by koanwrangler » Mon Nov 01, 2004 1:24 am
wow.
I wish I had thought to ask those questions before I jumped in.
Here's what I've learned:
How often to mail out the newsletters? bi weekly, monthly?
-it depends- are you going to stick with just publishing an ezine, or are you going to also promote products to your list. If it's just an ezine, I'd recommend at least twice a month.
-the marketers I pay close attention to seem to send out emails to their list whenever they've got something interesting to say- I've gotten three in one day from Joe Vitale, for example.
Which format: html, or plain text?
-html looks better, but increases your "bounce" rate by up to 25%. A good solution is to post your 'zine online in html, and include a link in your text 'zine.
-you want to post your 'zine online regardless- your new subscribers will want to read your back issues. this will increase your sales.
Do I use an autoresponder for this task?
-definitely. I use 1shoppingcart, now. Previously I was using a company based in florida whose name I'd better not share with you- they took up to 36 hours to get my emails out. 1shoppingcart gets 'em out in minutes.
With new spam laws in place, what's the best approach?
-your autoresponder company will handle the "double opt-in" issue for you and provide an "opt out" option automatically. You'll have to learn the rules- Craig, at nitrolistbuilder.com has a good program, and there are several others.
Any tips on what NOT to do?
-I think the most important thing is to take action now. You'll learn as you go, just like we all do. After a while, you'll establish a relationship with your list- they'll tell you what they like and what they don't like. I encourage my subscribers to email me.
-one last tip- write your ezine and emails as if you were writing to just one person. visualize that person and write to them.
Good luck!