"The money is in the list." Are you sick of hearing it yet? Well, brace yourself because you haven't heard the last of it. It's true. You start making easy money – literally while you sleep – when you have built a responsive list of people who know, like and trust you.
Notice I didn't say you need a huge list. Numbers help, but ultimately, your relationship with that list is what matters most. I've heard people estimate that you make $1 every month for every person you have on your list. On the other hand, I've also heard of marketers making tens of thousands of dollars from a list of under 1000 people. Now THAT is what I call a responsive list.
Building, growing and nurturing a list takes time and effort. But don't let this scare you.
Rather, let this motivate you to begin right now. Because this is the most important thing you should be doing for your Internet marketing business.
Here are a few essential things that I've learned as I started creating a profitable list:
1. The Right Attitude.
We've got to start with the right attitude. I know you've been brainwashed with "the money is in the list." But I don't want you to see your list members as mere dollar signs or cash cows. I heard a wonderful statement the other day: "Your list is your community." That's a terrific attitude to have towards your list members or subscribers! Right away, you realise that you share a bond with your them. You don't have a mere seller-buyer relationship. Rather, you know and support and help each other. Sure, one of your goals is to earn money from this list. However, the premise is that you do so only to the extent that your list members BENEFIT from being in your community. This attitude is crucial for the success of your list.
2. The right Focus.
Once you start a list, it should be your top priority. This means promoting it every chance you get: on forums, your Email signatures, article resource boxes, social networking sites… everywhere! But, of course, make sure the list you're promoting is relevant to where you're promoting it. Being focused on your list also means always being on the look-out for how you can build your community, increase interaction, and give more. Which brings us to the third item….
3. Your Value.
Say this to yourself 100 times: "First I must give, before I can receive." What value are you giving your list? Before you can expect somebody to entrust you with their name and Email address, you must first offer something of value to them in exchange. This could be a free E-book, an E-course, a special report, access to an audio or video recording, a discount coupon – whatever you think your prospective list member would be interested in. Offer something that you would not be embarrassed to sell. In fact, they say you should give away your BEST stuff. Then your community members will think, "Wow, if his free stuff is this good, then how much better his paid-for stuff must be!"
Once you have a person opting into your list, you must continue to provide value. Don't embark on a pitch fest and send Email after Email just trying to sell them stuff. I've been on the receiving end of that approach and, let me tell you, it's really annoying! That's the fastest way you can get your list members to click "Unsubscribe". Every Email you send to your list should be helpful, useful, or informative. At the very least, be entertaining! And then, if you must pitch a product or service, make sure it's something that will help improve the lives of your community.
4. Your Effectiveness.
Unfortunately, Email marketing is no longer as effective as it used to be. Wait! – Let me rephrase that: email marketing isn't as easy as it used to be. First off, you need to use a reliable email service that will deliver your messages successfully to all your list members.
I use and recommend Aweber. Then your email has to go through the spam filters of various email service providers.
And then, you have to get your subscriber to actually open and read your Email. Think about it: when was the last time you read every single one of your Emails – even those you subscribed to? We've all got far, far too busy, and our in-boxes too full, for us to pay attention to every single one. This means that your Emails are competing for your subscriber's attention. You need to learn the art of writing subject lines that attract attention and compel the receiver to open the Email.
At this point, your work continues – the reader must read your message – and carry out the desired action, usually to click on a link and buy a product. Remember, most readers nowadays skim through their Email messages (admit it, you do too), so you have to be able to direct their attention to your most important points and your call to action.
5. Your Offer.
You have to make an offer to make a sale. There are several ways of making an offer. Which approach is the best with your community members? Does a masculine, hard-hitting offer work with them best? Or are they turned off by it? Perhaps, they prefer a more feminine, subtle offer? It's your task to find out how your list wants to be sold to. And, yes, they want to be sold to; you just need to do it in a way that actually works with your community.
Does all this seem like hard work? It is, but the time and effort you put into it is worth it. But, you know, it gets easier the more you do it.
My best to you – James