White Hat Guys

Let’s define “list building” just in case you are new to this world.

The definition of list building is very simple: “The process of adding leads to your personal mailing list, autoresponder or newsletter/ezine”.

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Well, in all reality, it is. BUT, the key is to build a responsive list. When it comes to list building, it is always quality over quantity.

Would you prefer to have 20,000 people who never open or read your emails, or 2000 people who not only read your emails but also purchase from you? I think that one is a real no-brainer!

Another question a lot of people ask me is - “Why do I want to have a list of my own?”

Once again, the answer is very simple and I am sure you are tired of hearing it, but I am going to say it again - “The Money is in the List!”

Building a list is a systematic way to repeatedly reach your prospects and customers so you have a chance to present the BENEFITS of your products and/or services.

Bottom line: an opt-in list is where you will make the most money.

With an opt-in list, you begin building a business and NOT just a web site.

The bigger and more responsive your list is, the more sales you will make and in a shorter period of time.

Secondly, having your own mailing list is more important than just having your own product.

Even if you do not own your own product, you can still be an affiliate or Joint Venture for other people’s products.

For the third and most important reason: having your own mailing list gives you the opportunity to first prove your credibility to your subscribers through what you have to share with them in your e-zine!

Your first aim in developing a list is to build credibility as an expert in your particular industry and/or niche.

You want them to think of you first as the solution to their problem when it comes up.

The list-building techniques you learn here, will keep you foremost in their minds, and when the need arises, they’ll come to you.

For example, your prospects love to travel and when vacation times rolls around, because they are on your list and have seen your website on African vacations several times, there’s a pretty good chance they will consider one of your packages.

Do your job right, and they’ll make time to go on an African vacation.

Your number one goal in building a list is to create strong relationships with your prospects.

You want them to get to know you, like you and most importantly, trust you. Giving away freebies are a good way to build these relationships.

Having an opt-in list is a way to create a system to follow-up with prospects and begin converting the process of converting them into paying customers.

Most sales specialists will tell you that it takes anywhere between 4 to 7 contacts before a person will actually buy from you.

Sure, there are plenty of ways to make money online without building a list and I integrate some of them into my online marketing efforts.

However, keep something very important in mind. If you are making money as an affiliate by sending traffic directly to a merchant’s site, you are not building a business.

You just have a current income. You have no lifetime value of a customer.

You need to constantly find new customers to purchase from the merchant. You’re nothing more than what I call a traffic broker.

If the merchant goes out of business or your traffic generation techniques become ineffective or too expensive, your income dries up.

However, if you build a list, you can market to those people over and over again with multiple products. You’re now building a business.

You have your own customer list and they are worth more to you than the commission from one product!

In certain markets, and if you are an effective marketer, those customers could be worth thousands of dollars to you over the course of your business, instead of someone from whom you make a one time $20 commission!

THAT is the power of list building.

When it comes to selling my own products and related products as an affiliate the key has been having my own list. Whenever I send something out to my list, I get a boost in sales.

This is true even if I’m sending out a pure content newsletter.

I always have links to my products and/or affiliate products in my PS at the end of the newsletter.

Email marketing works and I don’t see it dying any time soon. That’s why I really want you to build your list; I truly want you to succeed.

I believe that to be a success, you have to share with others. But I truly believe that you get back what you give. I know what it is like to struggle and try and make money online.

hI’ve been there and I can tell you, it’s not a lot of fun. In fact, it’s no fun at all.

The common mantra that most other Internet Marketers follow is “The money is in the list” and I tend to agree with them.

Of course, that is often true only if you harness your mailing list well and that your subscribers are responsive in the sense that they do bother reading your emails every time you send one out.

Regardless of what kind of Internet business you are starting, having your own subscriber list is a must. No exceptions.

Tags: affiliate marketing, internet marketing, List Building, traffic generation