subject lines

5 Tips For Writing Better Subject Lines That Gets Your Emails Opened

Jon Olson 6 Comments

One of the most important parts of crafting a great email is having subject lines that grabs attention. Not only that, but your headline wants to not only get the readers attention, but entice them to open your email.

subject lines

Thinking about it…As much as we’d love to think our emails are so important that all our readers will stop dead in their tracks to read what we have to say, that just simply isn’t the case.

On average a person will get almost 90 emails a day.

90.

That’s a whole lot of noise for them to get through and what makes your message so important that they will give it any more than a glance?

The Subject Lines!

Your subject lines are like a Swiss army knife. It’s written to do many things, but the end goal is always…Getting your email opened.

Your subject lines can use any or all of these practices to get better open rates:

1. Create Curiosity – Don’t give away the farm when it comes to crafting your headline. Entice people to open and write something that makes them WANT to know what the answer will be. Nothing drives open rates more than curiosity.

2. Frame A Problem – This is a great technique for building rapport with your reader. If they feel like you understand their concerns, the headline can show them that you may have the perfect solution to their problem. Using headlines to frame a problem will get higher click through rates, as long as you are in tune with what your audience is experiencing.

3. Be Short & Sweet – You do not need to write War & Peace for your subject lines. Keep them short and remember to respect your readers time. If the message is clear, you will get higher open rates. Simplicity is key!

4. Use Numbers & Lists – This technique works for not only email subject lines but for blogs posts as well. Use things like “Discover 5 Tricks From Dog Training Experts That Stop Fido From Barking”, or “Are You Using These 3 Must Have Tools For New Online Businesses?” Those two short examples are combining multiple practices into one, but they all use numbers and top lists to grab attention and get opens!

5. Don’t Be Afraid Of A Little Shock & Awe – Remember, people are getting on average of about 90 emails a day. How will you stick out? By using a little bit of shock and awe, might be exactly what the doctor ordered. You don’t need to make bold claims or false statements, but this technique really works when you even add a touch of humor in the subject line. Be creative and see what works!

These are just 5 quick techniques that are proven to get better results from your email marketing. There are dozens more! Get creative and just remember…There is a lot of noise out there! As long as the body of your email provides value to your subscribers, you can have fun with your headline to get more action.

follow up

The Fortune Is In The Follow Up (So They Say…)

Jon Olson 2 Comments

The fortune is in the follow up!

You must have heard that saying around the marketing circles for years. And hey, let’s be brutally honest, there is some massive truth to it. There are some very important reasons why you need a strong follow up sequence for your autoresponder series, and let’s go over a few tips on how you can get the best results by giving the most value to your subscribers.

This is by no means the ‘be all and end all’ for setting up a powerful autoresponder series, it’s written to give you some tips on how to structure a follow up sequence by putting your subscribers needs first….

1. Introduction Message – The first message you should send to your subscribers should be a quick welcome note and briefly describe what you are offering them to remain subscribed. Are you giving them some great tips for dog training? Will you be going over some coaching tips for online business? State clearly what it is you have in store for them, and then let them get to know you a bit. What does that mean? People do business with those they know, like and trust. This is your first introduction to get them to ‘know’ you…Liking and trusting comes from time dedicated to the relationship with your subscriber.

2. Problem Solving Step – In the next email, you should provide two things. One a problem that your subscriber is facing and then offer them a solution with what you are offering. This is critical in getting them to ‘like’ you. If you can solve a problem they are having with a piece of advice, software or download, you’ve got yourself a new friend. Congratulations! Having a friend is great! A key thing to think about when developing a strong email autoresponder series is this…These are not just ‘names and numbers’ that are subscribing to your list, these are real people with real dreams, concerns, problems and goals. If you can help them, with what you are offering you are one step closer to winning their trust!

3. Focus On Benefits, Not Features – Every new ‘thing’ has great features. It tells time. Can cooks your eggs for you. It wakes you up at 7am. Those are features. Everything and everyone has great features. That is not what is going to separate you from the oodles of email your subscribers are getting. Highlight the BENEFITS and how they help your subscriber. A good way of looking at it is the old popular Steve Jobs example of when asked to describe Apple’s iPod when it was released years ago. Steve famously said “An MP3 players hold 3GB of data. While an Apple iPod gives you access to 2000 of your favorite songs.” Same technology, framed differently and highlights the BENEFITS rather than the features.

4. Provide Examples – This is really important in all sales based email series, you have to actually SHOW that what you are offering, does what it says. Whether it’s a live video demonstration or some testimonials from reputable clients and customers, this helps build the trust more than any other message in your email series. Why? Social proof is extremely important. People won’t always believe the representative or sales person of a company, but a trusted advisor, will give them a sense of confidence in your product / service. Talk to your best customers, ask them for a testimonial!

5. A.B.C. – Always be closing right? Nope, for me it stands for ‘A Better Chance‘! What do I mean by that. By your fifth message, you will have become known, liked and the TRUST is starting to be formed. People on your list are starting to see that you are not a flash in the pan just looking for their money. They start to see a real person sending them emails that truly does want to provide value. The longer you work on the relationship, you have ‘a better chance’ at making a sale. A soft ‘close‘ would be great in this message. Remind them of your BENEFITS and show them how what you offer can help them solve a big problem. Don’t ‘demand’ a sale. Provide them with an opportunity to continue the relationship with you.

6. Now’s The Time To Really Impress – After a sale is made, generally most marketers say thanks and move onto the next sale. Did you know that when you focus on retaining just 5% of your current customers over time it translates into a 30% increase in income? So what does that tell us? The fortune truly is in the follow up when you MAINTAIN and grow that relationship you have spent time developing. Support your subscribers. Offer assistance. Answer questions. Make it KNOWN that you are there for them. Do this with your 6th or 7th email and consistently throughout the series. This drives customer loyalty and translates into huge potential income for you in the long run. People don’t care about you until you show them how much you care about them…

fortune is in the follow up

I have this piece of paper taped to the bottom of my iMAC and it reminds me daily, that a sale is not made on day one. It might not even be made on days 2 or 3. But if we stay the course, and we provide big value for your subscribers, we will ‘win the game’ because most of our competition have given up. The fortune is truly in the follow up, when we create autoresponder series the right way with the focus on building lifetime relationships.

building an email list

6 Reasons Why Building An Email List Is Vital For Small Businesses

Jon Olson 5 Comments

Some people shrug off the importance of building an email list because they consider it ancient marketing technology. Or perhaps they think they can achieve more through social media and other platforms of promotion.

I get it…

I really do. It’s so old. Clunky. So 2002…

Here’s a fun little fact though, if you were to ask any marketer what their number one asset was in business, I will guarantee you that they would say…Their customer list!

Here are 6 reasons why you need to be building an email list…Today!

1.The List Is Your Business – And the business is your list. I remember years ago when I was talking to my accountant about setting up our business together, the first thing he asked me for was…My email list! They consider that one of the most important assets in business, so if an accountant thinks that way…That’s a good reason to build your list!

2. It Builds Your Brand – Everyone talks about how important it is to build a personal brand online, well guess what…Building an email list helps develop that personal brand very effectively. The more people know, like and trust you through your regular contact with them, the better your brand becomes.

3. Instant Communication With Your Most Important Customers – Sure, this could mean the importance of list segmentation, and we’ll get into that on a later date. However if you just think about how important it is to be in front of people that make decisions (aka your customers) , email marketing is a no brainer. Email allows you to communicate with your customers, instantly.

4. It’s The Top Of Your Sales Funnel – Oh yes, the popular sales and marketing funnel…Well guess what is on the top of that? Lead generation…And guess what a ‘lead’ is…It’s an email address and a name. After you capture the lead it’s your job as a marketer to provide value to that potential client so that they remain a customer…That’s the fun part, but it starts at the top!

5. It’s A Metric That Matters – If you are growing your business and things are good, guess what increases? Your subscriber count. Here’s a metric that people can’t argue and gives you a fantastic indication of the value you are putting out in the market. Is your subscriber count is going up? Great! If it’s stagnant, maybe it’s time to revisit your marketing plans…

6. And The Big Kahuna…Moolah! – Let’s be brutally honest there…The better your list, the more money you will make. Every single thing in business online comes down to this one simple fact…If you are growing your subscriber list, you WILL make more money.

It’s as simple as that, focus on building an email list and watch your income soar in 2017!

Subscribers Response Rate

Increase Your Subscribers Response Rate

Justin Ledvina Leave a comment

One of the first things people do when they get online is check their email accounts. Some do it first-thing in the morning, while others run to it whenever they need a break from work. This shows what a powerful tool email can be for reaching your customers. However, it’s one thing to get your messages into their inbox and another to get them to open them. If they’re not clicking on the links inside, your marketing strategy isn’t working.

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