Hate Mail from Subscribers Who Don’t Like Ads - My Little Rant
I am certain that in your experience as an entrepreneur that you have gotten a note from one of your ezine subscribers who is upset because you have advertisements and product recommendations in your email newsletter or mention affiliate products in your email tips.
I got a note from one such subscriber today. She was a long time advertiser on our Webmomz site. She said that there are lots of home business websites out there that offer great free newsletters that don’t have advertising. Then she really put me down and took a knock at my character for being so low as to be “one of those marketers” and sending product recommendations.
Now I take offense to this. I love helping mom entrepreneurs to be successful in their online business. And I know it’s working because I get lots of feedback from work at home moms who are thankful for the helpful business advice we have given them.
I mean, there are lots of very reputable services that support themselves with ads:
- Yahoo email and Yahoo groups - supported by ads
- Google Gmail - supported by ads
- Read any major magazine - they are supported by ads
- Watch any tv show - supported by ads
- Read any newspaper - supported by ads.
- Listen to the radio - ads there too!
Yes, I love helping moms and would love to do it for free - but I also have a family to feed, bills to pay, a mortgage to pay. So I need to do something that allows me to make money AND help others. Webmomz has been the perfect match for me and helped me to earn a respectable 6 figure salary this year.
Our goal at Webmomz is to offer you the net’s #1 source of mom entrepreneurs tools, advice and information. That means we need a whole team of people to help create content, build web pages, proofread copy, set up our teleseminars, answer the phones, answer your e-mails and let people know we’re here for them. Those people require that we pay them.
I know we are offer tremendous value in our offerings at Webmomz. I get many thank you notes a day that back that up.
What are your thoughts on offering ads in your newsletters? Do you get some newsletters that are more advertising then content? Share your thoughts here.
Technorati Tags: entrepreneur, ezine subscribers, advertisements, product recommendations, email newsletter, affiliate products, advertiser, home business, free newsletters, mom entrepreneurs, online business, work at home moms
Posted on October 18th, 2006 at 6:00 pm. About 'Hate Mail from Subscribers Who Don’t Like Ads - My Little Rant'.
Hi Kristie,
I’m so glad to have found your “rant”. I have been providing wah info online since 1998 (you were kind enough to list my site in your book) and have a smallish, but really great list. But every-now-and-then I get an email that totally knocks me for a loop. My most recent was a complaint that I promoted my own ebook. Of course 98% of the ezine and website is free wah content, but she zeroed in on my book and thought it was in bad taste, and that hadn’t my readers spent enough (on what I don’t know since my website and ezine are free). Doesn’t Entrepreneur Magazine promote its books in the magazine? Don’t all magazine promote the sale of their subscriptions? What website can you go to that doesn’t have Google Ad words running on them. Not many.
The other one that upset me couple of months ago was someone unsubscribing because of “too many emails”. Huh? I send one newsletter on Fridays. That’s it. No solo emailings or special mailings. Later, I wondered if the person wasn’t complaining about too much mail from me, but in her email in general.
When I get these emails, I wonder how others succeed with their lists. I belong to lists that send emails out every day, some times more than one a day. Sometimes its simply an ad. Do their subscribers complain too? They must. But these sites keep doing it I guess because it makes them money.
Me, I do like to get feedback and while I don’t always like what I hear, I do try to have a good relationship with my list. I think they forget sometimes that I’m just a mom, working at home and sharing what I have learned with others who want to know.
Thanks again for the rant.
Leslie Truex
http://www.workathomesuccess.com
Posted on October 18th, 2006 at 6:54 pm. About 'Hate Mail from Subscribers Who Don’t Like Ads - My Little Rant'.
Dear Kristie,
You just have to try not to take it personally and move on. For every one email you get like this, there are countless others who appreciate all that you do for them, understand that you have to make a living, and trust your rock-solid integrity that you would never recommend an inferior product just to make a quick buck.
That said, I hate those emails too! In fact, I anticipated that I would get comments like that that on my blog because sometimes I recommend great solutions where I do get an affiliate commission as well. So, I tried to pre-empt (sp?) the “How dare you make any money?” comments with this blog entry:
http://www.solutionsforbusymoms.com/blog/2006/8/13/in-the-interest-of-full-disclosure.html
I hope it helps another Mom Entrepreneur out there!
Posted on October 18th, 2006 at 6:54 pm. About 'Hate Mail from Subscribers Who Don’t Like Ads - My Little Rant'.
Amen, sister!
Posted on October 18th, 2006 at 8:20 pm. About 'Hate Mail from Subscribers Who Don’t Like Ads - My Little Rant'.
Kristie,
I LOVE your newsletters and as a matter of fact, a business associate told me just the other day how much she loves them too.
People will ALWAYS have comments… but the one’s that are negative and insulting are those who are insecure not only in themselves but will be the ones who say (when you make your television debut
… “I know her, I remember when…” LOL!!
Apparently you’re doing something right, Dr. Phil thinks you rock and so do I
Keep ‘em coming…
Regina
Posted on October 19th, 2006 at 11:35 am. About 'Hate Mail from Subscribers Who Don’t Like Ads - My Little Rant'.
I find it ironically hysterical that an advertiser had a problem with you advertising.
Does she have a problem with advertising in newsletters when it is her advertisement that is used? And does she turn away business that comes from newsletters?
I doubt it.
Chalk it up to knowing she is a person who has a lot of “rules” in place - and that those rules aren’t exactly serving her highest good in this moment.
Posted on October 19th, 2006 at 1:27 pm. About 'Hate Mail from Subscribers Who Don’t Like Ads - My Little Rant'.
Hi Kristie,
To answer your question, I do receive many newsletters that promote affiliate
links etc. Some newsletters only come out if they have something to promote.
Yours is different. When you wrote about the movie The Secret, you may have
provided an affiliate link(not sure) to the site to purchase. I went through
your link and I thought it was amazing. I rented but now I’m going to buy.
I can’t thank you enough. I hope you do get something for it. You should for
share this valuable resouce.
I know most if not all of your products are targeted to WAHM. I’m a Work at
home Dad and find your information of great value.
I want to share something with you from two weeks back.
I was chatting with my wife about working from home and she saw a list on
the table. On this list was my dreams and goals for working at home for the
next five years. She was looking at my list and asked me “what does #13
Kristie T. JV mean? I replied Kristie T is a very famous WAHM and I want to
someday form a Joint Venture with her. She then asked me “why Kristie T.”
I began to give her a long list that included words such as ” expert,honest,
caring,inspiring,brillant,funny etc. etc. etc.” I then stated that she is type
of person that anyone would be proud to be associated with. Although she may
not realize it, she inspires people everyday. The world is much much better
place with her in it. I then showed my wife the movie “The Secret”.
She loved it. I told her Kristie T. is the kind of person this movie is about.
Thank you for everything you do Kristie. I hope your day turns out better.
I know my days are better anytime I receive news from you.
Posted on October 28th, 2006 at 5:55 pm. About 'Hate Mail from Subscribers Who Don’t Like Ads - My Little Rant'.
I’ve never been offended by your newsletters. I realize that not only do you provide great information, but you also have to find a way to afford to send us your FREE newsletter. Some people just won’t ever get it…