If you’ve started a blog, then let’s take it to another level.
If you haven’t started a blog, then here’s a step by step tutorial on how to start a blog on WordPress.
Just blogging alone is not enough, you have to learn how to capture the readers attention and learn how to convert your readers into email subscribers by offering them incentives to signup to your email list.
Your next step would be to start building a relationship with them via email marketing.
So in this blog post, we’ll talk about how to build a relationship with your readers via email marketing and discuss other frequently asked questions too.
Table of Contents
Why It's Important To Build A Relationship With Your Readers.
Let me tell you one thing, blogging alone doesn’t make up for a business.
Blogging is a communication medium or a marketing medium created to help you get more people into your world (a.k.a your blog). It’s just one part of the entire business model.
You are using a blog to attract an audience of potential customers.
So when you create a blog post and share it with the world, more and more people find out about it and come to read it.
Once you have a blog post out, you have a chance to capture the reader’s email address.
Once you capture the reader’s email address you now have the ability to build a relationship with them.
Now, let’s talk about why it’s important to build a relationship with your readers.
People are busy these days, they are bombarded with ads wherever they go, they may buy from social media sites like Facebook, or an ad they saw on YouTube, but once they get off that platform you no longer have touch with them unless they come back to see your content.
If you have their email address, now you’re in their inbox (which is kind of the most sacred space for any person) whenever you send an email.
Now since most people open emails, it’s ideal to actually good to build a relationship with them before pitching them any product or service offer.
People will buy because it’s you who is the one helping them and connecting with them directly through emails rather than someone else selling something on social media.
Once you begin to develop real relationships with them, they will listen to you and buy from you. That’s why it’s important to build relationships with your readers.
Related: The Blog Business Framework Model (Learn Everything About How Visitors Are Turned Into Customers). (Coming Soon)
What's Email Marketing & How It Helps?
Since we spoke about building relationship with your readers via email, you need to know what email marketing is.
Here’s what email marketing is:
“Email marketing is the act of sending a commercial message, typically to a group of people, using email. In its broadest sense, every email sent to a potential or current customer could be considered email marketing. It involves using email to send advertisements, request business, or solicit sales or donations.” Source – Wikipedia.
Email Marketing is the one of the oldest forms of communication that’s still in use today. And everyone nowadays communicates over email.
Since everyone communicates via email, it’s vital that you too communicate via email to your blog readers. (Meet them where they are).
Even though you can post on social media, it’s hard to get people to buy from you. And social media algorithm always changes every time.
Social media platforms are owned by other people, and they want their users to stay on their platform.
If they find that you are taking them away from the platform, you won’t get enough reach and exposure as needed.
But once you get them on your email list, you can then build a relationship with them and recommend products and services that’s right for them.
If you recommend other people’s products and services, it’s called Affiliate Marketing. (Blog Post Coming Soon).
You can also recommend a product that you create or other people’s products and also make money. But all of that will happen if you’ve built a relationship with your readers because without reason or need, no one buys.
That’s why email marketing is so important for your blog and business.
Industry average says that at least 30% of the people open your emails and out of that a few people buy, but if you’ve learnt how to build a relationship with your readers you can get almost 60-80% of them to buy something or the other.
Email marketing helps you:
– Build a relationship with your audience.
– Recommend a blog post or an article that you found helpful.
– Promote other people’s products and services.
– Promote your products and services.
– Build a loyal customer base.( The core component of a business).
Which Is The Best Email Marketing Software Out There?
There are many email marketing softwares out there. Each of them have their own price points, features, benefits, ease of use, functions under their plans, list size limit per plan, etc
Here are the top Email Marketing softwares:
– GetResponse – This is the one I use.
– ConvertKit – Popular among bloggers.
– MailChimp – Most beginners prefer this.
– AWeber – Alternative email marketing software people use.
– Mailerlite – Another software bloggers use.
I’ve just covered a few email marketing softwares out there. There are so many, but the one I use is GetResponse because of its ease of use, the value for money, the features, the support, the helpful tools, etc they have for the plan that you signup with.
How Often Should You Send Emails To Your Readers?
This is one of the most burning questions of all the bloggers and marketers.
It is advisable to send out emails at least once a week.
If you want to take your business communication to another level, you can send out emails thrice a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday).
Nowadays because of the competition of attention, people set up automated emails and allow it to reach people every day, one day after the other every weekday.
This allows you to stay on top of mind.
If you’ve written a blog post it’s good to send it out the same day or the very next day.
Whereas, if you’ve got a launch campaign going on, a sale going on, a promotion going on, then you’d rather send them emails everyday during those campaign periods.
People connect to stories and things that can help them with their lives or their businesses (if they have any).
When Is The Right Time To Promote Any Offer?
The right time to promote any offer would be after you’ve built up a good list of around 500 people initially when you’ve started blogging.
But once your list grows you can promote offers during various times.
If you’re doing affiliate marketing (promoting other people’s products and services) then the program which allows you to promote that offer would give you a specific date to promote your offer. You can promote your offer during those times.
If you have your own products and you are only doing a launch sale, then it’s wise to promote them during the launch sale.
If you open enrollment during other times, you can promote it during other times as well.
But the key thing here is to offer value to your subscribers and then pitch them products and services.
You should follow the Value, Value, Value and Pitch framework.
What Should You Do To Build A Relationship With Your Readers Via Email Marketing.
In order to build a relationship with your readers you need to first of all create content, then get them on your email list, allow them to follow you on social media.
Once they are connected to you on platforms you have created an account or have a presence, you can begin to create content that serves them there and then push them to get on your email list.
Once you have them on your email list, it’s time to make sure you provide even more value and take them from unknown to a customer.
Usually a lead magnet is the way to get people to subscribe to your email list.
Now once they’ve gotten onto your email list, you can then offer them value by writing emails like you’re talking to them and schedule them so it’s automated and goes out to everyone who opt’s for that lead magnet or freebie.
This is how you build a relationship with your reader.
You can write more blog posts or create videos to talk about problems your customer has and send it out to them.
Once you begin sharing content that showcases your expertise and it’s helping in solving their problem, you automatically begin to earn the trust of your audience and subscribers.
And this builds a solid relationship with them.
People have many problems and they are constantly looking for solutions, you can be the one providing that solution to them in various forms and eventually pitching an offer that solves their problem.
Conclusion.
The sole reason of using email marketing is to build a real relationship with your blog readers and subscribers.
People hate to see advertisements but they love to buy.
They buy because that product or service solves their problem or fulfills a need.
So you have to get people on to your email list, send valuable information that addresses their problems and then offer them a product or service that solves their problem.
By doing this not only you would have built a relationship with them, but you would have also made money.
