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Feb
09
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Many ebook business owners intuitively understand the value of a properly laid out business plan. In fact, without such a plan many feel that they are lost. For the idea behind it is to continuously inspire the business owner to develop his business. In other words, it is a map how to locate new customers.
So when we say that we want to grow our e-book business, we are almost certainly talking about an increasing number of customers (although other factors may be there also). For the more customers we can generate, the more profit we will be able to get.
But we are not just talking about any sort of customers. What we want is happy and returning customers that purchase again and again from our pool of products and services.
In other words, from a long-term business point of view, it not sufficient to be able to find a few new customers and be getting a few new sales; we also have got to make sure that those who already have bought from us will do so again.
What Do You Do With Your Website Visitors?
Let us assume that you have traffic to your website. Thousands of prospective customers come to your site every day. What do you do with them? Are you just letting them come to “window-shop” and do nothing? Or are you counting on them to buy something? What happens if they don’t buy anything?
The question, in other words, is this: Can you afford to let non-buying visitors go? And, even more essential, can you afford to let buying visitors go? After all, since they have already proved that they are willing to buy from you, why not put together a marketing system to cater to those users?
All efforts to bring visitors to your website have cost you something. So why let them escape to possibly never return, if you can block it? By implementing an email optin list on your website you can get the most money in return for your ebook business expenses.
You will not only make more money, but you will also serve your customers better. They will sign up to your optin list and take part of your messages. And when they gradually get more and more convinced that they want to buy from you, they will one day (usually later than sooner) do so.
The Opt-in Email List: The Ebook Business Plan In Action
The main idea that I am trying to put forward is this: if you invest some time in setting up an e-mail opt-in list (a so-called autoresponder system), this makes perfect business sense. By being able to track potential customers we are, in a sense, getting a map of the territory and our future customers. We may thus see the email list as tangible evidence that our ebook business plan is working.
The argument can, of course, be made that we don’t need an optin list of potential customers to verify that our business model is working. After all, these people are not necessarily the real customers anyway, since they have not necessarily acquired anything yet. So it is no sign of that our ebook marketing plan is working. If there are no sales yet, what good is it for? So a better indication of that our business plan is working would be to just look at the sales numbers: if there is more sales, then it is working; if there isn’t, it’s not.
Our answer may be this. It is correct that the actual sales figure is the most tangible evidence that the business plan is working right now. However, the email list can tell us about the future, and in that sense it is a measurement about whether our business is continuing to work, or whether our destiny is another. For it is reasonable to expect, especially if the number of subscribers on your list is substantial (say a thousand or more), that there is a strong statistical correlation between the number of subscribers on your list and your future sales.
If we can accept that premise, then it would be fair say that an increasing number of subscribers would indicate that our business model is working even in the near future, and that we are on track to making even more money. In other words, the list is not primarily a measure of current sales (for that is measured by the actual sales figures), but a measure of what our sales figures are going to be in the future.
Optin Lists: Also For Customer Tracking
So by using one or several email lists you may boost your sales and simultaneously getting a better picture of what lies ahead for your company. But opt-in lists are not just about immediate sales or sales projects either. They may also be used to increase your comprehension of your customers.
For example, the information about when they signed up to your email list can be important. If you just had an AdWords advertising campaign going on, and found out that the campaign was still running when the visitor opted in to your list, you may conclude, in conjunction with other factors, that this was a direct result of your campaign.
Another way to use the email list sign-up information to understand your potential customers better is to place different sign-up forms in different locations on your website. When the user signs up, you can then track from which form he signed up. This may tell you more about his interests and personality. Also, it may tell you something about which forms work best, and by doing so, it may give information about how to tweak your website.
Using an Opt-In List Is Excellent Ebook Marketing
In essence, then, optin email list building is a must for the serious ebook marketer. By using the opt-in list, the marketer can repeatedly send messages to the subscribers and continuously offer new advise, tips, and information that may not only educate the reader but also build trust. So when the trust is there, in conjunction with the right product, there is sales.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Johnny Jones currently writes for the EbookBrothers.com website, where he shares his thoughts about ebook marketing, and on individual topics such as whether or not to manage an opt-in list etc. For a free subscription to the EbookBrothers.com Newsletter (with free e-articles and tips on how to succeed with your own ebook business), visit www.EbookBrothers.com now, before the free offer expires.
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