Value Based Marketing

Today I want to post something a little different.

Something more specific, but broad at the same time.

Something that can massively change the way you do marketing.

2 years ago, I discovered a secret.

A secret so few people know, it hasn’t become ‘mainstream’ knowledge since its inception over a decade ago.

The secret?

List responsiveness fluctuates…

…and you should never delete “unresponsive” subscribers.

Seems like common sense, doesn’t it?

Now I want you to pay attention as you read this post, because as you do you may realize something powerful. Something that causes a fundamental shift inside.

The other day I was on Facebook, and saw a message that went something like this:

“Time for some internal housekeeping – Just deleted two 3rds of my email list (20,000) subscribers who never open my emails”

There are two things very wrong with this.

Firstly, open rates fluctuate.

Your unresponsive subscribers don’t suddenly stopped using their email accounts. They’re using the same email accounts, and they’re still seeing your emails.

The only difference is, they’ve chosen not to open them and it’s become an unconscious action. They automatically without thinking about it ignore your emails.

Why?

Just because they associate your emails with pain, most likely because you’ve tried to sell too much without giving away anything in return.

The second thing that’s wrong with deleting emails is that those subscribers will eventually start opening your emails again.

I find it hilarious when I see people deleting ‘unresponsive’ subscribers. I watch them, fascinated by their actions, wondering why.

It’s as if their subscribed have ‘died’.

Now I can’t show you an exact example, but I’ve seen people who’s lists have gone from 35% open rate down to 2%, stayed there for a while (this is where people delete the unresponsiveness subs) and then shot back up to 20%.

How?

They changed their strategy to a VALUE based marketing strategy. They went from focusing on selling first to giving value before the exchange of currency.

The reality is your open rates will go down to 2-7% if you just mail out promotions all the time. The typical ‘responsiveness’ cycle of an email list goes something like this:

• Starts at around 30-70% from the first email.
• Goes to around 20% within a month.
• By six weeks, you’re at 15%.
• Post 8 weeks, you’re getting 5-15% open rates on a list that was opening 50%+ of the time just shy of 2 months ago.

What’s wrong with this?

It’s a colossal waste of time, energy and money.

What am I getting at here?

Switch to a value based marketing strategy.

Give value, focus on helping your people, become their trusted advisor; BEFORE the exchange of money.

When you do this a few things happen. One, you start making far more sales. People start to like you, you become like a celebrity in their eyes. Giving away content before they buy you stuff, makes people think your ‘paid stuff’ is even better. The reality?

It doesn’t even have to be, because they’ll still thank you after they buy it, because they enjoy giving you money.

‘The 12 Week Detox’

Within around 12 weeks, you can recover an open rate from 4-7% to 20-35%+ depending on how badly you screwed it up. Here’s how:

Create a DAILY value-based email.

Even more effective, create a daily value-based piece of content that doesn’t sell anything. A blog post, article or video – and send it out to your list giving them value.

Every day.

Talking to guys who send out 10s of millions of emails per month, the most effective email marketing strategy for content-based emails is to send them DAILY.

Sending them daily will make sure the subscribers who never open your emails – do. When they do, they’ll see that you’re doing something different and they’ll slowly become more responsive.

It’s as simple as that.

Eric Worre, Sovereign Man, they have some of the most responsive lists in the world – because they send out DAILY value-based emails. People look forward to their emails, because they know something useful is inside.

The powerful part…

When you’re sending people to a blog, you can have banners/links around the content that lead people to your sales funnel. After enough exposures (and people WILL continue to come back for the content) they’ll click through to your sales process.

They’ll start watching your sales video. People normally send their list to a sales page, and every other email they send out goes straight back to the same sales page.

People don’t want to go back to the same sales message, unless they choose to. When you send subscribers to blog content however, they’ll keep coming back, reading it, clicking through to your sales funnel (again & again) and eventually buy.

Sometimes, people will buy after they read 30 of your blog posts and click through to the sales video for the fifth time. They keep coming back, getting value and just decide to buy because of it.

It’s the best way to sell a single product, ever. I have guys on my list who’ve bought something for the first time after 2 years of reading my emails. Why?

Value based marketing.

It can cure an unresponsive email list, save you thousands of dollars, countless time and ultimately; it’s just a better marketing strategy.

ESPECIALLY, if you’re selling 1 core product. No other strategy will get so many subscribers to continue to go back to the same sales process and buy on the 5th or 10th+ exposure.

Use it wisely.

P.S. Leave me your thoughts and comments below.

Comments

MatthewMonnette

I agree David, I get sale pitches every day into my email. Whenever I see it, I just skip over it until I find something with value that will help me move forward to my goals. I’ve been leading with value, and it’s like magic—everything takes a 180-degree turn, and more people are opening my emails and clicking through to my website. AMAZING.

empoweredteamleaders

That definitely makes sense, Dave. I totally agree that giving value to your list is what will help you grow your business quicker! Thanks, Lisa 🙂

Jasmine Patel

David, I couldn’t agree more with your post! I’ve been following the value-based marketing strategy for a while now, and the results have been incredible. It’s amazing how providing value before even asking for anything can completely change the way people interact with my business. I’ve seen a noticeable difference in the responsiveness of my email list, and customers seem to appreciate the content I provide. Keep sharing your insights—it’s making a huge impact!

Robert Evans

I’m not sure if this strategy can really work in all industries. You mentioned recovering email open rates, but do you have any specific case studies or evidence showing this is effective across different sectors? I’d love to see more data on how this works in industries like finance or tech. Could you provide examples or additional resources? I really want to believe this could be a game-changer, but I need more convincing.

Claire Adams

This post really got me thinking. How do you handle people who might still ignore your emails despite providing value? Is there a point where it’s worth just letting them go? I understand the idea of giving value first, but what if people just never respond? Do you have a way of measuring when it’s time to move on, or should we keep trying to re-engage them indefinitely?

Ethan Richards

I appreciate your perspective, David, but I have to be honest—I think this approach can be a bit too idealistic at times. Not every customer responds positively to value-based content. Sometimes, people just want the hard sell. In my experience, value doesn’t always lead to higher sales, especially when you’re working with impatient clients. That said, I still think there’s something to be learned here, and maybe a mix of both strategies could work. What do you think?

Sophia Turner

Hey David! This post reminds me of a conversation we had a few years back about the importance of staying consistent with content. It’s so great to see you still advocating for providing value first. By the way, it’s been too long! Let’s catch up sometime—would love to hear more about how you’ve been putting this strategy to use lately. Keep up the great work!

Amelia Johnson

This is spot on! I’ve faced similar challenges with my own email list, and it was only when I started focusing on delivering value that things turned around. My open rates were plummeting, and I wasn’t sure what to do, but your post inspired me to change my approach. Now, not only are people engaging more with my emails, but they’re actually sharing my content with others. I think the key is exactly what you said—become their trusted advisor.

Daniel King

I recently discovered a tool called ConvertKit that has really helped me with implementing a value-based email strategy similar to what you’ve described here. It’s designed specifically for creators and entrepreneurs, and the automation features are amazing for delivering consistent value to subscribers. If anyone is struggling with managing their email list effectively, I’d highly recommend giving it a try!

Lily Chen

Thank you for this, David! I’ve been following your blog for a while now, and every post teaches me something new. This one, in particular, really opened my eyes to how I’ve been handling my email list. I used to focus so much on selling that I forgot to nurture my audience. Since making the switch to providing value first, I’ve not only seen better engagement, but my customers seem genuinely grateful. It’s a win-win!