Websites 4 Small Business Newsletter
15 April 2005

How often should you email your list?
by Joe Vitale

Last month someone on my e-mail list wrote me a long e-mail
calling me an "Internet whore." He went on to say he was
un-subscribing from my newsletter. He added that I was "slocking
***** and that I had "lost my ethics." 

I thought about the anonymous writer and reflected on what he
said. It made me wonder how often any of us doing business online
should send out our email. Weekly? Monthly? Hourly? 

Are there any rules at all? 

Let's explore this together ... 

Personally, I only endorse products I use and believe in.
Because of my perceived status in the world these days as a
best-selling author and marketing guru, I'm contacted by dozens of
people *per day*, all asking me to sell their latest
what-have-you. I do not endorse or sell 99% of them. That saves 
me from mailing my list too often. 

Usually, as in the case of helping Kevin Hogan's book hit #2 at
Amazon and Peggy McColl sell $30,000 worth of books in one day
using the strategy I taught her, I don't make a dime for my
efforts. I'm not complaining, either. I wanted to help them, and
did. But I did not profit in any way. I felt telling my
list about their offers was a gift to my list. So I mailed them.

Often I will discover something that sets my soul aflame. That's
what happened when I discovered "The Millionaire's Mindset" book
from Slovenia. I felt it was a great gift to the world and am
honored to share it with people. I'm profiting from that, and
gladly so. It's an astonishing book. I didn't mind sending out
three e-mails about it to my list. My list didn't seem to mind,
either, as hundreds of them ordered almost instantly. My friend,
Rok, over in Slovenia said -- 

"Your list actually outperforms lists that are up to 8 times
bigger ... and it outperforms them by about 85%. Your last mailing
(which was the third mailing you did for the same book) generated
85% more responses than any other affiliate mailing in the pack."

I continue to create new products, too. Obviously, I want the
people on my list to know about these. And just as obviously, I
believe these products will help them -- or I would not be
offering them. They are not ***** or in any way fluff. They are
all useful and inspiring. Even when I release three e-books in one
week, I think my list should be the first to know about them.

So back to the question we are wrestling with: 

When is it too much? When are you e-mailing your list too often?

Now what I'm about to tell you may shock you. But it's the key
point of this article. 

I think if you have something of importance for your list, you
should tell them as fast as possible. If that means you mail twice 
in one day -- again, assuming you just got news your list would
want to hear -- then you mail them twice in one day.

I did that once. I sent an e-mail to my list in the morning. A few
hours later I received an e-mail with such thrilling news in it
that I couldn't resist sending out a follow-up email. I did. I
knew I might be flamed, but felt it was worth the risk. As a
result, 12 people thanked me. No one un-subscribed. 

Look, if you are doing business online and have news of value to
your followers, why *aren't* you telling them? 

I think the only reason you wouldn't tell them is -- fear of being
flamed, which means fear of receiving hate e-mail. 

If you are afraid of being flamed, then you probably know you
don't have anything of value for your list. 

Think about it. 

I'll repeat my statement: If you are afraid of being flamed, then
you probably know you don't have anything of value for your list. 

Let me explain: 

If I'm on your list because I want to hear of your new products or
services, and you have a new product or service and don't tell me,
I have every right to be upset. I should have been given first
shot at the offer. 

For example, I'm a member of the Kenny Wayne Shepherd fan club.
He's a hard rocking blues guitarist in the tradition of Stevie Ray
Vaughan. Well, I signed up for Kenny's email list to be notified
of his new releases and concert appearances. You might imagine my
surprise -- and disappointment -- one day when I saw a new CD by
him in a music store, one I never heard about by any e-mail from
him. While I was glad to discover the new music, I was upset that
no one notified me. After all, that's why I signed on to get his
e-mails in the first place. I un-subscribed. 

Here's another example: 

Another friend of mine is a professional entertainer. I sat in the
audience at one of his shows and heard him tell people, "If you
sign on to my email list, I'll send you occasional updates about
my appearances." He added, "I won't abuse your e-mail and send you
too much e-mail." 

Well, he blew it. Anyone who signs up for his e-mail *wants* to
hear from him, not just whenever he has an appearance, but
whenever he has news of interest to them. In my opinion, the
entertainer was thinking of himself, not his audience. He was
coming from pure fear. 

I also know an executive coach who mails his list once a quarter
or so. I keep wondering, "Doesn't he have a life? Doesn't he have
any news? Doesn't he ever come across anything he's excited about
and can't wait to tell his list?" Apparently not. To me, he looks
lazy, inept, or just plain scared. I would never hire him as a
coach. 

According to Newsweek magazine, 90% of all spam is sent from
a group of under 150 people. You're probably not one of them. 
Neither am I. But if you were considering doing bulk emails to
strangers (known as spamming), you should also know that one
spammer admitted she got only 25 responses -- after sending out
1,000,000 e-mails. And naturally, even the 25 responses weren't
what she was looking for. Never, ever, spam -- ever. It doesn't
work. 

BUT if you have a list of people who have *asked* to receive
relevant information and offers from you, then not sending them
e-mail when you have news for them is a big mistake.

Are you with me here? 

I'm *not* advocating e-mailing your list mindlessly, just because
*you* think you have something to say. 

I *am* advocating e-mailing your list whenever you have news
*they* will deem important. If that means every day for a week,
then so be it. 

Finally, what about the person who wrote me the flaming e-mail and
called me an Internet Whore? 

I have no idea who he is. He may not know who he is, either. I
showed the e-mail to a peer and he said, "That guy needs a
therapist." I don't know if he does or not, but the great gift in
his e-mail is that he prompted me to again think about how often
we E-mail Marketers should e-mail, and it resulted in this
article. 

I hope it has been thought provoking. 

Now, I have another important mailing to get out to my list ... 

----------------------------------------------------------------- 
Joe Vitale is world's first Hypnotic Writer. To learn how you can
hypnotize people into buying your products and services, check out
"How to Write Hypnotic Articles." Click here for immediate access
or go to http://www.howtowritehypnoticarticles.com/g.o/Web4Business