List Building 101 - Part 3

Building a list of subscribers in your list is more that just watching the total number climb. Yes, ideally you’ll want to see at least one new subsubscriber daily, but in order to accomplish that, you need to also work at building your list on a daily basis also.

Create massive value to your freebie by first assigning a value to it. Whether it’s $9, or $900, take a hard look at what you’re giving your subscribers (at no charge of course). If you WERE going to sell this as an e-book or self-study course, what would be its selling price? Once you have this number be sure this is part of the copy on your sign-up page.

In some ways treat your sign-up page like any other sales letter. For example, you need a headline, a subhead, and some supporting text. At the sign-up box, present it in the same way that you do when you SELL a product online.

In addition to having an autoresponder service (like aweber or get response) you also need an online ordering system. Getting this in place early on in your business is important, because switching mid-stream down the road may cause some interference with your productivity. In many cases, your order management system and subscribers list are able to be linked so that some of the data is shared.

Freebies can be entered into your order management system too. You’ll just be assigning a price of ZERO. And many successful marketers use this practice regularly as they build THEIR online businesses.

Next, you need some new sources of traffic. If you started with article marketing first, then it’s time to pick up another stream of traffic. Perhaps you’re looking at YouTube. Youtube can be a FANTASTIC source of free traffic if your video is quality-made. Be sure both your visuals and audio are clean, and that your video ends with a call to action to bring viewers back to your site.

But it’s also important to note that wherever your traffic is coming from … you need to know if they are signing up. These are your conversions. Why is that important? Well let’s say Youtube represented 50% of your free traffic but 100% of your sign-ups, then you know that’s where to focus your efforts as you move forward.

Growing a list also means you need a steady stream of permanent traffic. As you develop your traffic building skills watch your sign-ups grow … and so will your business!

Many say that the money’s in the list. So be sure the list you grow is targeted to the products and services that you’re selling … and you’ll be sure to achieve the success that you deserve.
Play Part 3 of List Building 101

List Building 101 - Part 2

Let’s assume by this point you already have a quality autoresponder service. But if not, go out today and get an account at either Get Response or Aweber. These services are the most used by internet marketers because they are both reliable and flexible enough to meet your needs.

On average, across most niches or market segments, people say that a subscriber is worth about $1 in revenue each month. But in order for the revenue to be generated, there are some steps that you first have to take. But the good news here, with just with a basic level of math, you’ll see that it will only take about 20 active subscribers on your list for it to break-even. And it will take VERY LITTLE work on your part, to build your list to 20 in the first month.

Building a list from zero, means first having a free e-course, a free newsletter, or a free e-zine. In each of these three types of lists, your subscribers will get to know and trust you because you are emailing them on a regular basis.

How frequently you mail them will depend on your market, your base of suscribers, and even how much time you are able to commit to the development of your list. Ideally, your first set of messages should be at least three in the first week. If you wait too long, your subscribers may forget entirely who you are and why you are emailing them.

To be sure that doesn’t happen to you, simply remind them at the opening of your first few messages.

E-courses are typically seven to ten messages in length. Each message should be brief, but sould also teach something of value.

Remember that your subscribers are PEOPLE (just like you). So in order for them to see value in your emails, be sure to provide great content that they can use.

Growing a list also means you need traffic. So developing targeted traffic is also a skill that you need to build too.

There are hundreds of sources of free traffic available to you. But one of the best that can produce immediate traffic is article directories.

Ezine articles for example, will place your article on their first page once it is approved. So you’ll be able to gain some instant exposure. The resource box is the block of text which follows the article, where you are able to state your expertise as well as present an offer for your free e-course, newsletter, or other online publication. Link back to a page on your site with minimal information … just enough to invite your visitors to sign up and start receiving your content.

Although having a list of 10,000 or even 50,000 might be a great goal, in all honesty most marketers have a list that ranges from 1,000 to 2,000 subscribers. So be encouraged with every new subscriber that you gain and set your subscribership goals in small but achievable milestones.

List Building 101

Grow your opt-in list by offering visitors a free e-mail newsletter. Make it interesting by having a compelling and catchy title, and of course - great content.

The reason this is successful is because it contributes to the growth of your BRAND IDENTITY, and of course relationships with your subscribers.

Here’s how to get started.

Your topic needs to fall into two categories in order to be successful.

(1)    There has to be a demand and an interest for your content, and
(2)    You need a reliable source of quality information and research for your newsletter content.

Let’s start with the first of the two.

A common mistake that new marketers make is to launch a business or product that interests THEM but there isn’t any demand.  Use some research tools such as word tracker to ensure that people are already looking for the information that you’ll be providing.  It is often a mistake whether in online or offline businesses that entrepreneurs make … is to do this in the reverse.  It’s one of the reasons that over 80% of businesses fail in the first two years.

Next, you need great content.  Whether you’re presenting your information in written form or multi-media, the process is the same.

What are the problems that your market is faced with?  What can you solve?  What pain do they experience?

Put yourself in their shoes and get to work.

Ideally, you’ll want to provide fresh content – in other words something you have written yourself (or through a ghost writer.)  But to keep the newsletter jam-packed with content, syndicate (or re-use) existing content that other writers have already written.  You’ll find this type of content on article directories – and there are PLENTY of those for you to use.

Although the content has to be used exactly as-is (and of course you’re giving credit to the author) be sure to take the time to proof the material.  Proof for spelling, grammar, level of readability and correct use of punctuation and capitalization.
Since the newsletter is being distributed to your subscribers and your name is attached to everything you send, you’ve got something at stake.  Be sure that the quality is always first rate.

To gain subscribers, advertise your newsletter on your web site as well as on free eZine directories. Offer an incentive for signing up.

To monetize your newsletter, advertise affiliate programs that you belong to when the compliment the topic.

To get even more subscribers, translate your newsletter into other languages.  This will extend your market reach and could even increase sales of your revenue-generating products and services.

With any type of recurring communication to your list (whether e-courses or newsletters) you’ll benefit in a number of ways which includes more traffic to your site, as well as reminding your subscribers who you are … and the great solutions you have to their problems!