Email is so common these days, that we almost forget how
powerful being in someone’s inbox can be. Email is also so common that we can
often abuse the privilege and fill other people’s inbox with junk. So, here are
a few ways to keep your coveted spot in the inbox and possibly get invited to
the wallet.
Content Strategy
Step one for any marketing vehicle, should be to have a
strategy . If there is no plan behind the content you create, then you will look
like the rest of the white noise that comes in.
Also, it is important to establish value quickly in an email
list, or you will be tossed out of the inbox faster than Bobby Knight throwing
a chair in a basketball game.
There are a few great ways to get people involved in your
newsletter, and allow you to offer a ton a value at the same time.
Most Popular Blogs List
A great way to start a relationship with a new reader is to
give away your best stuff. What has been your most popular content with other
readers? A list of your three to five most popular blogs will give people a
flavor for your writing style, cover popular subjects and reel them in for
more.
This is also a great way to find out what else people want to
hear about. By listening to the feedback from the posts, you can plan another
set of creative and engaging content to schedule.
How-Tos
Writing guides and how-to content are probably the most
frequently created pieces of content. Walking people through tasks is an easy
way to win them over and establish yourself as an expert on the subject.
There are benefits beyond the inbox of How-To content as well.
These posts are often link bait to have other websites link to you.
They also give your website a large amount of SEO friendly
content at one time. By covering several areas of your business all in one
spot, that conveys relevance to the search engines. Neil Patel at quicksprout.com
is a great example of this!
Resource List
People like to know when, where and how to do things. Giving a
large list of tools and resources is an awesome way to help people out. These
types of posts are often shared with friends via email and social media, and
often bring new email readers to your list.
Profile
Many times people join email lists by trading their email for a
valuable piece of content they wanted. Once that nugget of information has been
grabbed by your potential reader, it’s important to let them know why they
should stay.
Taking the time up front to tell people what your newsletter is
about, and how it will benefit them as a reader is extremely important these
days. A good way to do that is by sharing a small profile on a reader.
Put together a small case study around one of your loyal
readers, and point out the ways they have succeeded, and the things you plan to
share so that your entire audience can have the same experience.
There are plenty of other ways to engage readers in your blog.
What are some of the best you have seen?
