Building Trust With Your Subscribers
Trust is something that needs to be cultivated in any relationship, especially when it comes to email marketing. Let me ask you some serious questions?
How many emails do you delete from your inbox every day, without opening them?
My guess is a lot more than you actually open, am I right? Now think about the ones that you do open and read. Why do you open them?
Is it because of the catchy subject line? Or is it because you know the sender and you trust that they will have something to say that may benefit you?
Now, don’t get me wrong a great subject line is very important, but I’ll bet that most of the emails you open and read are from people and companies that you know, like and trust.
Trust has to be earned from the beginning. Once you’ve earned it, it needs to be nurtured, so you don’t lose it. You’ve got them on your list and delivered what you promised, so what’s next? How do you really get them to trust you?
You help them!
Yes, it really can be that easy. Think about that for a minute. The people who join your list don’t do it to help you raise your stats orbuy your products. They join because they are looking for something that will help them solve a problem or fulfill a need.
When you can offer solutions it’s like a winning lottery ticket for them and they will happily follow where you lead, which ultimately should be to an order page, but we’ll talk more about that in your next lesson.
For now, let’s keep the focus on trust.
I know you may be thinking to yourself, “how do I find out what they need?” This really all comes down to listening to your target audience and clearly understanding what they struggle with the most.
Do you really know your target audience?
If you answered no or maybe to that question, the first thing you should do is take some time and get to know them, because if you’re not sure who you’re trying to reach then you’ll never be able to influence them.
The good news is there are many ways you can do this even if you don’t have a list of subscribers yet.
Social media is a fantastic place to start identifying the problems that plague your audience, because it’s where they will complain about their woes, ask questions and seek solutions.
Find out where they spend their time. Is it on facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat or some place else? Wherever they are, that’s where you should be. Participate in the conversations and ask questions. When you do this, you will be able to tap into what’s really holding them back. Then you can offer them real solutions that they will gladly pay you for.
If you already have a list don’t be shy, ask them. Post a survey or ask them to respond to your email with their most pressing problems related to your niche. Depending on your market you can even reach out to them by phone or messenger.
When it comes to building trust with your readers never be salesy or spammy, just ask them where they are struggling. Let them know that you understand where they’re coming from and offer to assist them.
When you show them that you are genuinely interested in helping them get where they want to go, getting them to trust you won’t be a problem, because they will naturally gravitate to you and what you have to offer.
