But what if you have a list but need to switch autoresponders?

The experts say you could lose as much as 60% of your list, and at first I thought that was because people had signed up who were simply no longer interested. Things change, after all. What seemed important last year may be something you routinely delete this year.

But I think I just found another reason – and it’s one you can do something about.

Today I got an email that read:

“To maintain contact with our customers and to ensure the very best email delivery possible, we are switching to a confirmed email list. Please confirm your email address by clicking the link below:”

I didn’t recognize the name in the from line, and I didn’t recognize the URL for the company. So… I didn’t click the link.

Surely if it was something I wanted I would recognize something – wouldn’t I?

Maybe not.

So what’s the cure? For one thing, you can do what one of my clients is doing – send a series of emails over the 7-10 days prior to the switch – informing your readers of the change, and reminding them (with good information) about why they want to continue their membership on your list.

Second, it appears that you can customize the message. All this says is “our SEO company” and the URL, but that leads me to believe that you could say something like:

“In order to keep receiving our timely tips on increasing your site’s SEO…”

The other important thing, if your readers know you by name, is to include the name they know in the from line on that opt-in message.

Losing followers is never a good thing – even though you have to expect to lose a few.

Do all in your power not to lose the ones who want to stay with you!

In going back over the numbers for the last year or so, one thing is consistent – the fundraising ezine gets opened more than the others. Usually there are about half again as many people, percentage-wise that read the fundraising ezine than the others.

Is that because people working for non-profits are more actively seeking information? Is it because they get less email “junk” and so a message to them is less apt to get lost in the avalanche?

I don’t suppose I’ll know the answer to that question, but I do find it interesting. It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with subject lines.

Something else that’s interesting – if I find a product that I think will help people and send a special message to tell about it, or if I offer a sale on one of my own products, I always get a few unsubscribes.

This week I offered my Real Estate Career Builder course at less than half price: 6 lessons for $47, with a full money back guarantee. And that made a couple people cranky enough to unsubscribe.

Maybe they were agents who have all the business they could possibly want and don’t want to be bothered hearing about how to make more sales? I suppose I could write and ask them why, but I don’t suppose I will. They have a right to unsubscribe without being hassled by me.

Life, and the internet, is full of puzzles. And while we can track results and tweak things in response, none of us can ever really understand what goes on in someone else’s head. We just have to keep trying, if we want to be successful marketers. That does include asking questions if we can do it without being intrusive.

Enough of my puzzles… onward.

Everyone knows that building a list is one of the keys to successful marketing on line. And with that in mind, I’d like to direct you to one of my favorite internet marketing Gurus. David Risley seems to have it all figured out when the subject is how to make a good living with a blog – and his recent article about Viral Landing pages is one I saved to put to use. If you’re trying to build a list, you might want to read it.