Who is subscriber 154 in your email list?

Stop thinking numbers. Start thinking people.

The problem with a lot of our emails isn’t that we don’t care, don’t write well or even have inferior products. It’s the fact we are treating our subscribers like numbers. We think we have to be something to everybody, instead of just one thing to someone. It’s a bit like getting on-stage in front of a large audience. First-timers stutter in the gaze of a thousand eyeballs. The pro’s connect with two or three people in the audience, as they speak.

Number-blindness is understandable. When your list tips over the three-figure mark, it becomes easier to categorize and treat your subscribers as lists of characteristics, rather than people. But some of the best marketers I have followed don’t do that. They cultivate 1-to-1 relationships through our responses to them. There’s nothing that says “I care about you” than a personal response to your email question, Facebook text or survey response.

Tarzan Kay won my respect with a personal video in response to my question, within 48 hours.

Getting that email list wasn’t easy. It takes an effort to create an email list in the first place, so maintaining contact with your subscribers should be an essential part of your business. Notice the “should”. A lot of list owners shy away from constant contact, whether it’s fear, overwhelm or insecurity. The problem is that the digital lacks nuance, so when you send one sales pitch after another, your subscribers get bored.

So, how do you get around it? Send more email. Yes, you heard that right. Your subscribers deserve to hear the real you, outside of the products, pricing or promotional pitch. Send them your thoughts, favourite articles and inspiration from your life. I know of two coaches that email their list on a bi-weekly basis. I love their newsletters for what they include – their latest travels, snippets from their Facebook page and other reader’s responses. It becomes an email from a digital friend, rather than a business. They may mention a new book launch or sales promotion, perhaps twice a year. And they both swear by the time they invest in their email list.

Walking away from the old sales model takes courage. You can definitely expect more disagreement and even a rise in the unsubscribe rate as you start speaking out. Your views will polarise your readers – but as long as it’s speaking to your key customers, that is actually a bonus. You don’t need to appeal to millions, you just need to appeal to the ones who will buy from you.

Go on. Send a personal message today to subscriber 154.