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<\/p>\nEmail solutions provider Aweber has been adding a slew of new features to their autoresponder service, including email analytics and stats, and more recently, a widget-like chicklet to display the number of members on your list.<\/p>\n
The question is: What effect does it have on your email list opt-in rates and is it significant?<\/p>\n
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Displaying your number of subscribers would make sense if you have achieved critical mass in your niche market. For a celebrity\/entertainment Perez Hilton-type blog, I’d think at least 10,000 is a good number. For a specialized niche like Dog Training, a list size of 1,000 qualified customers (not leads! Or mere readers) might be the sweet spot.<\/p>\n
I think displaying the raw number of subscribers is a good idea for mass consumer type blogs, because there’s a groupthink (or “sheep” mentality) that says “if 100,000 people are on the Britney Spears list, then it must be good to join in…”).<\/p>\n
As an astute marketer, I’d think the power of 3-5 high authority testimonials like:<\/p>\n
“After listening to John for less than an hour, my mind caught fire and everything fell into place.\u00c2\u00a0 I immediately produced my first sales letter ever… and it brought in $287,000 the first week!<\/strong><\/span> You can bet I seek out his advice every time I make a major business decision.”\u00c2\u00a0 Rich Schefren<\/strong>, Strategic Profits, author of “Marketing Manifesto”<\/span><\/span><\/em><\/p>\n AND<\/p>\n “Just before the famous StomperNet launch, everything was in doubt. We cornered John for advice, and in just a few minutes he provided such clarity that the fog melted away… and I was finally able to write the pitch that brought in over $10 million in one day. – Frank Kern”<\/p>\n