There are different opinions on the whole email topic. Should you mail out daily, weekly, etc. Is there too much email, or not enough. One thing's for sure: Activity happens when those emails go out.
I've often wondered though, how do you guys manage the emails you get? For the exchanges that I'm using I know my answer is: I don't read them.
But it's clear that when I send out an email to StartXchange members, people start surfing and activity starts up again. So clearly people are out there reading the emails. So this one's to you: How do you manage it all?
And a follow up question would be, do you need reminders to surf? Are you just waiting for promos? If there is something important for you to know (big changes, etc) is email the best way to let you know? I'm interested in your feedback!
{ 55 comments }
A text message would definatly get their attention Tim, take a look at this website:
http://brightsway.phonefollowup.com
Thanks….Lori Bright
Hi Tim!
Reminders are always nice! Tips once a week or so would be fine. Thanks for asking.
Just think of how a customized voice message sent to all of your subscribers at once would get responce! I think your personal Voice or Text would be Awesome! Your blogs are the most interesting and helpful that I have ever read…Keeps me coming back!
Thanks Again, Lori Bright
For me it is the subject line that detrimines if I open the mail -IF it is from you of course I open it :)
Mail from StartX and other TE’s that I belong to seldom get read,but often get opened-just to use the link to surf.
Only if the subject line is really complelling do I open most-such as StartX giving a surf ratio of 1:1 :)
The second most important thing a TE owner can have is a login url- if you don’t have it in your letter I know you lose surfers-seems stupid but people are lazy critters at heart.
Mailings work-they bring surfers everytime- but too many also means you lose subscribers- if like some TE’s you can unsubscribe and still remain a member.
LOL if I could have even a penny for ever email I’ve received without even mentioning the site’s name.. Really boggles my mind.. Yes, full link to surf/login is a must!
I am so thrilled to see this mentioned. There is one site, I don’t have bookmarked, that I get emails from, that has no link, so I don’t surf there anymore.
As for how do I handle the emails? I (I hate admitting this), usually do not read them, but this just recently started! I use to surf according to what competitions were going on, and who had what going on with who, but it got to be too much. Now, I surf my favorites and if I have time, I surf others and I find out what’s going on from the members area.
Great question and it’s amazing but it’s true. When you send emails constantly, like once a week, surfing goes up. It’s been like that at I Love Hits for years, and I try to really limit the messages and only send stuff when there is newsworthy happenings, but alas if I need a good boost in surfing, not works better than a reminder to the members =)
As for other emails…I read them. I must be one of the few that do read every email I get sent from traffic exchange owners and I guess I’m trying to live the whole ‘co-operative’ way of life that traffic exchanges started as…
But please note, owners REALLY need to start being a little bit more creative. Surf promos and increased surf ratios aren’t enough for me to be interested…Tell about me about a cool new feature you added, or a blog post that you made or a neat tip or trick you have learned.
Engage me!
I don’t read most of my mail. I tolerate incoming mail from many exchanges because I like to put splash pages on TEs from time to time.
And I stay subscribed to the lists of people I’ve bought products from… in case I ever need to find them again.
But the sad truth is I now have 3 dedicated junk mail accounts, and 2 accounts I’d like to save but that are currently home to over 10,000 unread emails apiece.
Thank God I still have 1 account I can actually use… and I am guarding it like a hawk!
I’m like Widget Woman, I have several e-mail accounts where I dedicate certain messages to certain accounts. If it’s a safe mailer, it goes into one account that I check occasionally to see what cool new stuff is out (and for the mailing credits.) If it’s from the exchanges it goes to another account where I’ll open it if the subject line is attractive enough. JV giveaways have their own e-mail account, business related e-mails another (so they don’t get lost amongst all the latest offers from gurus to buy their latest 5 million dollar piece of software.)
All in all, I have to say the subject line is what really pulls the open. If its something like “Read Now” or “Make tons of money” I more than likely send it to trash when I get around to it.
I read almost all emails sent by TE owners…..although there are a few that send multiple emails throughout the day and they get filtered into the trash.
But like Doug said, it’s usually the headline that determines who’s gets opened first. :) I do like some surf promos…..not all, but some, so tell me what you have going on today.
To me, mailing once a week is not enough. Yes, I DO need to be reminded to surf. I belong to almost 200 TEs, so unless you’re one of the very few that I surf on a regular basis, I’m gonna forget about you….remind me you’re there!
On the other hand, one thing I can’t stand are the owners that will mail about everything else EXCEPT their TE. That really annoys me because I feel the owner is only using his list to sell to me and doesn’t give a darn about his members or his own TE.
And yes, email is most definitely the best way to let me know what’s going on. I hate when owners tell me to log into the site to see the days news…..sorry but I’m moving to the next email. I also don’t care for news on blogs. Just say what you have to say in the email and be done with it. I don’t have time to be clicking all over the internet just to see what you have to say. Be mindful of your members’ time!
Hi Tim,
I get about 1000 emails a day. Basically certain names attract my attention. This can be due to quality of what I have read before, the fact that I’ve just bought something from a particular individual or if I notice a lot of emails promoting the next best thing and I’m interested, I’ll open all of the relevant emails to see what is floating about in the way of a bonus for purchasing.
I do take a quick glance at subject lines, some of which might induce me to open, but they are all so similar that its rare I’ll even open an email based on these. (Bang goes the Guru advise again;-)
Phill
These are some good questions Tim! It can be overwhelming keeping up with my e-mail. With a gmail or yahoo account, I usually have it set for 100 on a page, then I check mark all on that page and scan through the subject line to see which ones I want to read. I uncheck those. The rest, I delete. I set aside time every few days to go through e-mails.
As for the surfing, I don’t really need a reminder to surf, I have that as part of what I need to do every few days, but a reminder doesn’t ever hurt. As far as a big announcement, I would prefer that by e-mail, with a subject line that made it clear that’s what it was about, so it didn’t get deleted!
Great blog, keep up the good work!
About the only TE emails I ever read are Tims. Even though I use many other TE’s, their emails are typically sales pitches, while Tims are actual useful tips and information mixed in with a sales pitch.
The edge that Tim has going for himself is his willingness to help others and his honest advice and information.
Those two things go further than ANY type of advertising in existence today.
I compare they way Tim runs his business to the way I run my own PC consulting buisness. We went from 0 to 4000 clients in the matter of 2 years – by simply using two traits – honesty and a willingness to help others.
Given that, Tim’s emails arrive in my box with respect – most others are spam.
Kind of offended by that comment because a lot of us have been doing this for years and given more tips, tricks and training then one could imagine.
Then to call our emails spam and you dont read them…
I dunno what to think about this.
I think part of the problem is the concept of what constitutes “spam”
The philosophy of most Internet Marketers is that you build a list to mail them – how you build that list is varied, eg service such as TE, freebie, etc, but the principle is the same – ‘get the email address’
Most have the wonderful ‘condition’ of membership that you agree to receive email, so they claim it is not ‘spam’ because you agreed to receive it.
However – most users disagree with this perception, they joined your list to get a specific product, service, etc NOT to get your emails about whatever fancy crosses your mind.
Put it like this Jon – would you get the same result if you promoted yourself as ‘ Join my list, I will send you emails about anything I think of, oh and get traffic to your websites ‘ ?
PLEASE NOTE: this is NOT a personal reflection on you Jon, I am just using you as an example since you raised the point!
Tim is unusual in that he has deliberately separated his Newsletter mailing list from his Admin mailing list. ie members have the OPTION to receive/not receive.
but to get back to the original question – What is Spam?
Owners will say Spam is mail you did not agree to receive
Members will say Spam is any unwanted email, even if it was a condition of joining.
so that is the problem – the perception of Spam differs depending on which side of the fence you are sitting on – the sender will take the narrowest possible definition, the recipient the widest possible definition.
I think Tims solution may prove to be the best way so far – reserve the right to send Account specific email for Admin only purposes, but anything else is a separate option.
Sorry 4 all the posts, but I just HAD to say to Richard….I’ve never heard Spam explained ANY better! Wow! You sure hit the nail squarly on the head! Its amazing how differently members and owners look at the term. Owners want customers and members want good info, and occasionally decent offers and rarely the 2 coincide. The question now is, how do we get together and find common ground on this issue? How can owners AND members both get what they want?
Great post Richard! ::::applause::::
TE messages in general I only read when the headline is interesting. Except from certain TE’s that always write something of interest or like STX, for the activity points.
But many of the TE admins always have something to sell and like stated earlier in this blog, send out more then once a day.
I prefer the weekly updates from TE’s.
I however hate those mails where the admin has to write something about their own TE and then jump to the subject they actually wanted to send the email for in the first place. In 90% of these cases they have a link to a program they want their members to join them. Nothing wrong with that, but I don’t like that tactic. If this happened a few times with an admin, their mails will be filtered. But in general I check the subjects first. So for TE admins and safelist users: make sure your subject is interesting and the mail is written towards that subject. :-)
Hi Tim,
What a great question. I think U should email once or twice a week if there is a prize for reading or not. Some TE’s I get 2-3 a day and I just hit delete.
I am sure most will agree, we have far better things to do with our lives than to sit around a read TE emails (maybe) but I do. Don’t get me wrong I do surf for about and hour a day when I have to work… When I don’t I still surf an hour and or read emails( even ones from friends), most I do not respond to.
Just my thoughts,
Shirlene
Hey Tim,
I do read most of the emails I get from TE’s if it’s concerning the TE (or yours or Jon’s blog).
What drives me nuts is having to be on the mailing list only to get sales pitches from every TE owner for every new program that comes out. That I could do without. But as they mostly all have the same headline, once I read one, (IF it grabs my attention), the others go to trash.
And strangely enough, reminders to surf do work. As they say, the squeaky wheel gets the grease…
I guess there’s a sort of art form to sending emails. I try to send out one a day to my members, but after reading some of the comments, maybe that’s too much. It’s really tough for smaller TE’s like mine to keep members coming in and surfing, even though I do have quite a few that surf almost daily.
I send emails to generate activity, such as promos or just to get members to surf. Some owners send out 2, 3 or even 4 emails a day. Some of those emails are just a few minutes apart and that’s just way too many in my opinion.
I think I may ask my members what they think.
I don’t mind getting the occasional email letting me know about the goings on at what ever TE is sending the email or the ones about new TE’s that are launching. What I have a problem with is getting emails from a TE that has another side like solo ads. I don’t mind the occasional solo ad, but I do mind getting them everyday and no way to opt out unless I delete my whole account. I know that I agree to get emails when joining a TE. But please give me a way to opt out if the ones I don’t want.
I really do appreciate Tim and SX because I am given the choice to get the emails I want and opt out of the ones I don’t.
Hi,
when you use email clients like Outlook or Thunderbird ( my recommendation) you have the option to filter the mail directly into your trash, or in the case of solo mails from Kenneth, I move them automatically to a separate folder enabling me to check them later or never :-)
Even when reading your emails online (eg: Gmail or Yahoo etc..) give you the option to filter)
You can easily filter on sender email address.
Regards.
Hi Tim,
As I do have favorite TEs I don’t need mails to remind me to surf. I’m selective in opening all the mails. The subject line is important, there are some people I never skip their mail and depending on the time left I read as much as possible. For I have one tick. At the end of the day my mailbox must be empty. The ones I want to read later will be flagged to remind myself.
Greetings,
Wilma
I like 1 or 2 emails a day to let me know whats going on @ the site.
I just wish all owners would remember to include a login or surf link.
I use gmail filters to file emails, any owner that sends more than 2 emails a day has there emails sent directly to a folder. 1 or 2 emails a day will start in my inbox.
I have one specific email address which is tied to 99% of the TEs that I am a member of. I have no objection to regular emails from TE owners. Indeed, I prefer to have regular emails than to get non at all. To receive no contact gives me the impression of a less than professional TE owner.
I don’t open every email that I receive and I use the headline to decide which I open and which I delete.
What I don’t like is to receive three, four, five and even six emails a day from the same TE owner – believe it or not one actually sends that many! You can use your own initiative to guess where I now filter all of those.
Regards,
Jeff.
I probably receive up to 350 e-mails per day and it is the first thing I deal with as soon as PC has finished booting up. It takes approx. 30-60 mins to sort out, read the interesting ones, file those that need further attention and delete the rubbish. Mostly, I find that this is time well spent.
TE messages are always read as some owners are, to say the least, quite amusing, and it starts my day with a grin. Others are just trying to get me to join so and so and spend more and more.
Your e-mails are always read Tim as generally informative and the added bonus of Activity points.
That is my daily e-mail routine and so far it has worked OK for me.
Les
Hi Tim: This is a Great Question! As a TE owner, I try to keep my emails down. I usually only email once a week. Now, if I have something that I believe my members might interested in, I will shoot it off to them. For example, a friend has quite a few Text Ad sites. He wanted to make offer to my members that if they wished to join up they would get a bootle of credits using a code he made for my members only. Now, I’m not trying to sell them anything. A lot of folks who surf TEs Also use Text Ad sites. This was just an opportunity if they wanted to take advantage of it. If I have a contest coming up, I’ll let my members know and that’s about it. I truly respect and care about my members and let them know if there is anything they need or if they have questions, I am only an email away.
I tried mailing my members once or twice a week but they complained that wasn’t enough and that they liked being reminded to surf. My problem is, I hate writing emails, lol. So what I did was this: During the week I have a default email that I sent out that has members stats such has how many available credits they have, how many banner and text credits they have, and of course login url. Just things they might need to know about their accounts. I call this email “Daily Mail”
Then on weekends I mail out if I have a promo or something special going on. The only time I break this routine is if I have made some changes at the site or need to contact members about something important regarding their account. I placed a poll on my site to get an idea whether they like this arrangement. Most do.
I hardly ever mail out about new launches. That gets done enough. I hate new launches because my email gets buried with the same emails from different exchanges. And I HATE getting 4 or 5 emails a day from the same exchange. One certain exchange comes to mind…..
Thanks for a great topic, Tim.
Jonathan
Jonathan, this is really helpful. I was reading all these replies and starting to get very discouraged. Seems a few folks on here were really complaining about getting too much email or getting “sold” on other prg’s by te admins “using their list.” If I understand you correctly, could it just depend on the mindset of the membership of any given mailing list? Otherwise I’d be very cautious to even create a mailing list, for fear members would throw my note in the trash if I got off topic. Which many on the Internet are advocating building a list to sell just about anything, it sounds like.
Help me if I’m wrong?
Rebecca
I don’t mind one or two emails a day, but more than that just annoys me.
Also, the formatting of the email is a big factor to me. Several TEs break down the information into to clearly marked sections. I like this. It makes it very easy to read through the email quickly and get all the information I need. I especially like how StartXchange emails always have the main message at the top and the activity points link and Tim’s blog, Twitter, & Facebook links at the bottom. StartXchange emails have easily recognizable dividers for the sections of the email. Many of the emails I receive look like hastily thrown together text and are hard to read. If I can’t read the email quickly and easily, I skip it.
Another big thing is knowing who the email is from. If the sender is just identified as “admin”, I will skip it. The TE owner’s name and/or the TE name should always show in the email.
Yeah I’ve blogged about the from address many times, but some people just never bother to check I guess?
I am good with getting emails I skim through most of them as long as it isn’t several a day. As a TE owner I notice when I send out emails surfing picks up also. And I hope that my tips are helpful.
I only have one TE’s emails set to auto delete because it was just way to much.
Good topic Tim I have wandered this also and fun reading the comments.
Out of the 300+ mails i get every day, i generally delete and ignore 98% of them, as i know where they are from, and they are aonly telling me the same old junk i already know, most of which is “special deals”.
these “special deals” often include…a “limited time” upgrade, or one time only deals. The same “one time only” as last week…or yesterday. I never understood that, if it’s one time..why repeat the offer every time i log in…lol
Anyway, it’s not about the frequency of the mails i get, it’s about the quality of the content they contain. I know that almost every TE has an auto mail system, and this to me deserves the same treatment as any autoresponder should deserve….the trash bin.
If a TE can’t be bothered to personalise the mail, or have some quality time to get to know it’s members a bit more better, then i don’t see why i should be bothered treating any exchange with the same as i do any other.
Gosh I can’t remember when I read so many interesting posts. I have just deleted everything but a survey I just did from a new UK company that actually pays me and has interesting surveys. I did that filed a paypal statement and stopped here for pleasure.
I have to admit I do delete most TE and list mail. I always read Tim and Jon because his are so rare. I have not surfed for a while pressure of other things. As it comes third on my conversions it comes last.
I have one pet peeve about a certain TE owner who set up a mailer to go to each member of each of his sites. We were getting 1000s and as the delete on his TEs did not work I just deleted his sites. I do not think we opted into this and it still annoys me.
I look who it is from rather than the title just a few people get my attention.
I used to read every one when I first came on the internet but I soon found It took me half my day reading TE mail and e-mail courses. I joined so many of them I became confused when all I really needed to be told was to build my list and a few ways of doing it. I would have a huge one by now instead of the few hundred I have all in different places.
You can be sure Tim I will never delete your blog before reading it. I would say my mail comes to somewhere between 2500 and 3000 a day .Does anyone know of a day long enough to read that many.
You guys are helping me feel not quite so lax, w/ you 3000-10,000 emails. My comcast acct has about 3500 in it and it is getting overwhelming. A lot are TEs and Facebook (how do u turn facebook mails off???). And yes, I always read Tims b4 deleting. Informative and beneficial. Jon, I’m sorry I havent seen yours. I don’t purposly overlook them. Maybe they just got lost in the pile? :-/
Thanks everyone for the great posts!! This is fun! :-)
Hi Everyone,
not sure what it means, but, I agree with Tim and Jon! (not a kiss up)
I operate 3 small exchanges and send a “what’s going on” email every
week and it creates activity almost instantly. Not always surfing, but activity. Of all the TE emails I receive, I look at all titles, but, do tend to pay more attention to the Tim’s and Jon’s. Why? very simple…Learn from the experts. I get a lot of usable content from the people that have more experience than myself. (WIFFM…What’s in it for me)
Thanks, Ron
Hi,
I try to read most exchange emails but, that might be because I work at one. When there is a launch and I get the same subject line I do not read any except a couple. When an exchange sends me more than a couple a day(other than special occasions) I filter them to trash as Jackie said above or just quit that exchange all together.
Mark
Fantastic question Tim, and fascinating replies :-)
I just wanna thank everyone for the feedback. It is really really helpful. Thank you.
I know my emails are some of the mostly widely read and praised but I personally don’t think my standards are anywhere near what they were. mostly because of time issues as the biz has grown, and also because many of the methods I introduced are now so widely copied that well, to a reasonable proportion of surfers they must be just plain boring. They are to me anyway!
I don’t read most of the emails that are just about Surf Rewards and nothing else (man I wish I’d trademarked that phrase LOL)
We got several lil new things planned already, either waiting on me to free up more writing time, or waiting for techy things (which we love to do well, rather than fast. that’s how a real grownup marketer would spin it anyway! LOL) and I also got lots of thoughts from your replies which are very much appreciated.
It really is great reading. Thank you all.
And Happy Splashing of course!
Paul
PS meant to add this and nearly forgot!
interesting and relevant lil tidbit from Tuesday’s Splashmail…
Test Results
===========
So we ran Double Dollar Dash on both Sunday and
Monday.
We didn’t mail on Sunday, we did mail on Monday.
Just to see what difference it would make. So…
Sunday’s surf was… 160,656 pages
Monday’s surf was… 179,725 pages
So that’s an increase of 19,069 pages or 11.9%.
As Sunday is traditionally one of the busier days
of the week and Monday one of the quietest I’d say
that’s pretty interesting info wouldn’t you?
PPS I’m not defending the owner mailing his members several times a day. I don’t agree with it as he knows BUT I will say this…
that owner has a large loyal following despite the fact he spends hardly anything on ads because he innovates and he provides a service many find interesting and rewarding.
He also earns a lot more than most TE owners ever will, so while I don’t agree with several parts of his biz strategy (and I don’t read many of his emails either!) you gotta say he’s doing something very right too ;-)
Just realized I didn’t actually directly thank you in that last post Tim.
thanks dude :-)
Actually, I just decided I’m gonna link to this in today’s Splashmail too and see what other opinions we get.
Cheers
Paul
Thanks Paul!
It’s a trust thing.
there are some TE’s that I never open there email, one in particular that sends 7 emails per day and yet other TE emails that I open religiously.
Generally I will remain on someones email list until I find that I never read their emails and then I either filter their incoming email direct to trash or unsubscribe.
TE and program owners have a unique position – they have a program where active members want to participate. Good TE owners build respect and loyalty by sending out helpful content and tips.
Other TE owners either send out very little information or an absolute blitz of unnecessary junk.
Speaking as a business affiliate I email most days – often with nothing more than a helpful tip or reference to another site or video.
Email marketing is about building relationships. It is the most critical aspect of this business.
When you can get people wanting to open your email because it came from you, you have a real business.
Reading through all the replies it seems to me that there is no simple ‘please everyone’ solution. Some people like the emails, some need them as reminders because they can’t remember what they joined and others hate them.
Personally I set up a Gmail ‘junk’ account. When I join an exchange I monitor the quality of emails – if they are sensible and informative then I allow them. If they are rubbish and/or the volume is too high then I go in and change my account to Gmail and I never get bothered with them again.
TE owners must do what suits their business and I do what works for me. If the two are mutually beneficial then fine, if not…..well it’s still fine from my perspective.
Exactly Peter – that’s why on StartXchange I decided to do the “optional” method. If you want my emails, you select Yes. If you don’t, select No. Can’t please everyone on the frequency though.
I have a separate email account just for traffic exchanges but even I don’t read all of the messages.Only the ones that seem interesting.
G’day Mr. PAUL
I am members at your Traffic- Splash and this nice traffic for me. In last friday, Mr. Mark .W say to me about Free Upgrade my members wich 2 TE and i am coose to free upgrade my members at Traffic Splash. But i dont know, what is that thrue ? because my choose must i am request via his Y’massenger.
Btw, i am really thank’s for your TE. But i am want some real business online, real give me extra money and never say upgrade or never say pay them, because…right now i am really no job equal no money to upgrade or payment. I am a parent with 2 child and 1 wife, i am loss my job since 2005. Now, my wife to make money for ourlife day ( she is a nurse ). And i am tire to looking real job because my lower study ( i am only senior h s )….so can you help me ???
Thank’s so much.
Hi Michael
Yup, Mark is allowed to give those bonuses when you join his list – it’s something he has worldwide exclusivity on. All you gotta do is message him and you’ll get your freebie.
Glad to hear you like Traffic-Splash, the very best way to build an online income is list building and we give away great training at Affiliate Funnel. You get a step by step system to follow, free webinars and a forum with access to myself, Jon and other successful people who are all happy to help. It’s all free too :-)
hope that helps
Paul
I agree, certainly an interesting post – I covered a similar issue in my blog a while ago.
I read some of the daily emails I receive, the choice being largely to do with my impression of the owner.
there are a couple of things I would say:
HTML emails – I use a text only mail reader setting, so if you use a html format, I will almost certainly not read it (I read the last email from Jon just to see if my details were correct as I had just subscribed to his list)
keep the content relevant to the subject – dont say its a stats mail, include a few stats and then make a sales pitch
be predictable and reliable – if you say you will mail weekly, then mail weekly
Give me a reason to read – it does not have to be a surf reward, one email I get has a ‘humour’ section where they include links to odd and funny stuff they seen
if the email is long, use a summary at start, eg site stats, your stats, message from owner, humour, contact and feedback. this way we can get a ‘feel’ for the mail
I don’t think there is a magic figure for frequency – some TEs send daily stats updates, some weekly, some whenever their mailer works (or so it seems LOL) and I am just as likely to read a daily mail from someone I trust as a weekly one. I guess the answer is to experiment, and ask for feedback.
Richard ‘DeHawkinz’
I belong to about 30 TE sites, and out of those, only about 10 even send any emails on a regular basis (regular- meaning up to one per week). I usually skim through them, but they rarely ever give anything new and interesting. It’s like they have a standard “form letter” and then just add in the names of yesterdays contest winners.
Then there is that one site that everyone here has already referred to with the 5 to 7 emails in the same day with the exact same message – and that you can’t unsubscribe to without deleting your account- I rarely (if ever) even open his first message of the day now. I just don’t appreciate “Gestapo Marketing Tactics”.
I personally don’t need a daily reminder to surf. I surf everyday already, and every site is bookmarked for fast access. I think, for me, two e-mails per week is sufficient, and show me my available credits, the log-in link, and tell me about your new splash pages, or a special offer on credits, or at least something helpful.
From reading other comments here, and seeing that many e-mails don’t get read until a day or two after they were sent, the TE owners might be better off telling about the “weekend promo” that is coming up rather than “today’s promo” that is already over before the message is even read.
I have just launched my own exchange as of last week, and this was a great issue for discussion. My initial plan was to “not fill my member’s Inboxes” with mail, and to only mail once per week at the most, but this blog has given me a lot to consider. Thanks Tim, for keeping your finger on the pulse of the TE industry and dealing with the important stuff that is most relevant. I believe that the fastest way to success is to follow the lead of someone that has already achieved it, so I always pay close attention when you, Jon, or Paul have advice to share.
Good idea on the weekend promos!
Hi Tim
A Great discussion! This is one blog post I will be following closely. Thanks for all of your great postings.
Cheers!
Tony
I’m very new in this game and am feeling my way round the exchanges etc & lists. Some are better than others but it’s easy to unsubscribe. But as the blog topic is e mail overload I’m getting that for sure. Can’t possibly read them all in a 24 hour day. Most are junk or plugging same old programmes, ie duplicated.
Can an “expert” tell me this though? “Gurus/experts” say don’t just mail out opportunities but build list and brand yourself with advice/tips etc and then your list will buy from you no problem because relationship has been established. When these so called relationship builders get their hooks in me it is not long before they hit me with an “opportunity”that I must buy and they will earn from, sometimes almost straight away. And from then on they hit me every day with yet more stuff to buy. Even if they are patient I know it’s coming! Subtle – I think not. Frankly they might just as well hit me first time. Personally I’ve got some good sign ups by just mailing an opportunity. If the subject heading is good and the capture page different from run of the mill it works fine. Because of all the crap if you stand out you’ve got a chance.
Richard
Hi all,
Thanks for the TE info. I receive, as it keeps me updated on
what is going on at the exchanges even if I can’t surf very often.
(I am here because I did and do read Traffic-Splash info.
that Paul sends out.)
Blessings to you all and keep up the good work,
Helen Fritzie
Thanks Helen
I hope you’re enjoying Tim’s blog too.
It’s definitely one of my two fave blogs online and very very rare that I ever miss a post.
Happy Splashing!
Paul
Hey Tim,
Great question!
Personally, I apreciate the 500 bonus activity points. ;-)
Plus, I like the updates on changes to the site and I often read the blog entries. They’re not too long and usually informative. A lot of TE and other site emails I usually dont read. Occasionally its a good memory jogger to see an email from a site I haven’t surfed in a while. But its so easy to get buried in email. As a friend of mine said once, “Even if its good junk, if there’s too much, its still junk.” Nuff said. ;-)
PS I think once a week is sufficient to inform and not to overwhelm.
What a great Topic!
I too struggle with finding the time to write content that matters to send to my members. I agree that it is imperative to regularly email our memberships in order to maintain activity, but constant dribble and sales pitches are not the answer either.
I try and read all the exchanges emails, but I too filter some, especially the duplicates (ex – owners of several exchanges who send the same email to them all. Why do you not try staggering the send day and changing the subject lines? I am sure you would find this method much more effective.)
Over the last few months, I have been tweeting the very best info I read, but once again, I am not happy with the response level. So what is the answer? I would be happy to know.
Thanks again Tim for an excellent blog post
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