How to Build Your Email List
How to Build Your Email List ? — “The Money is in the List!”
If you had a dollar for every time you’ve heard that said, well, you’d already have your fortune.
Without a list of responsive customers, you are not going to be very successful in online marketing.
If you’ve been involved in internet marketing for any length of time, you should already be aware of the importance of list building.
For those of you who are new to internet marketing, you should be aware of this also, but if you have not heard the phrase “The Money’s In The List!!”, then you need to wake up!
Do I Need a List?
I have been asked this question time and time again and each time I answer it I shout it out louder and louder…Simple Answer… Yes!
- Builds loyalty and repeat business
- Quickest and most direct method of communication
- Immediate, repeatable and measurable results
- Easy and not a lot of tech skills required
- Helps turn leads into customers
- Very affordable
- Positions you as an expert
Elements of List Building
There are really only about 10 different elements to list building. Some of these elements we have discussed in previous chapters and others we will go more into depth as we get into other chapters yet to come such as getting targeted traffic which will be revealed in the Next chapter of this book.
- Identify your market.
- Identify their problem.
- Get Domain & Hosting.
- Set up simple website.
- Create free irresistible offer.
- Set up follow-up message series. (Autoresponder)
- Get targeted traffic.
- Let them know how you can solve their problem.
- Ask for the appropriate action.
- Build relationships.
Is the size of my list Important?
YES and NO…
The answer really depends on how well you manage the size of the list you have.
What should you be looking for?
- Quality- Very specific & targeted list of opt-ins with well-built relationship between list owner and opt-in.
- Quantity- Number of Qualified targeted opt-ins with well-built relationship between list owner and opt-in.
Personally, I am looking for both, and so should you!
When you are building a list, it is all about quality and not quantity. Sure, you can send out a newsletter every day, but soon people are simply going to begin deleting your emails. This is because they are being solicited every day and they get tired of that very quickly. What you accomplish by doing this is you create a list that is unresponsive and that is not how you are going to make any money. Plus, you will eventually have a list with no emails on it!
The key is responsiveness. It is much better to have a list that has 2,000 responsive customers than a list with 20,000 names and no responses. Once you begin building your list, you will
Double Opt-In List
This is a clean list of targeted email addresses of people who are really interested in receiving the emails from you.
You want your list to be built up of people who are interested in your offers. Make sure you have their consent beforehand.
This is not really anything complicated at all but something I feel is very important to your list building success. It is nothing more than the visitor opts in to your squeeze page for your offer.
The visitor is sent an email verification requiring them to confirm they indeed want to receive emails from you. It is permission-based marketing. You are given permission to send further emails.
The subscriber will receive an email in their inbox similar to the example below.
Response Required
Subject: Response required, confirm your request for information
#1 Way to Build Your Email List
Create a product and have JV Partners drive traffic to your product by recommending your product to their list of subscribers.
Now it is going to be more than just creating a product. You may want to re-visit the chapter on creating your irresistible offer as the same will apply to creating this product. It must have high value and something that will be properly positioned in the minds of your customers.
But once created you will use the number one method of generating traffic to your product and building a very good targeted list of subscribers.
Create separate lists – One for those that just took the free offer, one for front-end buyers only, one for OTO buyers, etc.
TIP: make sure you have a free offer to use to capture names and emails of those not interested in purchasing your product. These are leads for future sales. Take advantage of all of the traffic that is being sent your way through your Joint Venture partners.
Know Your Lists, Who’s On Them, and What They Bought
Below is a flow chart of gathering names and emails and how to segregate your subscribers to effectively know exactly who is on your list and what they purchased or did not purchase.
List Building with Webinars & Teleseminars
Using Teleseminars and Webinars in your strategic marketing plan is a quick and easy way to build a list.
How do I Promote My Webinar?
- Blog post promoting your webinar
- JV partners promote to their lists
- Post a link to your webinar sign-up page on related forums
- Comment on related blogs.
- Paid advertising. Promote your event using PPC
- Social Network sites such as Twitter and Facebook, Squidoo
- Press releases
- Google Buzz
- Promote your events through solo ads.
- Promote through forum marketing
Again, I have created a flow chart to show you the flow process of building your list through webinars or teleseminars.
List Building by Using a Squeeze Page
Creating a Powerful Squeeze Page
A squeeze page is a one-page website specifically designed to entice people to give you their email address.
Providing consistently great content in your messages is the key to turning your subscribers into raving fans.
Before you can develop that relationship, however, you have to get them to subscribe.
By convincing people to subscribe, and helping them by making it as simple as possible, you can bridge the gap between a website visitor and another soon-to-be-devoted reader of your email marketing campaigns.
This builds a quality list in return for a free gift or “giveaway” product. Again, same things apply to your free give-away product as they do to products discussed in the chapter, Creating Your Irresistible Offer.
Getting them to subscribe to your list is the first step toward turning them into good buying customers who will buy from you over and over again.
I feel that this method is something that really needs a bigger look, so let’s spend some time on creating a powerful squeeze page for list building.
5 Basic Elements of a Squeeze Page to How to Build Your Email List
- Create a strong headline.
- Have a simple, clear design.
- Text: Create a simple, mostly white page with a table border, headline, a few bullet points, and opt-in form, with a clear concise call to action.
- Video: Great option and usually will provide higher conversion.
- Graphics: Keep simple and test.
- List the most important benefits (not features).
- Have a prominent opt-in form.
- Have a clear & strong call to action.
You only have about 3-5 seconds to grab the attention of your visitor and get them to want to read more.
You have to grab readers, convert them into prospects, and maintain their attention all in a matter of seconds.
If you do not achieve this quickly, efficiently and effectively, people will simply click away without giving it much thought.
Your efforts are wasted if you fail to get your visitor to read the rest of your squeeze page and get them to take the required action you desire them to take.
Squeeze Page Headline – How to Build Your Email List
The headline is probably the most important aspect of a squeeze page. It needs to be compelling & benefit-laden. It needs to create a burning curiosity for your visitors to read more.
A headline has two purposes only:
- Grab attention
- Compel further reading.
- Develop your headline by using the most important benefits of the offer.
- At its essence, a compelling headline must promise some kind of benefit for the reader in trade for the valuable time it takes to read more.
- It must grab the reader’s attention.
The true purpose of a headline is not to summarize or advertise the website. It’s simply to get people to read further.
If a headline does not achieve this quickly, efficiently and effectively, people will simply click away without giving it much thought.
The Amazing Hook – How to Build Your Email List
The hook must be amazing. Formulate a hook by researching exactly what your customer would want if you delivered the perfect product.
Your hook needs to arouse your audience’s burning curiosity and FORCE them to listen.
It is your slant, your uniqueness, which no-one else has. Without the hook there will be no catch.
A hook is a uniqueness of your offer. What makes your product or service so unique that they just have to buy from you over the top of anyone else?
Don’t be afraid to sell the “magic pill” if you can deliver on your promise.
Use Verbs That Direct Your Visitor
You will do well if you paint a vivid picture in the mind of your visitor by the use of action words. The more vivid the picture is, the more compelling the headline will be.
For example, write a headline like;
“Zoom Past Your Competition!” will be better than:
“Discover How Your Competition Stays Ahead!”
By using the word zoom over the word discover you are helping them envision the picture of them flying by the competition instead of working hard to discover how the competition is staying ahead.
With the second headline In their mind they will still see the competition staying ahead of them instead of how they are going to go past the competition.
Direct your visitors and take them by the hand by using headlines that begin with the words “Earn,” “Discover,” “Find,” “Read,”
“Get,” “See,” “Claim,” “Visit,” “Join,” “Sign up”, etc.
Simple and Clean Design Squeeze Page Design
Each element of a squeeze page has its place, but the key is to create a professional and visually appealing page without being distracting. Any distractions at all and the person is going to leave.
I like to say, “Just because you can does not mean that you should!” Just because you may be the world’s greatest graphic artist does not mean you should litter your website with graphics.
You want people to sign up, not to be in awe of your graphics.
Create a simple, mostly white page with a table border, headline, a few bullet points and opt-in form, with a clear and concise call to action.
No banners, no AdSense, no outside links, no pop ups. All of these things are just begging your visitor to click on and take them to a place you are not intending them to go to at this point.
If the intention is not to get them to sign up then why did you bring them to this page in the first place?
If you give the visitor too many choices they will just leave in confusion.
You should include a privacy policy and contact information. It helps build trust and people expect to see it. I recommend that you make sure that these links open up into a new window that allows them to close it out and still remain on the squeeze page. It is just there to add the added trust factor.
Here are three key things you will want to include in your website privacy policy to reduce your risk of getting sued or targeted with some kind of a government investigation.
1. First you should always identify how you will protect the privacy of your website visitors and customers. This will help with the peace of mind.
- Identify the types of information you collect from your website visitors and customers.3. Not only do you need to let them know what information you collect, you also need to explain what you do with the information you collect from your website visitors and customers.
Of course each website will be different and depending upon the type of website you run, where you are based, and where your website visitors and customers are located, there are additional issues you will want to address. But each of the three items above is an important part of any website privacy policy.
Now in no means is this legal advice as I am not a lawyer and I do recommend that you check out all of the rules for your particular website and locations. There is always the possibility that contacting a lawyer to help in this area is possibly your best option of protection.
When it comes to keeping your squeeze page clean and simple I am not telling you to not use graphics on your squeeze page. What I am telling you is that always only use what is needed and always test. If the squeeze page converts better without graphics don’t be offended that the visitors don’t appreciate your hard work or the money you spent on the graphics.
Learn to accept and just work towards higher conversions.
Always take a “no fluff” rule when writing your squeeze pages. Highlight the best benefits to make it clear what’s in it for them. You want them to make a quick decision to sign up, and the text on the page needs to reflect that.
Bulleted List of Main Benefits – How to Build Your Email List
Answer their question, “What’s In It for Me?”
“I can help.” Remember those 3 simple words and you will see results.
You need to give the visitors a reason to subscribe. They need to know that they have found the solution to the problem they came searching for.
Not only is there a solution to their problem, but you have the solution.
Identifying the problem is not enough. You have to show the reader that there is a solution and that you have it.
You can do this by pointing out the main benefits they will receive if they choose to take action. Benefits let your visitors know that there is a solution to their problem.
Benefits are not the features…. Features are factual information, benefits, are the results of features. Don’t overdo the list. Keep it simple and use and focus on your main benefits.
You need to make sure that you are giving your visitor a good reason that explains to them why they should make room for you inside their already cluttered inbox.
Remember, your visitors haven’t yet experienced the value you’re delivering. Your visitors don’t know you yet and you have to give them a reason to trust you with the value they are about to give you in return for the value you are offering. That value being thee all important name and email you are asking for.
The Squeeze Page Opt In Form – How to Build Your Email List
Opt-in form – It’s not a squeeze page if people don’t have a way to take action.
Your opt-in form should always be above the fold – Put the form in a prominent location. People seeing your page should be able to make a decision without having to scroll down. Above the page is easily described as anything that the visitor sees on your page when the page first opens up on their screen. It is everything seen without scrolling.
There may be times you need to have a long Squeeze page to get everything said that needs to be said to get the conversion. If this is the case make sure that you include a place for them to enter their information in more than one place on the page. Place one above the fold, and the other below wherever it makes sense.
Remember the K.I.S.S. rule when creating a subscriber box. Keep it very simple and only ask for the information you have to have. Ask for your visitor’s first name and primary email.
If you are going to ask for phone numbers and addresses then you better be able to show that you have a very good reason for asking for it. An example may be when you have to ship a CD or any physical product that requires a shipping address.
Only ask for the information you need most!
Clear and Concise Call to Action – How to Build Your Email List
The final step in creating a squeeze page is getting the visitor to take action.
Identifying your market, determining their problems and letting them know you have the solution, is not enough.
If you are giving them something of quality, then you are doing them a favor by letting them know exactly how to get it. Too many people will do the job right up until it is time for the call to action.
They forget to tell the visitor what it is they want them to do.
Now one would think that this would be pretty clear in the visitor’s mind what you want them to do. Never assume this to be true. There is always somebody that does not get it. Maybe they are brand new to the internet. I know that is hard to believe but there are new people coming online every day that do not understand exactly what they are being asked to do.
Tell them more than once, and do so clearly. Their purpose is to get what you are offering, and your purpose is to get their information.
You have to make them act and you need to create a sense of urgency.
There are many ways to create a sense of urgency. You can limit the supply or tell them it won’t be long before you begin to charge for the offer they are getting today for free.
Tell the visitor exactly what action you want them to take. Make it very clear and concise.
Keep the choices simple: either signing up or clicking away. Be specific.
Let them know they don’t have to put up with their problems for another day.
You can solve them right now.
Example of a call to action may be:
Your competition has been running over top of you for far too long. It is time to put a stop to it right now…. Simply enter your First Name and Primary Email in the provided form to the right. It is time for you to rise up and be seen!
When creating a call to action button: Avoid “SUBMIT NOW!” Many people do not like the word submit. It is a turn off and should be avoided.
Example of a squeeze page – How to Build Your Email List
You will notice the following squeeze page is very clean, simple and easy to follow. Everything is above the fold right in the immediate eyesight of the visitor.
Always test and track your results! – How to Build Your Email List
Always test your squeeze page and make improvements that will help you get better conversions. Never settle for poor results.
The trick here is to test to find what works best, stop what doesn’t work, and improve what works to increase conversions.
Squeeze pages can be designed only with text, but you can also try graphics, images, video, and audio.
What’s keeping you from creating a squeeze page right now?
