When it comes to email marketing don't you sometimes feel like your stuck in a labyrinth without a clue about which way to turn?
It's as if you are Theseus without any thread, and, in this version of the myth, the Minotaur would really like to make contact and get to know, like and trust you, and you'd like that to happen too - it could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship! (Oops, now I'm confusing Theseus and the Minotaur with Rick and Renault in Casablanca!)
Great Email Series - Zero Feedback
Okay, let's suppose that you've created an email course that is clearly written and delivers good value for your target audience. Your promotional efforts are getting a good opt-in rate and the number of subscribers is growing week by week.
HOWEVER, none of your subscribers seems to be responding so you have no idea if the content you are delivering has any traction.
Sure, some of your subscribers click the links in your emails and maybe even follow through on your recommendations. So you are earning some commissions, or selling some products, but you have no clue about what your subscribers and customers are thinking or how you could better serve them.
That, in short, was pretty much my situation with my "Beginners Crypto Course" email series.
In most emails I included a contact link so my subscribers could reach out to me, but none did. The contact link was to my Webtalk page where people can send me a message once they have hopped on board the platform.
Clearing the Clutter
Then, early in August, I began to clear clutter from my life, both online and offline, as I documented in this post: https://ctptalk.com/proofofbrain/@hirohurl/clearing-away-the-physical-and-virtual-garbage-to-make-space-for-what-matters
What I neglected to mention in that post was that I'd come to feel that Webtalk was just that - a lot of "web talk" and not much more. So I cancelled my subscription. Another social media site bites the dust - at least in my world!
That did not affect the link in my emails as I still have a Webtalk account, but it made me think again about how I was inviting my subscribers to reach out to me.
The Problem With Blog Contact Forms
Before I offered Webtalk as a communication link I had directed subscribers to the contact form on my blog.
However, I got fed up with bots sending spam emails to me via my online form so I removed contact forms from most of my blogs.
That's why Webtalk seemed to offer a viable alternative.
Gmail to the Rescue!
Well, last month I decided to remove Webtalk from the signature file of my email series and replace it with my Gmail address.
That had been something I had been reluctant to do for a long time. I suppose it was a combination of two false opinions:
The first false opinion was that an email address that is not tied to your blog URL looks "unprofessional".
The second false opinion is that giving away your email address to your list will attract a lot of spam.
Well, since adding my Gmail address to my emails I have received NO spam - why would I? All my subscribers have gone through the double-opt-in process.
And the idea that a Gmail address is "unprofessional" must date back to the last decade or even the one before that! You know, to that time when people also thought it was highly risky to give their credit card details to Amazon! Oh, maybe some of you are too young to remember those dark days!
Anyway, here's what's happened since I started including my Gmail address and an invitation to "contact me if you have any questions or comments"...
Suddenly... my subscribers began to email me! What a shocker! LOL!
Yeah, it seems obvious now!
Remove Friction by Asking: What Would Rob Willmann Do?
Trying to get people to jump through hoops to contact me caused far too much FRICTION. But everybody is familiar with Gmail and how to send an email, so including your gmail address in your emails is one of the smoothest ways to get your subscribers to contact you.
By the way, I just asked myself #WhatWouldRobWillmannDo? I checked out an email I received from @robwillmann and lo and behold, he includes his GMAIL ADDRESS in it:
One word of warning, though...
Do NOT give your subscribers your Gmail address if you are NOT willing to engage in detailed one-to-one email exchanges (aka "conversations") to help each of your subscribers take the steps they need to take to follow the advice you laid out in your email training course.
Do NOT give out your Gmail address if you do not want to become the hunted!
For me, as a teacher with many years of classroom experience, I am well used to dealing with unexpected problems from my students or clients and I enjoy the knitty-gritty of one-to-one communication. There's nothing like it for building trust with your subscribers.
Cheers for now!
David Hurley
#InspiredFocus <== but still takes ages to remove friction!
P. S. Discover lots of legit ways to earn crypto for free by subscribing to my free Beginners Crypto Course (You'll get something from it, even if you're not a beginner!)