may get some people unsubscribing from your mailing lists if you stay in front of them continuously.

Here’s the good news…They more than likely wouldn’t have taken action on your emails anyways.

You see, the more you embrace staying in front of your subscribers the more you become top of mind. In a world where we are bombarded with thousands of piece of marketing messages competing for our attention, it just makes sense to be…In front of people as often as you can, as much as you can, everywhere you can.

A side note though…You MUST lead with value. So you are not just in people’s inboxes for the sake of being in their inbox. However delivering quality content, engaging your subscribers and providing value to your lists is always a good game plan.

The added bonus…You become top of mind in their eyes!

Note: The above excerpt is from Donald Miller’s fantastic new book ‘Building A Story Brand’ as well as this little gem of a quote…As if you needed more proof that email marketing is a must 😉

email marketing

4 Different Type Of Subscribers On Your List

Jon Olson 4 Comments

You have some big problems!

And it won’t be solved by sending support emails. It will not get fixed by hiring a fancy programmer. It’s going to take some time, some patience and a whole lot of digging deep.

First the good news….

People saw what you are offering and have joined your list. Your foot is in the door…Congrats!

However you are about to be introduced to 4 extremely unique individuals… And they have ALL joined your list, I can guarantee it.

They all have big potential to be the perfect customer for you and your business, but to get your message across to them is going to take some tact. These problems are big, but it’s an even bigger opportunity.

Let’s meet our subscribers…

The Hater – This guy is a treat! He’s been burned so many times online, he doesn’t trust a soul. However, something you offered caught his eye but at the end of the day he has a bitter taste in his mouth. The scams. The schemes. The bitcoin opportunities. He just ‘hates’ everything about online business. Sure, he gave you his email address but he’s already forgotten he’s on your list. Email filters are his best friend!

The Cautious One – She’s a little nervous. Like her friend ‘The Hater’ she’s been bitten a few times from online promises, sketchy email claims and promises of instant riches. She knows there are a few bad apples in the bunch but still has hope. She sees the potential, she knows there is some real truth to a lot of what she’s read online. The blogs, the emails, the training…All point her towards POTENTIAL. Still…She’s cautious…



The Slot Machine Marketer – This guy is dangerous! He will join almost anything that comes across his desk. He spends a small fortune every month on the latest, greatest opportunity. It doesn’t bother him, the next opportunity can cost him $40 to test it out, and when he doesn’t strike it rich, he gives up and tries his luck on the next opportunity. Just like a slot machine in the casino, he’s pulling the handle every few weeks to make his fortune….

The Gem – She does exist! She’s hard to find but every single subscriber you bring into your list has a little ‘gem’ in them. She’s the one that knows the realities of online business and opportunities. She’s invested in evergreen products like analytics tools and autoresponders. She grasps the power of building a list. She takes action. And she’s ready to work hard to develop her business. The trick is…To turn the ‘hater’, the ‘cautious one’ and the ‘slot machine marketer’ into a gem.

But how?

Two words….Relationship building!

This is why we build lists. We know we’ll attract lots of different personalities and experience levels but the truth is…We are looking for the gem in the rough. And she’s out there! Sometimes you have to fight your way through the fronts and walls that some subscribers will put up, but at the end of the day, we all have ‘gem’ potential.

Develop the relationship with the haters. Send a private message to the Cautious One. Meet up with the Slot Machine Marketer….And when you do that, consistently over time through email marketing and relationship building…The gems start to shine through!

Don’t Just Fill Your Funnel, Flip It!

Jon Olson 6 Comments

Last week we covered the 5 Step Email Marketing Cycle and this week I thought it would be important to follow up and give you a visual representation of why this model is so important to your email marketing plans.

Years ago I was fed up…

I was sick and tired of looking at all those glorious representations of the perfect ‘downline‘. Network marketers and affiliate marketers will know what I’m referring to…The perfect downline!

The problem with those perfect downlines is that they never lasted.

People gave up, quit, attrition was high…You name it, people just didn’t stay the course.

It got me thinking on how we could ‘flip the funnel’ and build the perfect downline…

And what do I mean by this? Let’s take a look…

First here’s your ‘standard‘ affiliate marketing funnel;

marketing funnel

Create awareness, generate interest, hope for desire and get some action…

Pretty standard stuff.

Again, we see issues with this because after the ‘sale’ there is…Nothing.

So what would happen if we take the 5 Step Email Marketing Cycle, and stick it on top of the standard marketing funnel…And flip it 😉

Visually, it would look something like this;

flipped marketing funnel

Ahhhh now we are talking!

You see, the end goal isn’t to make a sale, that’s only half the battle. The true power in long term email marketing success is to go after and earn customer loyalty.

Looking at this visual you can see…We use the standard marketing funnel, but the cool stuff happens after the sale because we keep the process going.

We don’t just stop at the sale, we continue to give value to our customers and build the relationships through constant conversation.

And so you see what happens in the process?

We start generating and EARNING more loyal customers.

It’s the perfect ‘downline’ and the perfect way to fill a marketing funnel. Just never for a second think it stops at the ‘sale’.

And the best part about this funnel and example, you can put it into practice right now with your email marketing at RocketResponder!

5 Step Email Marketing Cycle That ‘Leads To Loyalty’

Jon Olson 1 Comment

We all know how important email marketing is for our businesses. We’ve heard in various studies online that every dollar you invest in your email marketing can translate into $44 in real income.

That’s a pretty decent ROI if you ask us…

So it stands to reason that we should be working harder on now only generating quality leads for our email marketing, but also taking them through the customer cycle that turns a cold ‘lead’ into a loyal customer.

Here’s how to do it…

email marketing cycle

In this very basic diagram, you can see what we call the email marketing cycle where our efforts continuously generate leads into our funnels. The important part of this example though, is what happens when the lead become a loyal customer…

They start being our raving fans and turns a once ‘cold lead’ into a huge loyal supporter and promoter of your business.

Leads – We should be doing everything in our power to generate quality leads through capture pages, lead magnet, Facebook ads, and the dozens upon dozens of quality traffic generating methods online. This is the life blood of your business but it doesn’t end there…

Value – The first thing we do when we welcome a new lead into our email marketing funnels is to deliver awesome content and GREAT value to the potential customer. This makes or breaks the entire cycle. If your new customer thinks they aren’t getting value from being on your list, wish them well because they are gone. You must deliver value to bring them to…

Conversation – If you recall in previous blog posts, we talk a lot about ‘pulling’ people back towards you. Remember, email marketing is a lot of pushing. You broadcast emails, you push offer, you try to get an action from your subscribers…Now is the time to PULL them back towards you. Engage with them. Get to know them. See how you can be of awesome service for them…

Sale – Amazing how far down the ‘cycle’ this is but for very good reason! We want to build relationships not just ‘make sales’ so get ready to make all the sales in the world when you….Put the relationships first. But what’s amazing is that you find the RIGHT customers through this process, the ones that lat a life time…

Loyalty – The end goal of every email marketing campaign. To turn a lead into a loyal customer. This takes time. Dedication. A desire to genuinely HELP others. But the pay off is lifetime loyalty. And that, is the greatest achievement I think any email marketer can strive for…Because….

This is a CYCLE. Which means, it repeats itself and do you see who starts to fill the top of your funnel with quality leads? That’s right, your loyal customers…This email marketing cycle that turns a lead into a loyal lifetime customer is a win on many levels but mostly because you have

– built the relationship with your subscribers.
– delivered massive value to them every step of the way
– you’ve sold the RIGHT products to the RIGHT customers
– created loyalty, the right way by earning it

Personally, we can’t think of anything better 🙂

The Indoctrination Email & Why It’s So Important

Jon Olson 4 Comments

Let’s be brutally honest, how many times do you sign up to someone’s mailing list and the first email you get looks something like this…

“Hi [name] , Its awesome to have you on my list…Now go buy this product because I really like it!”

Tongue in cheek I know, but sadly this seems to be how so many people start a relationship with their brand new subscribers.

A pitch!

And what better way to LOSE that subscriber for life.

Today we’re going to look at the first email you should be sending your mailing lists and break it down in parts. You’ll see why the ‘Indoctrination Email’ is not only the most important email you will send, it could change your email marketing for ever!

What is an Indoctrination Email?

Simply put, it’s an email designed to get your brand new subscriber familiar with who you are and what you will be offering them when they stay subscribed to your list.

So it’s important to make a great first impression!

You want your new subscriber to feel valued and welcomed to the list. You do that obviously by thanking them for joining.

Here’s a sample of you might want to put into your first email…

“Hey [name] ,

It’s awesome to have you on board and thank you so much for joining our community! Please take a few minutes to read this email, it’ll help you get familiar with our company and what you can expect to receive in your inbox over the next few days and weeks!”

Next I’ll add a bit of humor to make people know, I’m not a robot. I’m a real human being writing this email and I understand why ‘another email’ might not be exactly what they are dying to get…

“More emails? I can see you rolling your eyes already…But stick with me for a minute, I promise you that you will get some great tips and tricks form these emails and I will only send you information that will be of value to you!

Trust me! I understand the frustration with excessive emails, so I’ll keep them brief and to the point. You won’t need more than a few minutes to read them when they arrive :)”

Did you see what I did there?

I not only added slight humor, but also helped reassure them that they made the right decision to not only join the list, but stay subscribed. Also, I wanted to make sure they knew I valued them! This is critical.

Next, I want to briefly go over a few action steps I would like my new subscriber to do. This is so important for a few reasons…

First, it gets my subscribers into the habit of actually clicking links when they get my emails. I would like them to take action on everything I send, so this first one helps get them familiar with actually clicking the links I may send in the future

Second, we want to PULL people into the lines of communication and while email is a fantastic way to send messages, isn’t the best to have two way communication in.

So I’d do something like this…

“Before we get started, I truly believe that because you joined my list, you are serious about success. So I would LOVE to get in contact with you. However that can be tricky if you don’t have my emails whitelisted.

Step 1 – Be sure to white list (link to your white list instruction page) all emails from (mylist@mylistexample.com) This will guarantee that you get all communications from me and I don’t end up in the email filter abyss…

Step 2 – Like I said, I would LOVE to connect with you. Here are my personal Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts. Please do follow me on each and let me know when you do so. I’ll be sure to follow you back and add you as a friend!

Step 3 – And finally, be sure to look out for (TITLE OF MY NEXT EMAIL) that will be arriving in your inbox tomorrow. I’ve got some fantastic things that I can’t wait to share with you then…

And of course, be sure to poke around my personal blog and check out my more popular blog topics. This will give you a great start on everything we will be going over in this email series!

And then finally, I’ll send the indoctrination email with another message of gratitude and excitement for the future potential relationship my subscriber and I will share…

“Thank you once again for joining my list, I’m so grateful that you have allowed me into your inbox! I can’t wait to connect with you on social media and please remember, if you have any questions at all, I’m only a quick email away…

(insert your personal email here)

Yours in success,

Jon Olson”

Here is an example of the welcome letter Justin wrote for RocketResponder:

So putting this all together….

The purpose of this email is to get people to know you!

Find out what you offer and what they expect from being on your email list. The critical point is to PULL people back to you. Get them to take action on this first email by getting them to white list your emails and connect with you on social media.

This builds the relationship from day one!

And when you start the relationship off on the right foot, the future will be so much brighter.