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Is it best to build an online relationship with someone BEFORE they signup?

by David Braybrooke
13 replies
By that, I mean should you try and attract interested readers to a blog, authority site etc. And not 'seduce' people on to a list with lots of free bonuses?

Have an optin form installed but keep it worded to offer more great info and tips through a transparent signup to a list explanation.

I guess my concern is if you drive traffic through solo ads, PPC and more, you may get numbers on your list/s but they will largely be people who soon forget your name and neglect to open your followup series.

Quality over quantity or should I spread my options and adopt a number of different methods? Your views?
#build #online #relationship #signup
  • Profile picture of the author carcin0genic
    A good mix is important to scale to high levels of income.

    On the other hand more engagement and relationship building you do, the more repeat/loyal buyers you will attract.

    you can accomplish just as much, if not more, by having a relatively small list of interested trusting buyers as opposed to a gigantic list of "hopeful" sales that you have to bombard frequently.

    Hope that helps

    -Mike
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    Originally Posted by David Braybrooke View Post

    Quality over quantity or should I spread my options and adopt a number of different methods?
    Quality over quantity.
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    • Profile picture of the author David Braybrooke
      Originally Posted by Randall Magwood View Post

      Quality over quantity.
      So, could it be argued that the solo ad route to list building, no matter how good quality the vendor, may in fact not be the best method? Giving someone a 'freebie' etc doesn't necessarily brand your name well to that prospect. The volume of emailings increase all the time, so why will your ability to build relationships via email necessarily lead to a substantial online business? Even the best subject lines can get overlooked, when time is limited and inboxes are crammed full!
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      • Profile picture of the author Marco Moeschter
        Originally Posted by David Braybrooke View Post

        So, could it be argued that the solo ad route to list building, no matter how good quality the vendor, may in fact not be the best method? Giving someone a 'freebie' etc doesn't necessarily brand your name well to that prospect. The volume of emailings increase all the time, so why will your ability to build relationships via email necessarily lead to a substantial online business? Even the best subject lines can get overlooked, when time is limited and inboxes are crammed full!

        I guess it depends what you giving away. More marketers have to say good bye to give a way free ebooks and stuff like that. Your give away should be really valuable that people built trust immediately with you because the they know that they don't get another free ebook. With the right offer, solo's will work because you attract the right subscribers straight away!
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    • Profile picture of the author John Jonas Phil VA
      Originally Posted by Randall Magwood View Post

      Quality over quantity.
      Another advantage to quality and a shorter list is that not only are the people there more receptive to what you have to offer, they're also the people who are most likely to refer and recommend you product to people they know. Focus your efforts on people who can influence other people and you'll find that you you don't have to work in finding more customers.
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      • Profile picture of the author myob
        Originally Posted by David Braybrooke View Post

        So, could it be argued that the solo ad route to list building, no matter how good quality the vendor, may in fact not be the best method? Giving someone a 'freebie' etc doesn't necessarily brand your name well to that prospect. The volume of emailings increase all the time, so why will your ability to build relationships via email necessarily lead to a substantial online business? Even the best subject lines can get overlooked, when time is limited and inboxes are crammed full!
        We can call building an online relationship with someone before they signup the process of "branding" yourself first. An effective way (and the best way that I know) of building an online relationship with prospective subscribers is posting compelling articles on your website that demonstrate your niche expertise or demographic affinity.

        Take it to an even higher level by scaling up and submit these articles to relevant publications that are already targeting your reading audience. My little trick is to build relationships with other marketers' subscribers by syndicating articles to their publications. :p

        This is accomplished through regular contributions of articles to publications in which targeted prospects read. After reading my articles over a period of time, they will gravitate over to a relevant niche website. It is possible to incentivize opt-ins at this point, but I drive the qualification and branding process even further.

        In my marketing model, nothing is ever blatantly "sold"; only recommended on the strength of credentials perceived as a result of my article writing. The opt-in form is for buyers only, as they must enter the transaction ID# to complete the subscription process. Only buyers of recommended product(s) are invited to subscribe for other offers/information.

        This effectively filters out free loaders, although admittedly it may also eliminate an inestimable percentage of potential "eventual" buyers. Perhaps overkill in the "quality over quantity" concept, this process is designed primarily for quick branding as well as targeting and qualifying proven buyers for higher conversions and repeat sales.

        An excellent book describing this incredibly powerful marketing concept is "Brand Against the Machine: How to Build Your Brand, Cut Through the Marketing Noise, and Stand Out from the Competition", by John Michael Morgan.
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  • Profile picture of the author AdamPayne
    IMO, the solo ads way is never the best (though it may be the quickest). You are always a somewhat unwanted visitor in the inbox.

    As a thank you page, I like to include a kind of bridge page with my image and a ton of ways to get in touch as opposed to a freebie (that i can deliver in email1).

    I have found that making my self available and transparent works the best.

    So many freebies around these days that I doubt many folk read them much.
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    Hi David! The sign up usually happens after you build the relationship. Sometimes a person will buy in quickly; in these cases the bond grows after the buy.

    Avoid attaching to any one person but do help, assist, engage and connect with all people you can, each day, to see the greatest returns.

    Pure karma

    All the best!
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  • Profile picture of the author sadhansamanta
    You can get a bunch of leads by doing different things, like Solo Ads, Banner Ads, Social Media ads, and things like that, but the conversion ratio would be very less unless you are able to build a relationship first.

    The one disadvantage about FREE bonuses I have found is that you get freebie seekers who hardly buy anything, but again, with proper relationship building, you can turn them into loyal buyers.
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  • Profile picture of the author jwmann2
    Make sure your ads are un intrusive and the content is useful and very welcoming. Sometimes you can make more by subtraction i've come to find.
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  • Profile picture of the author MaxGalitsyn
    I doubt that building relationships with your customers is the best way. Unless you have very few of them. The best option is to build relationship with leads and other experts in your niche who can drive traffic to your website.
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  • Profile picture of the author Superior Content Creation
    If you can get someone to sign up without offering them a direct incentive in return (free report), that IS building a relationship.

    It can be done with one communication, but you've really got to wow them. A really great article in a solo ad or a mind-blowing guest post, for instance. Then they arrive at your site, where you make it clear they can sign up for updates - if you impressed them enough, they won't want to forget about you, and they know they probably will if they don't sign up.

    BOOM. Relationships begins.

    You can also try to make your signup incentive more conducive for relationships-building, as opposed to a download and then unsubscribe type of situation, with a bit of creativity. Instead of a free report, for instance, consider offering a "free course." Then split up your information into a series of emails that are delivered over time.

    This gives you a perfect opportunity to build an ongoing relationship and sets up the continuity beforehand. In fact, people won't just be receptive to your emails if you get it right - they'll actively look for them in their inbox.
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  • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
    A small list of subs who trust and have a relationship with you is nearly always worth more than a big list of people who have no idea who you are and don't care.

    100% build the relationship with them BEFORE opt in.

    It's impossible to build a relationship with someone afterwards who never sees (because they go to spam / junk / a secondary email) or opens your emails.

    When you build it up before hand you can easily get 40%+ open rates, high clicks and lots of action. Not to mention low unsubscribe and spam rates.

    When you have no prior relationship you're fighting a loosing battle and 10% open rates are considered excellent. Totally woeful.
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