How to build a list and how to get traffic in building a list

by gdom
31 replies
I am still rather new in the internet marketing niche. I have been very interested in making money online for several years now. I probably should have started implementing a online business several years ago, but procrastination caused me to simply be a watcher and not a action taker, for whatever reason it has taken me this long to finally be ready to take action..

I have purchased many different programs, read a variety of books and articles, and watched many videos, I have been able to discover a lot of different views in making money online. This is what I have so far - -

a domain
hosting
putting together a squeeze page
an autoresponder
one short free report I wrote on wordpress
a short demonstration video that is hosted on youtube
I am also considering using facebook for my squeeze page..

Here is where I need some advice on..
I don't have a list, and I don't have a advertising campaign right now.
I don't have any product of my own, I am mainly going with affiliate products, however I am hoping eventually to create some kind of product of my own.

My questions here is what do you think is the best way to build a list, should this be the first things I need to concentrate on?

My next question is what are the best ways to get traffic to build a list. I have a very low budget I am not able to afford very much on advertising to build my list, yet it is something I am wanting to do.

What strategies should I do to build a list, and how to I get traffic in order to build that list. Should I focus on paid traffic even know I have a low budget, or are there free traffic options that actually work, and I should consider.

I have been doing my best to implement everything that I read, watch, and get advice from others. I still have yet to make any money online, because I don't have a list, and I am not generating any kind of traffic to know what works and what does not work. For the most part I am still considered new, because I am not making money right now and I am not generating results.
I am sorry for the long post here, I am just looking for some good advice that I can use in order to see in what direction I need to go. Thank you and all feedback is welcomed..
#build #build list #building #list #list buiding #traffic #traffic and leads
  • Profile picture of the author Jesse L
    Hi gdom,
    It sounds like to me that you are missing a plan.
    You have some of the items and tools, but you have no plan to follow in order to meet your goals that you probably do not have.

    Take each question that you wrote down here and research each of them, one at a time and then incorporate the ideas and suggestions that you find into your plan. Then move to the next question. Everything you need to know is on this forum.

    To be in this business, Research is a major skill that is needed.
    So perhaps you need to concentrate on research skills to begin with?

    But first, above all else, it may be best to set some goals. What do you want to achieve? Where do you want to take your business? What exactly is your business?
    How much do you want to make? etc..

    Write it all down, everything you can think of, then find the answers for each, formatting them into a document that you can follow. Sometimes it works well to start from the top and then work down your plan. Also, have a look at what others in your niche are doing. The ones making money, not the ones just claiming to make money.

    Good luck!
    JL
    Signature

    The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will. – Vince Lambardi

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  • Profile picture of the author himanuzo
    For internet marketing niche... this niche is highly competitive. However, you still can get traffic and build a list from scratch with low budget.

    You only need to buy a domain and rent a web hosting service.

    Then generate free targeted traffic for the list building with:
    - blogging
    - guest posting at high traffic blogs
    - blog comments - high quality comments only
    - social media: facebook, twitter
    - forums - put your into signature box - but not spam.
    - article directories - write plenty of articles then submit them to article directories by using submitter software
    - press release

    Diligence and persistence is the key to success with this!
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  • Profile picture of the author icoachu
    I wouldn't focus on the list at first. I would focus first on TRAFFIC. In this game, its all about TRAFFIC TRAFFIC TRAFFIC. Worry about making money later. Your job is to get traffic. I have compiled 50 ways to get traffic and have listed their ADVANTAGES and DISADVANTAGES.
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    • Profile picture of the author Indecision
      Originally Posted by icoachu View Post

      I wouldn't focus on the list at first. I would focus first on TRAFFIC. In this game, its all about TRAFFIC TRAFFIC TRAFFIC. Worry about making money later. Your job is to get traffic. I have compiled 50 ways to get traffic and have listed their ADVANTAGES and DISADVANTAGES.

      Not all traffic is good traffic, you need to focus on targeted traffic and not just overall numbers... this is why traffic generating websites are for the most part worthless.
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      • Profile picture of the author icoachu
        Originally Posted by Indecision View Post

        Not all traffic is good traffic, you need to focus on targeted traffic and not just overall numbers... this is why traffic generating websites are for the most part worthless.
        That's why I analyzed the different traffic types people generate. You have to pay attention to what your target audience's habit is and tune your traffic generation efforts accordingly. OR ELSE YOU ARE JUST WASTING YOUR TIME.

        Don't buy traffic until you've mastered free traffic tweaking.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sarevok
    icoach is right on the money.

    Imagine, for a moment, that you have the perfect offer.

    The perfect product, the perfect squeeze page, the perfect sales funnel, and the perfect autoresponder.

    But 0 traffic.

    What use is it?

    You need to start getting massive quantities of traffic, if you want a massive list.

    So, start asking yourself how to accomplish that. That's the question to ask.

    Once you get traffic, you can begin improving your current setup. But, how can you improve without traffic to test it with?
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    • Profile picture of the author icoachu
      Originally Posted by Sarevok View Post

      icoach is right on the money.

      Imagine, for a moment, that you have the perfect offer.

      The perfect product, the perfect squeeze page, the perfect sales funnel, and the perfect autoresponder.

      But 0 traffic.

      What use is it?

      You need to start getting massive quantities of traffic, if you want a massive list.

      So, start asking yourself how to accomplish that. That's the question to ask.

      Once you get traffic, you can begin improving your current setup. But, how can you improve without traffic to test it with?
      Straight up correct! Traffic is the MOTHER'S MILK of the Internet. NO traffic = NO money. It's that simple. Your offer might be solid but if no one hears about it, you might as well have not bothered to create it. Focus first on traffic.

      THE TRUTH: The internet has a lot of people that are DYING to buy from you. You MUST make it your job to find them and engage them. In other words, BUILD traffic.
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  • Profile picture of the author paul nicholls
    I will keep it short and to the point

    Building your list will take work there is no short cut

    A great way to start is to start creating content on a daily basis and to get into a routine

    Something like

    1. write x2 top quality articles every day for high traffic article sites
    2. leave 3 quality blog comments each day
    3. participate in forums for 30 mins x2 each day
    4. write x1 guest post per week
    5. create x1 good post on your own blog each week
    6. create x3 quality videos per week for youtube

    7. and perhaps buy x3 solo ads per month to give your list building a boost

    If you stick to something like this plan for a few months I gurantee you will have traffic coming out of your ears :-)

    Paul
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    • Profile picture of the author PinkOwl
      Originally Posted by paul nicholls View Post

      I will keep it short and to the point

      Building your list will take work there is no short cut

      A great way to start is to start creating content on a daily basis and to get into a routine

      Something like

      1. write x2 top quality articles every day for high traffic article sites
      2. leave 3 quality blog comments each day
      3. participate in forums for 30 mins x2 each day
      4. write x1 guest post per week
      5. create x1 good post on your own blog each week
      6. create x3 quality videos per week for youtube

      7. and perhaps buy x3 solo ads per month to give your list building a boost

      If you stick to something like this plan for a few months I gurantee you will have traffic coming out of your ears :-)

      Paul
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      WOW! That was great advice you gave. I wasn't the one who posted it, but I will definitely copy and use it. Thank you very much.
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      • Profile picture of the author radhika
        Here is where I need some advice on..
        I don't have a list, and I don't have a advertising campaign right now.
        I don't have any product of my own, I am mainly going with affiliate products, however I am hoping eventually to create some kind of product of my own.
        First concentrate on putting up a web site even for your affiliate products. Post some articles related to your affiliate products to attract search engines. Insert your affiliate links in them.

        Same time try driving traffic your site and start your list building. These are not overnight processes, but start anyways.

        .
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by gdom View Post

    My questions here is what do you think is the best way to build a list, should this be the first things I need to concentrate on?
    Yes, one of the very first things, if you want to earn money from affiliate sales.

    This thread may help you: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post6123982
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  • Profile picture of the author anpharmd09
    Originally Posted by gdom View Post

    I am still rather new in the internet marketing niche. I have been very interested in making money online for several years now. I probably should have started implementing a online business several years ago, but procrastination caused me to simply be a watcher and not a action taker, for whatever reason it has taken me this long to finally be ready to take action..

    I have purchased many different programs, read a variety of books and articles, and watched many videos, I have been able to discover a lot of different views in making money online. This is what I have so far - -

    a domain
    hosting
    putting together a squeeze page
    an autoresponder
    one short free report I wrote on wordpress
    a short demonstration video that is hosted on youtube
    I am also considering using facebook for my squeeze page..

    Here is where I need some advice on..
    I don't have a list, and I don't have a advertising campaign right now.
    I don't have any product of my own, I am mainly going with affiliate products, however I am hoping eventually to create some kind of product of my own.

    My questions here is what do you think is the best way to build a list, should this be the first things I need to concentrate on?

    My next question is what are the best ways to get traffic to build a list. I have a very low budget I am not able to afford very much on advertising to build my list, yet it is something I am wanting to do.

    What strategies should I do to build a list, and how to I get traffic in order to build that list. Should I focus on paid traffic even know I have a low budget, or are there free traffic options that actually work, and I should consider.

    I have been doing my best to implement everything that I read, watch, and get advice from others. I still have yet to make any money online, because I don't have a list, and I am not generating any kind of traffic to know what works and what does not work. For the most part I am still considered new, because I am not making money right now and I am not generating results.
    I am sorry for the long post here, I am just looking for some good advice that I can use in order to see in what direction I need to go. Thank you and all feedback is welcomed..
    1. Launch the free report you wrote as a free WSO, having people sign up to your list to get access to the report. This will definitely get you some subscribers. You need to have a one time offer on the backend that every subscriber is immediately sent to after signing up to your list.

    Perhaps you could use your demo video you made to sell as the OTO and charge around 7 to 10 bucks. Of course you would not to continue to make it freely available on youtube if you go that route.

    If you don't want to do that sign up as a warriorplus affiliate and promote wordpress plugin of some sort as your OTO, since your free report is about wordpress.

    Actually, probably an even better option would be to purchase a PLR product related to wordpress, such as some wordpress themes or tutorial videos, and sell that as your OTO...then you'd get to keep all the profits from each sale.

    It costs just $40 to post a WSO.

    2. Using the money you make on your OTO sales from your free WSO, purchase solo ads, sending more traffic directly to your squeeze page to build your list further.

    You have the right idea about building a list....best of luck.
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    I would start with free marketing - just to give you a foundation of how to market your website online without the use of advertising. Anybody can advertise and get traffic to their site tomorrow... but very few know how to get sales everyday using a 100% free marketing campaign.
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  • Profile picture of the author PvPGuy
    Some great advice already. Just want to ad a couple tips.

    If you are going the "affiliate offers" route, then you need to start with one specific niche, and better yet, one specific product. Choose wisely. Something in demand, something that converts well, and something that has decent commissions.

    You need to become an expert on this product. Buy it, or ask for a review copy. As Jesse L stated so eloquently, you need to Research! That's what I mean by becoming an expert.

    This is crucial, because it will come across in the blog posts, articles, and reviews you write. People are already skeptical, so don't try and fake it. On the flip side, how refreshing and re-assuring it is when people detect that you are genuine! And guess what? You are because you became an expert, so you know what you're talking about.

    Its about trust. traffic is the easy part.
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  • Profile picture of the author kevin timothy
    You want a steady source of cash flow in order to help generate the traffic. Yes, there are free sources to generate traffic, but if you want relatively quicker results paid is the way. For someone on a low budget, the most efficient way to generate traffic is by publishing articles. Write about what you know, stick to the script, and position yourself as a leader. Great sites to position yourself are Hubpages, Ezine, Squidoo, and NetDivvy.

    PS. In essence there really isn't a "free" form of advertising, because the right advertising always takes consistency and time.
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  • Profile picture of the author PolicyMaker
    First Find out the Market where you want to test your list-building skills...
    Then Learn the Inns and Outs of your Market by Learning Their Wants and Objections...

    After that Start Building List By Giving What they Want (in The Form of valuable Incentive)...

    First Two Steps will better equip you to tackle all the important steps of the LB-Process.

    Take Care...
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  • Profile picture of the author zdan06
    When it comes to marketing techniques, always disregard the use of any software and auto responder, all your ideas must be unique and creative so have a better chance of good marketing strategy.
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  • Profile picture of the author MrDay
    Why list building as your very first attempt at making any type of money online?

    Start a blog and include an optin form. Then make money from your blog and list.
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    • Profile picture of the author Robert02011
      I like this way to get traffic to my websites
      Signature

      I`am looking for an honest legal business that can make real money online.
      I found one ??????http://successxxx.com

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  • Profile picture of the author AndrewStark
    turn the domain you've bought into a blog, and use that to build up a relationship with the people who join your list via the squeezepages.

    by creating content and building up your knowledge you will find it easier to create the product that you will be able to sell.

    be sure that you've chosen a niche where you already have a bit of passion and some knowledge. Then start doing some of the stuff above that will help you generate traffic to your site.

    lastly the blog traffic and squeezepage traffic are 2 different things to master, I've yet to a find a traffic source that works for both.
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  • Profile picture of the author samithpich
    Some great ideas here guys!

    Here are my thoughts:

    My questions here is what do you think is the best way to build a list, should this be the first things I need to concentrate on?
    Hopefully you've finished putting together your squeeze page by now. And finished putting together your autoresponder series.

    So ideally you concentrate on completing each step of the process. Traffic is no good to you if you have no way to get them into your system.

    Concentrate on finding things to offer your potential lits, know who they are intimately and their problems and offer a solution via your free report.

    Concentrate on being valuable and attractive to others!


    My next question is what are the best ways to get traffic to build a list. I have a very low budget I am not able to afford very much on advertising to build my list, yet it is something I am wanting to do.
    IF you have finished then I would start with

    -Article marketing
    - Youtube series that has you explaining your value
    - Create a signature file here in the warriors forum so people can investigate you
    - Connect with people on facebook (I've simply just asked people!)

    hopefully that helps Gdom
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  • Profile picture of the author Deeje
    If you've got a great offer and a sales funnel you need traffic because you could have the best business in the world and if you're set up on top of mount everest no one's going to know you exist so free targeted traffic is the go...that needs to be your focus. There have been many great sugestions above. A great way of getting free traffic is creating videos as well as blog and forum posts, popular twitter and FB posts, articles etc. and free ad places like craigslist is another place if you write some good ad copy. It takes some work but over time you'll make sales and keep growing.
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  • Profile picture of the author wuser12
    To drive traffic you could rely on social media marketing, forums, videos etc.
    However, if you want people to give you their email you need to convince them to do so.
    You have to make them believe that by giving you their email they will get something valuable in exchange.
    This could be a great free report, ebook or a step-by-step guide. The point is you have to give them something.
    So, you will need to work out your squeeze page in a manner that when visitors read it they will be incentived to give out their email.
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Dunstan
    Just a thought...

    To those who say you should focus on TRAFFIC TRAFFIC TRAFFIC...

    Where are you going to send it?

    You should not turn on the traffic tap until you have built your funnel correctly. Do that so that it will pay you and build your list. Then turn on the traffic. People are obsessed with getting traffic in this game, but they never have anything quality to send it to and they wonder why they can't make any money.

    This is a both/and not either/or.

    Just as you can't build a shop in the desert and expect to make sales (no traffic), you can't open an empty shop in a busy highstreet and make sales (no product).

    Actually, like Paul Nicholls says, you can relatively easily get traffic coming our of your ears - but you must have an optin form to send it to and an offer which will convert into signups and sales!

    Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author MKCookins
    Originally Posted by gdom View Post

    My questions here is what do you think is the best way to build a list, should this be the first things I need to concentrate on?
    One of the best ways to build a list is create a 1 page website (squeeze page), offer FREE eBook or video, and the most important thing is keep it simple.

    It has been proven if a person visiting a website is given to many choices of what to do - 90% of the time they will leave and do nothing.

    So only choice your visitor should have when visiting your site is Opt in.

    Originally Posted by gdom View Post

    My next question is what are the best ways to get traffic to build a list. I have a very low budget I am not able to afford very much on advertising to build my list, yet it is something I am wanting to do.
    First add Google Analytics to your website so you can track the visitors that show up there.

    Next use FREE methods to drive traffic to your website here are few examples:

    Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Pinterest
    Forums Posting: Create a stand out signature and get invloved with 3-4
    Content Distribution: Create a well written article and submit it to a popular blog or website

    Hope you found this useful
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  • Profile picture of the author dh5114
    I'll second everything @anpharmd09 said - a sound approach to build a business, not just a list!

    To back it up, I recently generated 21,938 confirmed subscribers in 30 days on a brand new domain starting from scratch (no list). I'm writing a short report about this (what I did and why) and if you can wait another week or so, I can mail it to you or just send me PM so I'll remember.

    If all this sounds fishy (and I know to some does), here's the traffic proof:


    I started with new domain, installed my script and while testing it, secretary incidentally hit the "Go" button and the traffic avalanche started... It generated 77,218 unique visitors in 30 days.

    While this is rather high number and I could never repeat it again (other tries generated smaller lists, but still in the thousands) it is something I can and am repeating almost daily.

    I wrote small script that takes existing traffic from Facebook, Twitter and other social networks and drives it to my squeeze page converting at ~27% or more (extra valuable bribe is the key to get this done right).

    Sorry for being so secretive about it, but I'm planing to launch this script of mine soon so I hope you all understand where I stand.
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    • Profile picture of the author Leejeong
      I guess you are puzzled by all these comments, but don't you worry. All those comments are right and you just have to learn the basic SEO. Just set your purpose, set target market/reader/visitor, know the ways on how you will interact with them like the use of social media, answer sites, forums, and blogs. Create a blog that is related to your product/service/website that will divert the traffic from the blog to your page. Do link building and other promotions. Just don't forget the social networking sites. That will be a big help. Be patient and if you can't Adsense, Facebook Ads and other paid advertisements awaits you.
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    • Profile picture of the author TrafficBot
      Could you PM the link to report when it is available as I am always looking for new ways to build up my lists. Sounds like you have something major on your hands there.

      Originally Posted by dh5114 View Post

      I'll second everything @anpharmd09 said - a sound approach to build a business, not just a list!

      To back it up, I recently generated 21,938 confirmed subscribers in 30 days on a brand new domain starting from scratch (no list). I'm writing a short report about this (what I did and why) and if you can wait another week or so, I can mail it to you or just send me PM so I'll remember.

      If all this sounds fishy (and I know to some does), here's the traffic proof:


      I started with new domain, installed my script and while testing it, secretary incidentally hit the "Go" button and the traffic avalanche started... It generated 77,218 unique visitors in 30 days.

      While this is rather high number and I could never repeat it again (other tries generated smaller lists, but still in the thousands) it is something I can and am repeating almost daily.

      I wrote small script that takes existing traffic from Facebook, Twitter and other social networks and drives it to my squeeze page converting at ~27% or more (extra valuable bribe is the key to get this done right).

      Sorry for being so secretive about it, but I'm planing to launch this script of mine soon so I hope you all understand where I stand.
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  • Profile picture of the author thedanbrown
    There's a bunch of different ways to build your list in the Internet Marketing niche...

    First, I would take some advice from up above and set some goals for yourself; target monthly income, amount of subscribers you will need to achieve that income, how you will get those subscribers, etc.

    After you have figured out your goals you should research each step here on the forum and on google and piece together a business blueprint.

    You have all the tools now just create a plan and take action!
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  • Profile picture of the author dh5114
    @TrafficBot the link is in my sig (ListFunnel) and will be launching soon.

    And yeah, it was quite a ride ...
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