Demonstrators often think there’s no point in building a list because they don’t have much traffic anyway. Or they think the cost of a Email Publishing Service is a waste when they’re so new. Or they believe they can rely on bookmarks and rss feeds to bring visitors back to their blogs and DBWS. These are all faulty thinking, and will end up costing you money if you buy into them.
Every visitor to your site is a potential long-term customer, but only if you have a way to stay in touch. Since it takes more than one point of contact to make a sale, once that new visitor leaves your site, chances are she’s gone forever. YIKES! By offering a way to stay in contact with her through an email or newsletter list, you’re giving yourself the opportunity to initiate those next three to five contacts that will close the sale. Let her surf away, and that opportunity is lost. Even when your site is new and traffic is low, it’s important to start building a list, no matter how small.
Bookmarks and rss feeds are fairly common online, and some visitors to your site will use them to find you again. But even if they do bookmark your site, there’s no guarantee they’ll ever be back. If your bookmark’s looks anything like mine, you’ll understand why. They tend to be an impossibly long list of sites you intend to return to someday. The problem is, someday never comes. Don’t take a chance that your visitor will toss your site into this bottomless pit of URLs. Get her to sign up to your email list, then you can contact her. No more waiting until she finds her way back to you.
In addition, an email list doesn’t just work with online visitors to your blog or DBWS. It’s especially helpful with people you meet and workshop/class guests. I always carry a small notebook in my purse so when I run into someone who is interested in what I have to offer, I can give them my card but more importantly, I can write down her email address. When I get home, I just add her email address to the same sign-up box we talked about earlier. She receives the confirmation notice from me automatically. Follow-up is done and it took less than 5 minutes. Cool huh?
Lastly, rather than looking at the cost of an email management system as an expense, consider it an investment in the future of your business. It’s like a reliable personal assistant really. In reality, when you make regular contact with your small but growing list, your list management service will be paying for itself in a short amount of time.
There are many low-cost to no-cost Email Publishing Services out there. I’ve made a list for you that you can view here.
