You have probably heard the old adage ‘The Money is in Your List’ and like a lot of people you may have thought that this was just too much work. Or that you didn’t need a list at all. Your thoughts drifted to just driving traffic to your website and then people would purchase what you had to offer.
This is the mind set of many new marketers. So they go off and start setting up a site with lots of offers. But what happens is that they see no sales. People are visiting and then leaving. What you need is a way to keep those people on your site. The easiest way to do this is by offering them a freebie in exchange for their email address.
This allows you to build a database of email addresses that you can email to keep in touch with. You then have their permission to email them with news on your affiliate products or even products that you create yourself. One word of caution though, don’t SELL to your list all the time, offer them valuable insights and helpful tips to build a relationship with them. By taking the time to build a relationship with your list, when you do send out a more promotional email they will be ready to click on the sales link and purchase your product or item.
The following options will show you how to get started with building a list.
This is the mind set of many new marketers. So they go off and start setting up a site with lots of offers. But what happens is that they see no sales. People are visiting and then leaving. What you need is a way to keep those people on your site. The easiest way to do this is by offering them a freebie in exchange for their email address.
This allows you to build a database of email addresses that you can email to keep in touch with. You then have their permission to email them with news on your affiliate products or even products that you create yourself. One word of caution though, don’t SELL to your list all the time, offer them valuable insights and helpful tips to build a relationship with them. By taking the time to build a relationship with your list, when you do send out a more promotional email they will be ready to click on the sales link and purchase your product or item.
Ready? Let’s get started then...
Your goal for building a list is to build a large list of loyal subscribers. These will be subscribers that trust and respect you, ones that will purchase from you when you email them with your latest new product or recommendation. Always keep this goal in mind while building your list.
LIST BUILDING BASICS
Your first goal is to set up a basic opt in box on your website. This will connect to an auto-responder service like Aweber or Get Response. When someone enters their name and email address they will be sent to a thank you page where they will get the free product which you are offering.
Certain auto-responder services will ask the subscriber to confirm that they want to be on your list. Most people don’t have any problem doing this and this way you are protecting yourself from being accused of spamming them. This is called a double opt in method. When buying traffic for a free opt-in I recommend using single opt-in as I’ve noticed in the past up to 40% will not confirm their email.
So, let’s discuss this in a little more detail first. If you sign up with Aweber the first month is only $1, so you can try out their service first. One signed up you will go into your account and create a list. Then it is just a matter of following the steps to guide you in your list set up. They even have pre-made sign up boxes that you can place on your website. It is very easy and quick to do. You want to give your visitor something that is connected with your website and that they will find useful. This could be a short report, e book, even a video or short e course. There are many places to find free reports online, plus you can also use PLR (private label rights) content to create your own report.
Using PLR is probably the quickest solution and you can easily add an e cover and some images to the report. You want to make sure that you read through the report and really customize it so it matches the content of your website. You can also insert hyperlinks into the report which leads your reader to some products or other useful information. You will make this report available on a Thank You or Download page. This is where they can download their report and you can then add another link on this page back to your website or to some other information. Plus you can thank them again for opting into your list.
When you create your thank you page you want to keep note of the URL of this page as you will insert it into your auto-responder set up page. This link would go where it says ‘Url to send visitor after confirmation’.
When setting up your list you will be instructed to write a first email letter. Here you should provide the link to your thank you page again and let your reader know that if they have any problems or issues with the download to let you know by replying to the email.
What you don’t want to start doing in your emails is to sell! This will be a huge turn off to your subscribers who will undoubtedly start unsubscribing. You will also want to set up an email series to go out every 2 to 4 days with information and highlights taken from your report. Every now and then you can add a sales link in, but don’t overdo it.
It is recommended to set up at least seven emails to go out and then add more to keep you connected with your list. Once you have built a good reputation with your list you can softly sell to them. Remember each email that goes out to your subscriber should provide them with some type of action, this should be to click on a link to take them to a sales page or back to a page on your website or blog with further information. Keep in mind that your subscribers have a problem; it is your job to provide them with help and point them to solutions.
When crafting your emails you should take the time to come up with good titles. Just because someone is on your list they won’t all automatically open each email you send. A good title is one way to entice them to open your email. The body of your email should contain your link 3 times. This method has actually been proven to create a higher click through rate. Some marketers like to put arrows before each link(i.e. ==>http://linktopage.com). Another good tip is to make use of a PS at the end of your email. This can just be a reminder of when they can expect your next email or just a quick note about something relevant to the topic of your email.
BUILD A LIST WITH A SQUEEZE PAGE
As well as having your opt in box on your main website. Create a squeeze page that you can use on social sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Squeeze pages aren’t that hard to make and there are plenty of free templates which you can use to create your own page. You can even do a video squeeze page if you like, people love videos and this is a great way to encourage people to sign up for your free offer.
Your squeeze page needs to have a good headline which is benefit driven. You want to capture the attention of your visitor. Then you can simply list a few bullet points covering more benefits and what they can expect from your offer. Finally you will need a call to action on your squeeze page.
A squeeze page will be a separate page that you promote away from your website. It is a very effective way of building your list. Plus you can try different templates to see which one converts the best for you.
Keep these basic elements in mind when creating your squeeze pages:
Attention Getting Headline
A hook that makes your reader wants to know more
List of benefits
Strong call to action
The easiest (although not cheapest) way to test your squeeze page is to direct some traffic at it. Self-serve ads from site like Facebook or Plenty of Fish are the perfect choice. You can keep control of the campaigns because you only pay per click, plus you can find out how effective your hook is (based on clicks vs. sign ups).
FREEBIE LIST BUILDING
To get someone to sign up to your mailing list you want to offer them something in return. This could be a free video, free report or an interview with a top person in your niche. By offering something for free you are essentially bribing your subscriber, but hey it works!
Think about it this way, you are asking people to give up something important to them (their email address), so offering something in exchange is only fair. When it comes to giving something away you have lots of ideas that you can use. The first ones that come to mind are free reports and eBooks. This can easily be done by using PLR material. Another option is to use a series of articles that you may already own and turn them into a report. For an ecover you can go to Fiverr and get one created for $5 or search for free sites where you can create your own cover. Or simply use any of the templates that are available in Word and Open office.
If you are still not sure of what type of freebie to offer put yourself in the shoes of the type of person you are targeting? What would you like to receive for free or would even be prepared to pay for? Look at what your competition is doing and create a similar product of your own. Visit places like Clickbank and Amazon and check out niche related products. This can give you tons of ideas for what to offer. Another solution is to search your main keywords and check out the top sites. See what type of informational products they offer and make note of them. Compare all of your results to see if there is a common theme among what type of product is being offered. This will practically tell you what to offer as your own freebie.
BUILDING A LIST WITH SOLO ADS
I bet you are asking “What is a solo ad?”
In very basic terms solo ads are when you pay someone to mention your offer and link to your landing page to THEIR mailing list, or ezine readers.
Solo ads can be a good method to help you build your list. Solo ads are placed in Ezines that already have a membership list. These lists can have members from 500 up to 100,000 or more. When choosing an ezine to buy a solo ad you want to do your research and find one that has people who are targeted to what you have to offer. You may be better off buying an ad for 10,000 targeted members than 100,000 on a general ezine list. No matter your niche, there is probably a highly targeted mailing list that you can buy exposure on. When writing your solo ad you want to have a good, attention getting headline. Your aim here is to get the reader to open the email! Again the point of your solo ad is to get the reader to click on your link to your opt in form, so don’t sell in the body of your ad.
Your ad should be easy to read. Use sub headlines, use bullet points as this is what attracts someone’s eye and is unfortunately all that people often read. List the benefits and list what they will get in return.There will be a cost to post a solo ad and many ezines will often offer a 2 for 1 special. There are literally thousands of places to submit a solo ad to. You can just do a quick internet search for ‘solo ads’ and research each one thoroughly.
AD SWAPS
An ad swap is when two people agree to email their list and recommend the other person’s products. In a way this is similar to a solo ad but with no cost involved. This works well when both products complement each other.
The one caveat of course is you already need to have a list to market to. While this step may not be useful to people just starting a list, it is a great step once you have been actively building your list for some time. It is perfect for the small to medium list owner who wants to add an influx of new members. This type of advertising is very effective when you have built a good relationship with your list. Your subscribers know, like and trust you. So when you recommend a product they are more likely to purchase based upon your recommendation alone.
If your niche is based around internet marketing you can go to the Warrior Forum and visit their JV section which often lists ad swaps and opportunities for solo ad mailings.
Ad Swaps are also similar to a giveaway but they have a more personalized side to them because they come from someone who is trusted. This is what makes doing a good ad swap so effective.
There are other adswap and solo ads programs like Safe Swaps where you can read reviews from all the providers and partners you might swap with.
CREATING A BUYER’S LIST
A buyer’s list is probably going to be your most valued asset. This list will eventually be a list that is ready to buy almost every time you email them with an offer. Your buyer’s list doesn’t have to be huge; it just needs to be targeted.
To effectively create a buyer’s list you must always offer value to your customers at a good price point. Offering bonuses is always a good thing and these can be offered on your sales page as an incentive to buy. What is also great is to offer an unannounced bonus; these will surprise your buyer and show them that you provide really good value for the price of your product.
Capturing a buyer’s email address could be an automated process, but if not don’t be afraid to include opt-in forms on your thank you, upsell or download pages. You don’t have to offer a freebie either; you could simply remind people to sign up for product updates.
Once you have a buyer on your list you should give them some freebies now and again. This shows your appreciation of their business and you are connecting with them without always trying to sell them a new product.
When you do come out with a new product let your buyer’s list know before anyone else. Even offer them a discount for purchasing early. Again, you are treating your list to something special and making them feel valued above other potential customers.
When using an auto-responder account such as Aweber you can have a person be transferred to a different list once they have actually purchased from you. This way they only receive targeted emails from you along with the special offers reserved for your most valuable customers.
USING JV GIVEAWAYS TO BUILD YOUR LIST
A JV Giveaway is an event where you donate a free product in return for someone joining your mailing list. These giveaway events are normally time limited and often revolve around a certain theme. This could be a 40th birthday, the arrival of a new baby or a 25th wedding anniversary, back to school, fall giveaway or a host of any other noteworthy event.
Your free gift should suit the overall theme of the giveaway and can be in almost any format. This could include videos or audio files, a free report or e book, wordpress themes, graphics or a free membership. If you decide to go this route to build your list you want to use a new product. Something that you haven’t given away or sold before as this will be perceived as having more value.
When joining a JV Giveaway there is normally a free membership and a paid version. The paid version normally allows you to giveaway more products and you may get more banner or text ads in return. Your best choice would be to test several giveaway sites out at first with just a free version. If you get good results you can always choose the paid membership version if you wish.Also take the time to research the other members of the giveaway and the quality of their products. Remember you are putting your name out into these events and you don’t want to run the risk of damaging your reputation. You will see that some giveaway sites do not have the best quality content, so stay away from those.
The basic condition when you sign up for a JV Giveaway is that you will drive traffic to this site and get subscribers not on just your list, but on the other member’s lists too. If this does not happen you may find that your gift will be removed. Not all sites remove members and these ones are better suited to the new marketer. The best ways to promote the giveaway is to use Facebook, Twitter and to your own list if you have one. Other promotional ideas include blogging about the event, creating videos and pod casts. The more people you get subscribed the higher your product will rank on the giveaway list. Basically this is your incentive to promote the giveaway as much as possible. If Giveaways interest you, take a look at my JV Giveaway Plugin.
USING SOFTWARE TO BUILD YOUR LIST
This is a really cool way to build your list. If you can develop a small piece of software you can sell it very cheaply to help build your list. The way this is set up is that after the customer has made their purchase they will need to register to activate the software. This registration process is when they will be added to your marketing list.
When done correctly this has been known to generate over 1,000 subscribers in just a couple of days. All you need to do is come up with a simple software idea and contact a developer to see what the cost of creating the piece of software would be. It doesn’t have to be a huge item it could be something as simple as a personalized calorie counter tool. This might seem like it is completely out of your league but it really isn’t at all. Many people with no coding or development experience have successfully used this process not only to create an email list, but actual revenue.
The hardest part of this step is thinking of what kind of software to get developed. Remember, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Just think about something that you would personally find helpful.There is certainly a cost involved with this method, but it might not be as much as you believe. A couple hundred of dollars could mean thousands of new emails in your list.
LIST ENGAGEMENT
Building a list is a crucial step when working online. Just capturing emails though, isn't really "Building a List". I believe you start truly building your list when you engage with them. Engaging the members on your list, will help build credibility, trust and a general interest in you and your offers.
Think of list engagement like building a relationship. When your list is interested and engaged they are more receptive to offers.
What scenario would you rather try to sell in?
A room full of disinterested people who are wondering who you are and why you are bothering them.
OR
A room full of people who not only know who you are; they like you and look forward to hearing from you.
I know which one I would choose every time. It isn't even close. THAT is why list engagement is just as important a step as capturing emails. You not only have the people to send offers to, you also have them engaged and trusting. Treat your email list like you are building relationships, not just numbers.
SOME LIST ENGAGEMENT TIPS:
Don't sell something every email.
Offer freebies and unannounced bonuses.
Include a personal email account people can contact you with
Include your social network links
Include a Skype contact number
Ask for feedback or suggestions
If you find an interesting or helpful link, pass it on.
Don't email more than once a day, a couple times a week is enough.
Don't stick to "biz" related messages; send out the latest viral video.
Use personalization if possible -- This is why collecting a first name along with the email address is helpful.
Below are some links to list engagement resources.
RESOURCES
SOLO ADS / ADSWAP RESOURCES
AUTORESPONDER SERVICES
NOTE THIS:
By using just one or all of the techniques described here you should easily see an increase in your subscriber base. Just remember that your subscriber’s are like gold. Treat them with respect and they will be happy to stay on your list for a long time.
Happy list building….
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