How big is your list?

List building is an art form. Anyone can build a list of subscribers. If your intent is to just build a huge list, you're just chasing the wind with a butterfly net.

On the other hand, building a highly targeted list of responsive customers is done with finesse, skill and a thorough understanding of the wants, desires and emotions of those subscribers. It requires building a solid relationship and then nurturing that relationship by consistency of quality, consistency of delivery and establishing your expertise in the subject matter. These things will build trust.

It's a well known fact that people buy from those they know, like and trust (the KLT factor). So, if you have a small list of subscribers that know, like and trust you, your small list can substantially out perform lists with thousands of subscribers that have little KLT value.

The axiom "the money is in the list" isn't exactly accurate. "The money is in the targeted responsive list" would be more accurate. Quantity does not necessarily equate to quality unless you have the KLT factor built in from the beginning. I never delete subscribers because they don't buy within a certain time period. What I do is migrate those people to a broader list of subject matter and then split them out into other topics of interest they would subscribe to.

If I have open rates of less than 40%, I re-examine my marketing campaign for the opt-in because it, more than likely, is too general in nature. Thus, producing an unresponsive subscriber list.

As for mediums used to build lists (Web 2.0, Social marketing, article marketing, etc) it really depends on how you go about qualifying your target audience. These platforms are tools. Used properly, you can rapidly build a steady stream of targeted traffic to send to your opt-in. Used incorrectly, you'll end up with a lot of tire kickers and freebie seekers.

Hope this helps.

Rich