1. Growing Y List & Influence through
our
RSS & Email Subscriptions
Build your Audience,
Increase Engagement and
Grow your Income
2. What You’ll learn today
• The difference between RSS and email
subscriptions.
• Why offering subscriptions – and email in
particular – is more relevant today than ever
before.
• TEN POWER TIPS to build a better list,
faster.
3. About Phil Hollows
• Author of “List B uilding for B loggers” e-book.
• Founder and CEO of FeedBlitz, the premium FeedBurner
alternative.
• FeedBlitz sends:
~
– 1 BILLION updates a year.
– on behalf of more than 1 60k lists.
– for over 72,000 bloggers!
• FeedBlitz gets your word out via email, RSS, Twitter,
Facebook, LinkedIn and IM.
• Clients include: Seth Godin and Copyblogger
5. What is an RSS Feed?
• A RSS feed is a way people can subscribe to your blog.
n
• Y content is pushed to subscribers.
our
• Readers need an RSS reader to subscribe.
• Y blog will have an RSS feed, and that’s pretty much
our
all you need to know, technically.
6. What is an Email Subscription?
• A email subscription is a way people can subscribe to
n
your blog. e.g. a newsletter
• Y content is pushed to their inbox.
our
• Subscribers need an email app.
• There are plugins and services to help set up email
signups for your site.
7. What is the Difference between Email and
RSS?
Benefit Email RS S
Push to readers Email app RSS reader
Subscriber data Email address The user’s reader
Branding Unlimited Post only
Post optional “ Blast” the list No
End user tracking Yes No
Personalization Yes No
Autoresponders Yes No
Mom can use it Yes No
Portable Yes No
8. Why Isn’t Email Dead
in the A of Social Media?
ge
Email is the most powerful,
effective and relevant
subscription option that exists today.
ATTENTION is the Name of the Game
9. Why Isn’t Email Dead in the A of Social
ge
Media?
November 2011
10. Why Isn’t Email Dead in the A of Social
ge
Media?
November 2011
11. Why Isn’t Email Dead in the A of Social
ge
Media?
November 2011
Via http://smedio.com/2012/05/11/why-social-media-is-yet-to-destroy-email-marketing/
12. A Y Wasting Y Blog’s
re ou our
MOST PRECIOUS RESOURCE?
“I get ten times more response t my bl
o og
from my email s ubs cribers
than I do from anyone el
se.”
Seth Godin
13. Email Marketing is Better for Bloggers
• Full branding.
• Activity tracking.
• Committed
subscribers.
14. Email is the Essential Component
of Hub and Spoke Content Marketing
• While all the other
elements of your work
are important and
probably cool than
er
email…
• … if Facebook went
away tomorrow, what
would keep your blogging
business alive?
Your list
15. Easy Tips to Grow Y List Faster
our
The keys to email marketing success
are permission,
relevance and timeliness.
16.
17.
18. List Building – Basic Tips
• Learn from the leaders.
• Have a clear subscription form above the fold.
• Use social proof if you have it.
• Incentives work.
• Brand, baby, brand!
19. Make it Easy to Subscribe
• Can your visitors find your subscription form?
– Is it on every page?
– Do visitors have to scroll?
– How many clicks before they enter their email?
– Is it linked to by an inscrutable icon?
– Does it appear after less popular subscription
methods?
• Remember, you are not your audience!
20. Don’t Do this…
• The email icon is after RSS
– But RSS is less popular and
unfamiliar to most visitors
• The email icon is unclear
– Mail me?
– Subscribe?
– Forward to a friend?
• There’s at l
east one extra
click to get to the form itself
21. Better, But…
• The email icon is now
the first to be seen.
– The most popular,
subscription type is first.
– But it’s still ambiguous!
• The visitor st l has to
il
click to get to the
subscription form.
22. Best!
• There is no ambiguity
• There is a concrete call
to action
• There are zero clicks to
get to the form
• Other sharing options are
still there
23. Power Tip #1
Make Y Subscription Form V
our isible
• Move it “above the fold.”
• Don’t hide it behind a confusing email or RSS
icon.
• Count the clicks before you can enter your email
address.
– Get that count down to ZERO.
• Don’t skimp on proving permission.
• Subscribe to your own mailings.
24. Power Tip #2
Enable SOCIA Media CROSS-Promotion
L
• A your favorite social media
dd
options to your mailing.
• Facebook tips
– A your email service’s
dd
Facebook app.
– A for subscriptions when you
sk
post.
• Email is the original social
network!
– Make sure “email to a friend” is
enabled in your mailings.
25. Power Tip #3
A Incentives
dd
• Reward subscribers for j oining your list.
• Make the reward visible!
• Ensure your incentive is relevant.
• Use an autoresponder or custom landing page to
deliver the reward.
• Reward current subscribers with bonuses to help
with retention.
26. MoneySavingMom.com Example
• The incentive is prominent: A bove the banner!
• It’s highly relevant to the site’s audience.
• It takes subscribers straight to the CA PTCHA page.
• Post-activation pages take the new subscriber back to
the site.
• Results: Monthly net list growth has d oubl ed.
27. Power Tip #4
Make the most of offline events
• Create a sign-up sheet for
your seminars.
• When you exchange
business cards, ask if you
may add to the list.
• Use QR codes to link to
event URL and
subscription forms.
• A links to printed
dd
collateral, t-shirts etc.
28. There A No Shortcuts
re
• Don’t add subscribers who did
not give you their explicit permission.
• Don’t bury permission in terms of service etc.
• Don’t import from a list you don’t own.
– Not from your spouse, BFF or CEO.
• Don’t import from an unrelated list you d o own.
• Never, ever, EVER buy lists.
– They wil contain spam traps.
l
– Y wil be blacklisted.
ou l
• Don’t spam your LinkedIn contacts.
The instant you add * j one* email address to your
ust
list without permission, you are a SPAMMER.
So, if you’re not sure, don’t.
29. Danger: Here be Popups
• Popups work – but use with caution.
• Don’t interrupt the visitor immediately.
• Give them time to explore your site.
– The longer they’re on your site, the more interested they are.
– So the more likely they are to respond well to a popup
invitation
• Treat your visitors with respect before they sign up
– So they’ll know they’ll be treated with respect after they’ve
j
oined your list.
– e.g. at FeedBlitz our popup is on 2nd page, 1 0s delay
31. Pack the 1 -2-3 Punch to Grow Y List
our
1. Use a professional email service.
2. Use a compelling, relevant incentive.
3. Make it easy to subscribe, including respectful
popups.
32. Improving Engagement
Or
1 00,000 subscribers don’t count for squat if
only your mother is opening your emails.
33. Open Sesame
• Build compelling subj lines and copy.
ect
• Reinforce your brand.
• Write for your three different reader types.
• Be imperative with your calls to action.
• Repetition works.
Subscribe to your own email updates.
If you don’t like what you get, your subscribers probably
won’t either. Fix it!
34. Power Tip #5
Use Compelling Copywriting
• Use direct, imperative calls to action.
• Reduce choices to reduce reader confusion.
• Write short, snappy, SEO-friendly titles / subj
ect
lines.
• A ccommodate different reader types:
– Have at least one image per post for visual readers.
– Use headlines for scanners.
• Fulfill the subj line’s promise.
ect
35. Subj line Hints and Tips:
ect
Applied Psychology / Neuromarketing
• Nasty out performs nice.
• Don’t ask for the order. Tel them to give it to
l
you.
• Low numbers work well, especially odd ones.
• Be urgent
– Buy now, do it today, immediate download!
• Use (but don’t abuse) the all-time classics:
– “Y are not alone”
ou
– “Did you get it?”
36. Power Tip #6
Check your Branding and Design
• Ensure your “From” name and address is what your readership
expects.
• Don’t be redundant in your subj line.
ect
• Keep subj lines short
ect
– 35 characters for mobile phones in portrait mode.
– e.g. Marie Browning, Requesting your Assistance becomes:
Marie Browning, Requesting your A (!)
ss
• Test in gmail, with and without images enabled.
• Fix problems with or avoid using:
– CSS, background images, positioning.
– Image descriptions, light text on dark backgrounds.
– Text to image balance.
37. Unsubscribes are a Form of Engagement
• Don’t ignore unsubscribes.
– Someone saying “bye” is still telling you something.
• It feels personal, but it most likely isn’t.
• Spikes in unsubscribe and complaint rates may
indicate:
– You’re losing relevance.
– You’re mailing too often.
– You’re not mailing enough.
38. Engagement Killers
• Broken images.
• Boring content.
• Burying the lead.
• Ignoring the mobile audience.
• Over-reliance on video and images.
• Over-mailing.
• Under-mailing.
40. CAN-SPA Required Irrelevance
M:
• CAN-SPA compliance is a l
M egal requirement.
– But it’s irrelevant for deliverability and inbox placement.
– Being CA N-SPA compliant does not mean your email isn’t spam.
M
• But it’s the ISPs who decide where your email goes.
– The primary driver is sender (IP) reputation.
– Reputation is based on complaint rates, bounce handling and history.
– Content filters come much later in the process.
– CAN-SPA compliance is not a criteria used by receiving ISPs.
M
• Use a reputable email service
• Always use dual opt-in
41. Engaging the New Subscriber
Autoresponders and well-planned landing
pages make the most of your new
subscriber’s enthusiasm.
42. Power Tip #7
Set up an Autoresponder
• Define a sequence of articles to send to new
subscribers, e.g.
1. Thanks for subscribing.
2. Here’s a special offer for new subscribers.
3. Check out our top ten most popular posts.
4. Survey: How do you like the site?
5. Here are the first three chapters of my e-book
6. J the e-book affiliate program.
oin
7. …
• A a minimum, say “Thank you for subscribing.”
t
• End the sequence with a reward for staying.
43. Power Tip #8
Spiff Up Y Landing Page
our
• Thank them!
• Deliver any sign-up reward / incentive.
• Offer more subscriptions to other content.
• A links to your best / most popular posts.
dd
• A for referrals.
sk
• Test and optimize.
45. Choice is Good
• Multi-list strategies reduce churn:
– Subscribers self-select into a list that is right for them.
– They’re therefore much less likely to leave it.
• It’s easy to set up multiple lists from your blog:
– Use tags and categories to focus content.
– Use multiple schedules to accommodate recipient preferences.
– Make these choices available on the sign-up form.
46. More from MoneySavingMom.com
• Over 1 00 different lists.
– Some filtered by topic
– Some filtered by schedule
– Some filtered by content
• A built from the same
ll
blog.
47. Power Tip #9
Diversify with Multiple Lists
• Offer different versions for different schedules if
appropriate.
– e.g. Express, daily and / or weekly digests.
• Offer content-specific lists.
• Decide how to offer them to readers.
• Do you have user-driven searches and feeds?
– Offer email subscriptions for search results via API.
• A the lists you create to your post-activation landing
dd
page.
48. What Next?
• Make the easy changes first.
– You’ll be wasting your time otherwise.
• Pace yourself.
– It can feel overwhelming, especially if there’s lots to do.
– Take one task at a time, one day at a time.
• Test! See how each change works for you.
– See if you can improve, tune and tweak.
– Don’t be afraid to roll a change back if it doesn’t work.
• Please let me know how you get on!
49. Thank Y
ou
Questions? Comments?
S tep Up!
phil@ feedblitz.com
@ phollows
FeedBlitz.com
ListBuildingForBloggers.com
