What to do with email marketing list

[Ross Mack]

Hi,

I've just launched a platform to help the public find personal trainers.

I have collected 11,000 email addresses, through various means, however they are unsubscribed emails so it would be a cold contact email; Spam in other words (being honest).

My question is:

What would be the best way to use this database to convert?

I want people to join the platform, which is free, and at the same time I want to offer my facebook marketing services, which I will outsource to someone else. The marketing portion is how I will monetise.

I do believe I would have to warm people up to joining the platform first, by showing value in it first. So emailing them cold saying 'join my platform' wouldn't be the smart way to go.
But how would I get across the 2 different messages?

Thank you for your help,
Ross M

 

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[maverick]

Hi Ross,

You would be better off using the email list as an input for your advertising. So you would use the list as a custom audience in facebook marketing for example: How to use Facebook Custom Audiences

Or use it as an input for your display advertising in Quantcast: Direct Response Advertising | Quantcast or Criteo: Criteo Publisher Marketplace

Build a landing page using software like Instapage, Unbounce or Leadpages. Incorporate a drip email marketing solution like Drip.co to build your own email list. Read up on drip marketing: Drip Marketing: How to Run A Drip Campaign [Infographic]

Search the forums if you need material on how to write good ad copy.

 

[Kung Fu Steve]

The first step in marketing is not the tac-- wait... did you just say you want to get these 11,000 people a personal trainer and your marketing services...?

Am I right in saying you're trying to build this platform but you're tight for money so you're trying to jump on the "easy" bandwagon of charging people for "marketing services" (that you should be utilizing yourself to build your lead gen site)?

Not to pick on you but can you see the folly in philosophy here?

Let's try to take each part of this one by one (I apologize if it's out of context)

Hi,

I've just launched a platform to help the public find personal trainers.

Great! It's tough to find decent personal trainers!

I have collected 11,000 email addresses, through various means,

Through various means is a phrase that raises a huge red flag for me. How? Out with it!

however they are unsubscribed emails so it would be a cold contact email; Spam in other words (being honest).

It is absolutely spam. If someone went to the trouble to say "don't contact me again" ... they probably don't wanted to be contacted again about personal trainers...

But we have to go back to the "through various means" from above... because were these people subscribed to something about personal training? fitness? health? ANYTHING related to personal trainers?

How do you know they are interested in marketing services? Are there many middle-aged housewives looking to get in great shape to look sexy in a bikini AND market their home business through your marketing services?

... am I being ridiculous yet?

What would be the best way to use this database to convert?

Read: How do I make money off this spam list?

(not meant to sound harsh, it's a question not a jab)

I want people to join the platform, which is free, and at the same time I want to offer my facebook marketing services, which I will outsource to someone else. The marketing portion is how I will monetise.

My friend... this thinking is insane.

I know money is an emotional subject for many of us and you want to earn some money but you only do that by providing value to those people. You can't just say the buzz words and money falls from the sky.

Each one of those 11,000 emails is a person. A real live person. Not some robot somewhere. If you had their phone number, you could call them. Like your friends, your family, your neighbors.

If you don't have a facebook marketing service SKILL then don't offer it! If you can't provide THAT value to someone -- DON'T!

Let's pretend I sold apples and pole-dancing lessons... and I started a pole-dancing lesson website where you could find your local pole-dancing instructors like myself and then I called you one day and said "Hey man, it's your local pole-dancing instructor and I'd love to sell you some apples! In fact I have an entire box of apples for you -- I don't grow apples or know how but if you PAY ME NOW you can go down to the grocery store and buy them!

... I just "outsourced" my apple sales for my pole-dancing folks... I mean clearly pole-dancers must like apples occasionally, right? (The lesson to learn here is they are COMPLETELY UNRELATED).

I do believe I would have to warm people up to joining the platform first, by showing value in it first.

You're saying the words but I don't think you understand them. What does "showing value" mean to you?

So emailing them cold saying 'join my platform' wouldn't be the smart way to go.

Absolutely not.

1. We don't know where these emails came from and therefore we have no idea if they are INTERESTED in Personal Training - or - Facebook Marketing Services...

2. Next, even if they ARE interested in what you have to offer... you've already told us they are an "unsubscribed list" -- meaning they said "NO."

3. Spam is illegal. You (probably) won't get sued for such a small list. Worst case you'll probably have your email account suspended. But 99% of the email autoresponders and bulk emailers these days won't even accept your list!

But how would I get across the 2 different messages?

You don't.

We could several hours worth of conversation here about this one subject but the short answer in marketing is you never do that.

Sorry if it sounds harsh.. but I'm a marketer. Always have been. I've spent years learning how. I'd love to correct a couple of errors in judgment here not for the purpose of tearing you down but if you adjust a couple things and learn a few skills here you COULD find some success.... but it's going to take more commitment!

 

[MJ DeMarco]

The first step in marketing is not the tac-- wait... did you just say you want to get these 11,000 people a personal trainer and your marketing services...?

Am I right in saying you're trying to build this platform but you're tight for money so you're trying to jump on the "easy" bandwagon of charging people for "marketing services" (that you should be utilizing yourself to build your lead gen site)?

Not to pick on you but can you see the folly in philosophy here?

Let's try to take each part of this one by one (I apologize if it's out of context)



Great! It's tough to find decent personal trainers!



Through various means is a phrase that raises a huge red flag for me. How? Out with it!



It is absolutely spam. If someone went to the trouble to say "don't contact me again" ... they probably don't wanted to be contacted again about personal trainers...

But we have to go back to the "through various means" from above... because were these people subscribed to something about personal training? fitness? health? ANYTHING related to personal trainers?

How do you know they are interested in marketing services? Are there many middle-aged housewives looking to get in great shape to look sexy in a bikini AND market their home business through your marketing services?

... am I being ridiculous yet?



Read: How do I make money off this spam list?

(not meant to sound harsh, it's a question not a jab)



My friend... this thinking is insane.

I know money is an emotional subject for many of us and you want to earn some money but you only do that by providing value to those people. You can't just say the buzz words and money falls from the sky.

Each one of those 11,000 emails is a person. A real live person. Not some robot somewhere. If you had their phone number, you could call them. Like your friends, your family, your neighbors.

If you don't have a facebook marketing service SKILL then don't offer it! If you can't provide THAT value to someone -- DON'T!

Let's pretend I sold apples and pole-dancing lessons... and I started a pole-dancing lesson website where you could find your local pole-dancing instructors like myself and then I called you one day and said "Hey man, it's your local pole-dancing instructor and I'd love to sell you some apples! In fact I have an entire box of apples for you -- I don't grow apples or know how but if you PAY ME NOW you can go down to the grocery store and buy them!

... I just "outsourced" my apple sales for my pole-dancing folks... I mean clearly pole-dancers must like apples occasionally, right? (The lesson to learn here is they are COMPLETELY UNRELATED).



You're saying the words but I don't think you understand them. What does "showing value" mean to you?



Absolutely not.

1. We don't know where these emails came from and therefore we have no idea if they are INTERESTED in Personal Training - or - Facebook Marketing Services...

2. Next, even if they ARE interested in what you have to offer... you've already told us they are an "unsubscribed list" -- meaning they said "NO."

3. Spam is illegal. You (probably) won't get sued for such a small list. Worst case you'll probably have your email account suspended. But 99% of the email autoresponders and bulk emailers these days won't even accept your list!



You don't.

We could several hours worth of conversation here about this one subject but the short answer in marketing is you never do that.

Sorry if it sounds harsh.. but I'm a marketer. Always have been. I've spent years learning how. I'd love to correct a couple of errors in judgment here not for the purpose of tearing you down but if you adjust a couple things and learn a few skills here you COULD find some success.... but it's going to take more commitment!

Legendary response. Rep++, I gather it won't be something he wants to hear.

 

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[Kung Fu Steve]

Legendary response. Rep++, I gather it won't be something he wants to hear.

You're legendary!

Yeah hope I didn't break him...

P.S. Where's my audio version of the new book?

 

[LateStarter]

P.S. Where's my audio version of the new book?

Forget the audio book. Now people are lining up to buy Steve's pole-dancing instructional videos!

Buy now and he'll even throw in a free apple*!

*Limited time offer, some conditions apply

 

[Kung Fu Steve]

Forget the audio book. Now people are lining up to buy Steve's pole-dancing instructional videos!

Buy now and he'll even throw in a free apple*!

*Limited time offer, some conditions apply

Bwahaha

 

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[lowtek]

The first step in marketing is not the tac-- wait... did you just say you want to get these 11,000 people a personal trainer and your marketing services...?

Am I right in saying you're trying to build this platform but you're tight for money so you're trying to jump on the "easy" bandwagon of charging people for "marketing services" (that you should be utilizing yourself to build your lead gen site)?

Not to pick on you but can you see the folly in philosophy here?

Let's try to take each part of this one by one (I apologize if it's out of context)



Great! It's tough to find decent personal trainers!



Through various means is a phrase that raises a huge red flag for me. How? Out with it!



It is absolutely spam. If someone went to the trouble to say "don't contact me again" ... they probably don't wanted to be contacted again about personal trainers...

But we have to go back to the "through various means" from above... because were these people subscribed to something about personal training? fitness? health? ANYTHING related to personal trainers?

How do you know they are interested in marketing services? Are there many middle-aged housewives looking to get in great shape to look sexy in a bikini AND market their home business through your marketing services?

... am I being ridiculous yet?



Read: How do I make money off this spam list?

(not meant to sound harsh, it's a question not a jab)



My friend... this thinking is insane.

I know money is an emotional subject for many of us and you want to earn some money but you only do that by providing value to those people. You can't just say the buzz words and money falls from the sky.

Each one of those 11,000 emails is a person. A real live person. Not some robot somewhere. If you had their phone number, you could call them. Like your friends, your family, your neighbors.

If you don't have a facebook marketing service SKILL then don't offer it! If you can't provide THAT value to someone -- DON'T!

Let's pretend I sold apples and pole-dancing lessons... and I started a pole-dancing lesson website where you could find your local pole-dancing instructors like myself and then I called you one day and said "Hey man, it's your local pole-dancing instructor and I'd love to sell you some apples! In fact I have an entire box of apples for you -- I don't grow apples or know how but if you PAY ME NOW you can go down to the grocery store and buy them!

... I just "outsourced" my apple sales for my pole-dancing folks... I mean clearly pole-dancers must like apples occasionally, right? (The lesson to learn here is they are COMPLETELY UNRELATED).



You're saying the words but I don't think you understand them. What does "showing value" mean to you?



Absolutely not.

1. We don't know where these emails came from and therefore we have no idea if they are INTERESTED in Personal Training - or - Facebook Marketing Services...

2. Next, even if they ARE interested in what you have to offer... you've already told us they are an "unsubscribed list" -- meaning they said "NO."

3. Spam is illegal. You (probably) won't get sued for such a small list. Worst case you'll probably have your email account suspended. But 99% of the email autoresponders and bulk emailers these days won't even accept your list!



You don't.

We could several hours worth of conversation here about this one subject but the short answer in marketing is you never do that.

Sorry if it sounds harsh.. but I'm a marketer. Always have been. I've spent years learning how. I'd love to correct a couple of errors in judgment here not for the purpose of tearing you down but if you adjust a couple things and learn a few skills here you COULD find some success.... but it's going to take more commitment!

I'm interested in those pole dancing lessons... how much for a bundle of 10?

 

[Coalission]

Sending unsolicited emails (spam) is as illegal as unsolicited cold calls...it isn't. Not sure where the myth comes from, but if you follow the CAN-SPAM rules, then you...can spam. (At least in the US)

If you keep emailing them after they unsubscribe, just like if a company keeps calling after you told them to take you off the list, then you're breaking the law.

Cold emails, cold calling, cold direct mail, all fair game if done right and within the boundaries of the law.

That being said, if these are completely untargeted emails, you won't get much traction, if you even get into the inbox at all.

At the very least, separate the two brands, so you have one company that offers FB marketing services, and a completely separate email under a different name to promote your platform. You're allowed to own more than one business, but trying to promote two unrelated businesses under one name feels cheap.

 

[LateStarter]

You can also load the email list into your favorite ad management platform and start a 'retargeting-style' campaign for those addresses. Encourage them to go through your new business funnel and try to get conversions that way.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk

 

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