If you are an internet marketer you have surely heard the phrase “the money is in the list”. This phrase could more realistically be stated as “the money is in your relationship with your list”. The main reason for list building is so you can build relationships with people who are interested in your website or products or services. Think about this: what happens when you purchase a product from say, Best Buys? The company asks for your email address so they can send you product information or pricing specials or coupons for you on your birthday. They want your email address to they can stay in contact with you to keep you interested in their products or services. This is why you must build a list if you have an internet online business of any kind.
There are several different list building techniques marketers use for their list building strategies. These can include, but not be limited to:
• Squeeze Pages or Landing Pages
• Newsletters or Email Marketing
• E-Courses • Article Marketing
• Free eBooks
• Free membership web sites
• Pop-up Advertising
• Social Media Marketing/Bookmarking
• Purchased email lists
• Use of a viral marketing website
Any of the above list building tools can be used in such a way that a good marketer can capture the contact information of their user. Once you have their contact information, you can begin building a relationship with the user. Maybe they signed up to read your regular newsletter about weight loss because your newsletter is informative, innovative, and offers tips and/or advice to those people wanting to lose weight. As a marketer, you could offer your readers free stuff, like free e-Books, or a free membership to your weight loss blog. Then, once you have begun to build a relationship with your user, the user will begin to trust you and you can begin selling or recommending products and/or services to them.
Through this process you will become a list building expert. However, you must keep this very important concept in mind: you are building a relationship with your users so your users or readers must be able to trust you. If you have their contact information, you must keep it private. That is, do not sell the information that they have entrusted to you to another person or business. Obviously doing something like this to your users would keep them from trusting you and they certainly won’t end up buying any of your products or services.
Follow these simple list building tips:
• Locate people online who share a common interest, or determine a niche
• Gather their names and email addresses with an opt-in form on your landing or squeeze page
• Become an affiliate seller of products that would interest the people on your list
• Send an email or newsletter to the people on the list that contains a link to some product you want to sell
• Give things to your readers/users. Don’t always try to hard sell them something. They will tire of that in a hurry.
I know experienced marketers who have lists of up to 50,000 people. One has told me that when he needs money, he finds something useful and not too pricey, like say a new Clickbank product, and he sends out ads to his list. He can instantly earn several thousand dollars because his list is so responsive. His list is responsive because he has taken the time to build relationships with the people on his list. Now you must realize that it took him several years to build this list, but this can help you see why you must begin your opt-in list building today. It is very important for you as your business grows.
So let me give you this list building advice: no matter what you are marketing online, you should always be working on your opt-in list building as well. This will go a long way to making sure you have future income.