Unable to create and build relationship with list

5 replies
I have decided its not for me as it takes away from my main focus which is to build content sites. However, I have decided that I will convert my RSS feed list and send out the posts through Aweber email newsletters. And about 3 or 4 times a month I will mention affiliate products at the end of the posts, something along the lines of, 'If you or a family member have x condition, you may be interested in x product'.

Does this type of thing work?
#build #create #list #relationship #unable
  • Profile picture of the author Kendrickk
    Well with email marketing you would have to be careful. The people that you are mailing to are real and they can be a maybe a lifetime customer if you do it right. Offer value and you would not have to worry about anything.
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    • Profile picture of the author Allan_Gardyne
      In the nearly 15 years I've been emailing to a list, I've tried quite a few different things. In my experience, brief mentions usually don't work very well.

      The most important factor is whether your readers trust your recommendations, so you have do things to win their trust, such as presenting yourself as an expert and providing genuinely useful information they can use.

      One of the best bits of advice I ever received was to picture myself talking to ONE typical reader. In your head, get to know that reader and ask yourself what he or she wants to know.

      If you're just sending out stuff that was simply designed to be found in search engines, that won't work. If, however, you're posting info that genuinely helps your typical reader, you're on the right track.

      If you really care about your typical reader, you can make some mistakes and still achieve sales.
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      • Profile picture of the author Claire Koch
        There was a marketer named luke who mailed like that. Every time I got a email from him I thought he was talking straight to me. I loved to read his email and believed he was an expert. What allan is telling you works.

        Originally Posted by Allan_Gardyne View Post

        In the nearly 15 years I've been emailing to a list, I've tried quite a few different things. In my experience, brief mentions usually don't work very well.

        The most important factor is whether your readers trust your recommendations, so you have do things to win their trust, such as presenting yourself as an expert and providing genuinely useful information they can use.

        One of the best bits of advice I ever received was to picture myself talking to ONE typical reader. In your head, get to know that reader and ask yourself what he or she wants to know.

        If you're just sending out stuff that was simply designed to be found in search engines, that won't work. If, however, you're posting info that genuinely helps your typical reader, you're on the right track.

        If you really care about your typical reader, you can make some mistakes and still achieve sales.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
    Anton - if your main thing is building content sites just have a "content" newsletter. I do that with one of my sites. I sell my own products, sell ads in the newsletter, and sometimes promote affiliate products.

    I don't often use "brief mentions" though. That doesn't really work in my experience. Even free things need to be built up a little. Instead, I'll either do a good write up on it as a piece of extra content, or I'll write a tutorial or make a video showing how I use the product.

    It works well for me, just be sure whatever you promote is a good product and delivers on the sales pitch. It's easy to see dollar signs and promote things for a big payout, but don't do it if the product isn't good. Remember, whatever you promote has your name on it too. If you recommend junk, you'll be associated with junk and lose credibility with your readers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by Anton543 View Post

    Does this type of thing work?
    No.

    Originally Posted by Anton543 View Post

    it takes away from my main focus which is to build content sites.
    The reason you had 3,000 clicks on your hoplink to make 4 sales, of which 2 were refunded, is that you think "listbuilding would detract from your main purpose which is to build content sites". In great contrast, the reason so many of us are making a living from the clicks on our hoplinks is that we think the purpose of having "content sites" is to build lists.

    You're throwing the pizza away and trying to eat your dinner from the scraps of burned bread scraped off the bottom of the pizza-oven when it's cleaned out.
    That's why you're still hungry later.

    Originally Posted by Anton543 View Post

    I have decided its not for me
    Yeah, we gathered, from the threads you started off criticizing list-building and telling everyone what a misguided and ill-conceived idea you think it is, even though you've never actually tried it, yourself.

    I think you should edit the title of this thread and change it to "Unwilling to learn how to create and build relationships with a list". Many of us might be a little more supportive and helpful to you, if you were open and honest about that, at least with yourself even if with nobody else, and if you stopped publicly criticizing the methods of successful people here, of which you have no experience.
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