List Building: A Great Way To Build A Business
Foreword By The Editor
The following article on list building by Tim R Cooper is an excellent treatise on the correct way to build and maintain a stable and profitable mailing list. I recommend that you read it carefully as it contains a few dos and don’ts that those new to this field would do well to learn from. It’s far easier to learn from someone who knows what to do than learning from your own mistakes. Thank you Tim, for your contribution.
Mike Alexander
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List Building
- Image by stickystarfish via Flickr
List Building can benefit your Internet business in a number of ways. If you have been in Internet marketing for any length of time you probably have heard often that “the money is in the list”. I’ts true… but what does it mean? It simply means that if you have a large mailing list of prospects, you have a better chance of making more sales.
The list is made up of contact information you gleaned from visitors to your website and elsewhere. Let’s face it, it is easier to sell to someone you know than to a complete stranger. It’s as simple as that. Once you have someone on your list, you can send a steady stream of helpful information to that person and, when you have gained his or her trust, you can start offering your wares for sale in the form of special offers etc.
Autoresponder
You will need to set up an autoresponder on your website in order to help build your list. This is software that collects contact information and then allows you to send messages to the addresses on your list on whatever basis you decide. The price for this type of software hovers around twenty dollars per month. Free autoresponders are usually not worth the money you save because they are often not as reliable as paid services.
Getting Subscribers
The commonest way to get new sign-ups is to offer your visitors a valuable free report or something similar on your website, in exchange for their email address. Some sites ask for more information, such as their real address and their telephone number. Unfortunately, if you insist on this extra information, many visitors will simply leave your website and skip the free report. The secret is to make the extra information an option—not a requirement. You can often accomplish this with just a few adjustments to your autoresponder.
You definately should ask for their primary email address. People have so many trash email addresses that they give these addresses to get free offers and then never check them again after they get your free report.
Now What?
You now that you have their email address, you might think you’re free to send them regular offers related to your website business. However, that’s a serious mistake that lots of marketers make. Do not send any sales offers yet, otherwise you risk losing subscribers quicker than you signed them up!
You need to build a trusting relationship with your new subscribers first. Once this is achieved, then you can start sending out sales information and offers. Make sure, as much as you are able, that you are seen as a friend and not someone who just tries to sell something with each and every scheduled email message. Keep the flow of genuine and useful information flowing. That is the proper way to build that all-important trust and relationship with your subscribers.
About The Author
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