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List building

by Yellowcake
15 replies
Hi folks, a bit of brain picking if I may

For many internet marketers, the holy grail is 'building a list'. I think the forumula goes something like:

Offer a valuable free product in exchange for an email address
Nurture that list by offering valuable content
Sell related products to your list

The thing I have a problem with and I realise I may be missing a fundamental issue here is HOW DO YOU CONTINUE TO SELL TO A LIST ON AN ONGOING BASIS?

Let's take an example. I find a product on Clickbank that's related to say acne so I decide to become an affiliate. I set up a squeeze page and drive traffic to it by whatever methods. I get people to part with their email address and then send them a series of free reports on acne. In the final report I throw in the affiliate link and hopefully some people will buy.

If they don't, I still have their email address, so I build up A LIST!

But then what folks? I can't spend the rest of my life sending acne related products to the list. A list of this nature will have a shelf life and after buying one or perhaps two products, that'll be about it. You wouldn't be able to carry on doing this particular thing indefinitely.

So what good is a list with this particular example (or something similar)? I can see the value with people promoting internet marketing because that 's a bit of a bottomless pit. I can also see the benefit of nurturing a list with those who have membership sites, but that's about it.

Am I missing something guys? Is the benefit of a list only realised with certain types of products?

Thanks

Yellowcake
#building #list
  • Profile picture of the author BenoitT
    When you build your list, you need to have in mind a very specific target audience. That way, you can sell anything that target audiance will like. If they are young women that want to lower their acne, their is plenty of other niche that will connect with that.
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    • Profile picture of the author Tyson Faulkner
      I wouldn't say you can only sell 1 or 2 products of any certain type to a list of people. Maybe 1 or 2 products per person, but it will take many products to make that happen.

      Some sales pages just don't move people or rub them the wrong way so they won't buy that particular product.

      Plus like Benoit said you can send other related offers that those demographic of people may be interested in to segment out your list and sell other products.

      Just keep sending more information and more offers. Someone may get on your list because they're curious, then a month/year later buy the product you've been promoting because they decided it was time to move on it. If you stopped sending emails after a week you missed that sale.
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    • Profile picture of the author Doug Wakefield
      Depends on the demographics you are looking to hit. With women there are tons of ideas:

      Facial care
      Fashion and clothing
      Dating tips and advice possibly - possibly you have a shy market due to the acne problem
      Makeup

      Keep going.

      You are a little bottlenecked with acne, but there are still options.
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    • Profile picture of the author jharper
      I agree with Benoit, just because you are promoting an acne product now doesn't mean you can only promote those. But don't go overboard and start promoting Forex robots for example.

      Research the target market for the acne products to get a feel for the kind of demographic who signs up to your list and think of other things they might like. Try something like quantcast.com to research the demographics.
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  • Profile picture of the author BacklinkExcellence
    Originally Posted by Yellowcake View Post


    But then what folks? I can't spend the rest of my life sending acne related products to the list. A list of this nature will have a shelf life and after buying one or perhaps two products, that'll be about it.
    With stuff like this you have to think laterally. Not "what other acne products are there" but "what other niches could acne sufferers likely be interested in?"

    For example, they are obviously interested in health. You can send them stuff about healthy diets, healthy exercises and similar things. Go to sites like Quantcast and Google adplanner, plug in the sites that attract a lot of acne sufferers and then look at what else this audience is interested in. Then pick those other (sub)niches and expand on them by segmenting your list.

    How do you segment your list? Just send them an email "hello, would you be interested in learning more about [topic X]? Here is a great site where you get a free report about X etc.etc." That link obviously goes to one of your own squeeze pages (not the acne one but a squeeze about topic X). Those people that are interested will opt-in, those that aren't will ignore it. You can only gain from this. So you basically create new lists from your original one after it's "worn out".

    Of course not 100% of your old subscribers are going to opt-in for those new lists but still, that's the only other option except for "letting the list die" or "hammering it with the same offers over and over again".
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  • Profile picture of the author Jake Gray
    It's all about the QUALITY things you tell and share with your list.

    Treat your list with dignity and respect, you'll have an army of long
    lasting clients.
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  • Profile picture of the author Peggy Baron
    There are some marketers here that will tell you not every niche they open a site in has to have a list. Lists do require tending and feeding and in some niches you might prefer to just sell on the site with product reviews or pre-sell type blog posts.

    Just another option.
    Peggy
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  • Profile picture of the author marktheonlinesurfer
    I would say besides being able to sell additional products/services to your list the BIGGEST BENEFIT of building a list is you actually increase your conversion rate. Your conversion rate will be much higher as opposed to direct linking or pre-selling on a landing page.
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  • Profile picture of the author dejoliet31
    The amount of "buying" a list does is dependent on a number of factors. Depending on how specific the niche is that the list represents, sales may be a lot less often than a list in another niche. Other factors such as quality of sales pages, the listowner's level of trust in the eyes of those on the list (for lack of better terminology), and the nexus that is made between the niche/offer.

    Unfortunately, successful listbuilding is not a one-formula process. There are some rock solid principles, but I find them to be a lot less than what I was originally taught. So expect to test everything. That will require time and effort, for sure. But it the only way I have found to know what works for my particular situation.

    I start with the ideas and suggestions of others and then tweak them.
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    • Profile picture of the author bbbuffalo
      How about surveying your list?

      1. What would you like to learn more about?
      2. Name 3 things you plan to buy online in the next 6 months?
      3. Name 3 things you WISH you could buy but simply have never found?

      All who respond will be entered to win a free Acne product.
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  • Profile picture of the author Victor Edson
    Going with your example, let's say you recommend Proactiv... but I tried it and didn't like it... then you recommend Neutragena... I didn't like that either... but then you recommend (idk something else) and I buy that.

    Also with some niches you may only have 2-3 products you can sell. Others you'll have 50 new ones every day.

    You did leave out the most important part of building a list though. And that's the relationship you build with your list.

    That's not done solely through quality content... You have to stand out to people and let them know you so when they see an email from you.. they don't wonder "Who the heck is that?"
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  • Profile picture of the author davidfstyles
    Personally I've built up a list of 40,000+ subscribers and the general trend I've found is the open rates and CTR's of new subscribers are relatively high at the start and then drop and level off as time progresses. I feel this is normal... probably because new subscribers are excited when they first join, and only a certain percentage will stick around for the long haul.

    However, I've also split-tested and found if I give good content at the start (as opposed to offer after offer) that the long-term open rate and CTR is higher. I've even had subscribers make their first purchase 5 years after opting-in... so it is worthwhile keeping in touch with your list.

    Hope that helps & talk soon,

    David.
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    • Profile picture of the author shmeeko69
      The power is definitely in the list, but having a good relationship with your list is certainly the key. If you constantly just promote products to your list then, some are likely to unsubscribe due to overkill. Finding the right balance between good information and when to promote is the key to a healthy and successful list in my opinion.

      Mark
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