Building Your List - No Excuses Allowed
When you are starting an online business, there are very few things that you absolutely have to have. Most of the time you can decide whether something is crucial to what you are doing or not - it comes down to personal preferance. But when it comes to having a list of subscribers there are no excuses; you must have one.
Everywhere you turn you will hear marketers saying that the money is in the list. That if you have a list you will make money. This isn't entirely the case, but there is a lot of truth here as well. Like many aspects of owning your own business and making money online, there are some myths about lists that need to be dispelled as well as some facts that need to be driven home.
You Must Have a List
Without a list, how will you make any money? Some people say that they have a store, so people will buy from their store. Others say that customers will see their ads and visit their website. Here's the problem: what happens then?
Let's face it - your site, whatever it may be about, is in competition with millions of others. Even if someone comes to your site and likes it, there is no guarantee that they will bookmark it. Even if they do bookmark it there is a good chance that they will not click that link again for months, or even years. Ads are great for bringing someone to your site once, but how are you going to keep them coming back? Your list.
Your list collects the names and email addresses of those who visit your site, and once added to your auto-responder you can send regular emails to them.
Your List Must be Targeted
While some people seem to think that any list is a good list, this really isn't true. You can get thousands of people on your list, but if they aren't interested in the niche that you are in you won't get any sales, clicks, or referrals. This is the biggest problem with buying lists or swapping lists with the wrong people. You are unlikely to get the response you are looking for.
You need to make sure that you are getting people who are interested in your niche onto your list. There are a few ways that you can do this, and they aren't difficult.
Squeeze Pages and Giveaways
One great way to get targeted people onto your list is to give something away on a squeeze page. Squeeze pages are probably the most effective way to build a list, and anyone can utilize them. There are many places you can get squeeze pages, and with a little personalization and the addition of your auto-responder code one can be online and ready to make money within a couple hours.
While the page itself is very important, the most crucial part of your squeeze page is your giveaway. It needs to be something good, since you want to convince your subscribers that they should buy from you, and it needs to be relevant to your niche. For example, if you are in the self-help niche, then you need to give away something like a 7-day course on improving your mental state, an ebook on how to break a bad habit, or a video set on relaxation techniques. You can find all sorts of products online that are ready to be given away, or you can have a custom offer created at an outsourcing site.
Collect Info from Buyers
It is also very important to collect contact information from anyone who buys from your store as well. In fact, these additions to your list may be even more important simply because they are individuals who have already shown themselves to be willing to make purchases from you. Someone who has bought from you once is likely to do it again. If you can get in touch with previous buyers to inform them of new products or specials you will make a lot more money.
Get Started
With all the resources available that teach about setting up the best squeeze pages, building lists, and targeting traffic, you really have no reason not to jump in and start building. Get more information and then roll up your sleeves so you can start making a living online.
