When you decide to have an opt-in list, it is not just a matter of sending your subscribers your promotional newsletters or catalogs.
There are many things to consider in avoiding many complications. While there are so many ways you can make people subscribe to your list, there are also some things you must do to avoid subscribers from wanting to get off from your list.
Simply to have a thriving email reader list, don’t spam, don’t always be hard selling and don’t send non valuable content. Lets look at these ‘no no’s’ a little deeper.
Don’t Spam
Aavoid any problems with the law and your internet service provider or ISP. There are now many laws and rules that are applied to help protect the privacy of the internet users from spamming and unwanted mails.
With the popularity of the electronic mail as a medium for marketing because of the low cost, many authors have seized the opportunity and have flooded many readers e-mail accounts with promotional mail. Bad move. You almost surely will get reported.
An author opt-in list can overcome this annoyance because people subscribe to a list because they want to receive the newsletters and promotional materials.
They have consented to being on the list by subscribing themselves, just don’t forget to put an unsubscribe feature everytime in your opt-in list so that you avoid any confusion. Sometimes an email account is provided not by the real owner and didn’t want your information.
Maintain A Clean List
It is essential that you keep your list clean and manageable. Arrange it by using the many tools and technologies available for your opt-in list.
A clean email reader list will increase your deliverability and improve your bounce rates. Opt-outs will also be low. In turn your email service provider will reward you for adopting such strategies.
Do not worry; your investment in this marketing strategy is well worth it with all the coverage you will get which will likely be converted into sales then to profit.
Keep yourself and your business out of trouble and potential run-ins with the law and the internet service providers. Keep your operation legit and clean.
Your reputation as a legitimate author and a legitimate site depends on your being a straight and true marketing strategist.
Here are three things to avoid when emailing your reader list.
Watch your bounce rate
Take notice of your unsuccessful sends. These are the e-mails that bounce. Bounced emails, also known as undeliverable messages. They are messages that, for whatever reason, were not successfully received by the intended recipient. There are a couple of reasons as to why this can occur.
There are bounces that happen or occur because the server was busy at that time but can still be delivered in another time.
There are also bounces because the inbox of the recipient is full at that time.
There are those bounce messages that are simply undeliverable ever. The reason for this is that it may be an invalid email address, a misspelled email address, or an email address that was abandoned and erased already.
Manage your list by putting markings on those that bounce. Erase an email account from your list so that you have an accurate statistics and records as to how many are actually receiving your mail. You may also want to check the spellings of your email addresses in your list.
Unsubscribe Link
Always provide an unsubscribe feature in your site and an unsubscribe link in your emails. When someone in your list files a request to be unsubscribed, always take that request seriously. If you don’t take them off your list and keep sending them your e-mails, you are now sending them spam mail.
When you are reported as a spammer, you and your business can get into a lot of trouble. You can be reported to the authorities and maybe blacklisted by many internet service providers. You will lose a lot of subscribers this way and many more in potential subscribers.
No unwanted material
Do not provide pornographic or shocking and disturbing content in your newsletters. It is hard to decipher the age of the recipient and many complaints may stem from these. Controversial issues also are to be avoided to not be branded by your subscribers. Stick to the nature of your site and business.
BONUS – Deliverabilty frequency
There’s no right or wrong answer. The frequency of when you deliver your content to your readers depends on what that list wants.avoid sending to your reader list
Sometimes it might only be once a month. Other readers like weekly updates. And there are those who love daily emails. These tend to be business minded people (authors build an author business) rather than casual fiction readers.
Conclusion
If you keep your list as a platform where good value content is delivered, you’ll not only maintain a good reader list but grow it as well.
Don’t always be sending sales material. Add value to your reader’s life.
Don’t be a spammer. Ensure that members of your list actually subscribed to be on that list. If they unsubscribe, DO IT! No ifs or buts. Don’t try to hang them in; just let them go.
Never send offensive material. List list is not about you. It’s about your readers. Give them what they want.
Adopt these simple tips and you’ll have a thriving author opt-in list.