For as long as I can remember, I have been hearing the phrase "The Money Is In The List". It's hard to argue with that point. After doing a lot of reading, research and past experience, I have come to the conclusion that every list has 2 parts:
First is building the list. It seems that there is a big focus on this aspect of marketing. There are plugins that with pre-made opt-in pages ready to edit and use to put up subscription forms on your site. There are safe lists that you can market to so you can get new subscribers. You can link to your opt-in page on your social media posts and as part of your signature on forums.
Second is mailing the list. In other words, doing some email marketing so you can make some money. That's why you have a list in the first place. All you have to do is find some affiliate offers or your own products or services to sell, and then email your list whenever you need more money.
Sounds easy. Money on demand. All you have to do is build a list, mail that list, and money comes into your bank account.
Not so fast...
Let's look at the first part of the process again.
You need to get people to subscribe to your list so you have potential customers to mail to. So you add a subscription form all over the place.
To make it more likely that you will get new subscribers, you can offer an ethical bribe, by way of a report or video or some other bonus that is related to your market. Makes a lot of sense to do it this way.
You just have to make sure that you sell the idea of subscribing to your list in a way that makes it likely that you will be amassing a list of people that are interested in what you're selling. And you have to make sure that your bonus offer is related.
Here's where some marketers miss it.
They think that the more names they can mail to, the more money they will make. The thing to keep in mind is that if you aren't clear on what your business is all about, and the only reason they signed up in the first place was to get something for free, you'll end up with very few of your subscribers ever opening you messages.
What is really important is to offer a free incentive that relates to what your business is all about. For an outlandish example, you wouldn't want to offer a report on how to teach your dog to walk on a leash without pulling to get people to sign up for a list on paid advertising.
Your free offer should connect with the topic of your business. It also will give your new subscribers a taste of the quality that you offer in your content. This will go a long way in whether or not they stay subscribed and read your emails.
Once you have a subscriber, it is your job to make sure that what you send to their inbox is interesting enough so that they will continue to open and read your messages.
If they are reading your messages, you then have the opportunity to point them to offers that will help them get what they want and add to your income.
That's why you have a list in the first place. You want a way to contact and present your business to people who can a will buy from you instead of your competition.
To wrap up this point, I want to be clear about what I'm saying.
List building is very important. The more subscribers you have, the better your chance of making more money.
Just remember that having a list is good, but having a list that actually reads and acts on your messages is what you're after. You need both.
So don't just build a list. Build a list of fans who look forward to opening their email and seeing a new message from you. Until next time...
