In the first installment of this three-part article, I covered the importance and benefits of an opt-in list (e-mail subscriber list) for your business. (Missed Part 1? Read it here!) I also revealed the number one mistake people and businesses make with opt-in lists: jumping right in without laying the groundwork first.
My first tip showed you how to start establishing credibility with future subscribers before you start your list.
Now, let’s move on to Tip 2!
Tip #2 - Offer a product or service that people want and need. This sounds like a no-brainer, I know. But you’d be surprised how many businesses invest tons of time and money into developing and trying to sell products that there’s little to no market for. They choose a topic, product or service that they think will be popular and earn money – usually something they themselves are interested in – only to find out that’s not the case.
An opt-in list with millions of subscribers won’t do you any good if it’s not converting into sales. In fact, it could end up losing you profits, due to the time it takes to maintain your list, create newsletters and put together special offers–whether you’re doing it yourself or hiring a copywriter to help.
Want to avoid this? Do your research. The forums that you joined and set up in Step 1 will help with this, as you interact with potential customers and hear direct from them what kinds of products and services they’re looking for. Market research can be a complex process, but here are some basic questions to ask yourself to start:
1. What real benefit does my product/service/information offer to a person or business? What will it do to help make their life or business better?
2. Conversely, what problem does my product solve?
3. Does my product have real, tangible value that can be communicated easily to customers?
4. Is there a specific market for my product, and is it large enough to sustain sales?
5. Is what I’m offering different in some way from my competitors? Is there something that makes my product stand out?
If you can’t answer these questions or if the answers are “no”, you should re-think your product… or even go with something else.
The bottom line is: If you provide a product that you’ve researched well and learned about, you can carry it forward. Invest your time, effort, and money in a product you can sell and the subscribers to your opt-in list will benefit from.
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