5 Phases to Email Marketing

by Chris Stirling

When using email marketing to sell a product or
service you can’t just start selling to your
readers in the first email. The reason is the odds
of the reader knowing who you are or what you are
all about are pretty low, even if they subscribed
to your newsletter from a form on your website.
People do not purchase from those they do not know.
So the key to a successful email marketing campaign
is “warming up” your readers to the sell.

The "warming up" process can be broken down into
five distinct phases. It's a good idea to keep
these in mind as you work to warm up your lists.

Phase 1 -- "Cold Readers"
These are folks who have just filled out the form
on your website, or whose details you have received
via co-registration.

You know nothing about them, and they know nothing
about you, so at this phase, your primary job is to
introduce yourself, and begin to establish yourself
as a source of credible and useful
*free* information.

I emphasized the word *free* in that, because "cold"
leads are very unlikely to buy anything from you, no
matter what you do.


PHASE 2 -- "Curious Readers"
At this phase, people may have opened one or two of
your emails and have at least decided to stay on
your list long enough to find out what you're about
and what they can gain by reading your emails.

Another way of thinking of this group is that they
are the ones who are actually opening and reading
your emails, whether they open the first or the
tenth that you send them.

Your job with this group remains essentially the
same as was true at Phase 1 ... you are still in
the process of "warming them up" to the idea that
you are credible and trustworthy.

Again, not a time to be trying to sell them things,
because few of them will buy, anyway.

PHASE 3 -- "Interested Readers"
These are the folks who have opened and read
several of your emails, and now continue to read
them. Perhaps they have "moved" themselves from your
"cold" list by opting-in to one or your newsletters
or free mini-courses.

By doing so, they have "told" you that they are
interested in what you have to say, willing to read
more of your emails, and may, in due time, buy
something on the basis of your suggestion.

One way to know who your "interested" prospects are
is to offer a free ebook or mini-course and make
them "register" for it by opting in to a second
autoresponder.

Another is to run a survey form on your site,
invite them to participate, and capture their
contact information when they do so.

The point is they have taken some *action* based
upon your previous emails, and have told you by
that action that they are interested in what you
have tosay and willing to read what you write
to them.


PHASE 4 -- "Excited Readers"
These are folks who are almost ready to buy. They
may have written you asking for more information,
or visited your sales page several times. Maybe they
are thinking about joining your business opportunity,
but for some reason not quite ready to sign up and
pay their money. They need some sort of "push" or
"nudge" to get them to take action.

Maybe they need a "special offer" of some kind, or
simply a personal follow-up email or phone call from
you. Whatever it is, these are your *HOT* prospects.

PHASE 5 -- "Customer"
The final phase is, of course, obvious. These are
the folks who have bought your product, joined your
opportunity, or bought something that you promote
as an affiliate.

In the long run, these are the folks who will make
you the most money, because it will become easier
and easier for them to act on your recommendations,
as long as you don't betray their trust by endorsing
poor quality products or programs.

You need to think of these folks as *friends*,
because that is what they really are. They have now
given you permission to send them follow-up offers
and program endorsements.

Even though they may represent only a tiny percentage
of the entire population of your list, these people
are your long term gold mine group.

Treat them with respect, they have warmed up to you
and what You have to offer. Maintain a high level of
integrity and they will continue to follow you for
years to come

Copyright © 2008 Top-Work-From-Home-Directory.com

About the Author
Chris Stirling is the owner of
Top-Work-From-Home-Directory.com
His website is geared for people who are interested in finding
an online work at home opportunity.