eNicholas

list building

So now for some fundamentals to help you with list building…

List building isnt just the process of putting a signup box on your website and collecting email addresses. If you previously viewed things that way, then I can understand why you wouldnt focus on LB but there are a few more tricks to the process. To be fair, the entire process should be called list management as building is only the first part. Managing the list of subscribers is where the real magic happens.

Now if you’ve never built a list before, then the first thing you need is a place to store your subscriber database. Here are a few of the more popular platforms:

• aweber
• icontact
• constant contact
• mailout.com

When I first started out, I actually used the list management software that came pre-installed on my web server. I recommend that you dont go that route to avoid potential pitfalls down the track like blacklisting and consumer complaints. Going with an online provider gives you double opt-in protection along with load balancing and spam prevention. I use aweber these days after reviewing many of the others and I simply love it.

For about $50 each quarter it really is great value for money. But no matter which one you choose, just find something that suits your needs and budget. Once that is setup, you will have the ability to create a signup form to put on your website or blog.

In terms of web design and layout, you want to give your signup box (also called an opt-in box) prominence on the page. It should be above the fold, either in the center or right hand side, with highly visible colours that stand out from the rest of your page. So if your colour palette is mostly cool earthy tones, make your signup box with a thick dashed red border and orange background with a nice big submit button.

Now that you have the signup box embedded into your site and styled it to stand out to your readers, you want to give them a compelling reason to actually join your list. Think outside the square here, dont just put a boring headline that says “JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER” because that isnt enticing and it’s actually quite vague because what on earth does a newsletter do for the reader?? So word the headline to be something specific and juicy, if your niche is investment have a headline that says “GET THE LATEST STOCK TIPS FREE” or “HEAR ABOUT MARKET MOVERS BEFORE THEY TAKE OFF WITH OUR EMAIL UPDATES”.

The headline or a newsletter isnt simply enough to build a list, the best way is by giving people something valuable up front then ongoing content on a regular basis. So anything from an ebook or report, to a review or some consultation, to the chance of winning a new bike/tv/etc. Make it relevant to your niche of course, there’s no point in offering a bonsai tree guide to your audience of motorbike enthusiasts. If your blog is about plasma TV’s then put up a promotion that gives people the chance to win the latest multi control remote in exchange for their name and email address.

So is everyone following so far? If you’ve already encountered some terms that escape you then post a question below and dont be shy okay! Oh this might be a good time to repeat our mantra…

“I WILL FOCUS ON LIST BUILDING AS THE MAIN AREA OF MY ONLINE BUSINESS TO GENERATE LEADS, THEN THE SALES WILL FOLLOW!”

For the next part of this series, I’ll give a bunch of tips and guidance specifically on relationship building. This is probably the most important thing to learn once you start building your list. You will be surprised how different the methods that work are to what you think will work…

» Click here to read part 3 of this series on list building

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