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Why You NEED to Build an Email List (Real-Life Example)

by ContentPro22
10 replies
Let's say that you're out shopping one day, and a street vendor walks up to you and says "Hey. Try on this shirt. It's the BEST shirt in the world. It's made from the best fabric. It will last you a lifetime. And the best part? It's FREE! But...I'll need your name and email FIRST".

If you're like most people, you'll GLADLY take the offer, right? I mean, it's FREE, and offers tremendous value.

Three days later you receive an email from the street vendor, "Hey. Did you like the shirt? Yeah? If so, I've got a a special offer for you: I'm currently selling the world's BEST pants. And guess what? They're only $9.95! Offer expires fast so stop on in to claim your pair".

At this point, you're thinking, "What the heck...why not? The shirt was AMAZING, so the pants are probably equally as impressive" And so you purchase them. This, my friends, is "real-life" email marketing at its finest.

Had the street vendor attempted to SELL you the shirt in the beginning, you probably would have politely said "No Thank" and continued walking. But the street vendor was smart- he knew that if he could get you to realize the value of his brand by enticing you with a free product, that you'd be hooked.

The Same Principles Apply in Email Marketing

Why would you ever expect a "cold" customer (one who has no previous affiliation with your brand, product, service, etc.) to buy something from you straight off the bat? That's not the way it works. Using a landing page, you'll want to first "entice" the lead to subscribe to your emailing list by giving away a free product (like an eBooks, free trial, whatever). At this point, assuming that what you're offering was exceptional value, they will be much more comfortable purchasing from you.

I know I often sound like a broken record but I can't stress enough about how important it is to build an email list BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE. Before you launch a product, before you decide to promote affiliate products, before any of that...you need to have a targeted email list set up.

If you're trying to make the most of your time, money, and effort online, email lists are the way to go. They offer the most "bang for your buck". The sooner you realize that, the closer you'll be to making a lot of money online.

Good luck everyone.
#build #email #list #reallife
  • Profile picture of the author Marked09
    I would buy on the spot, if it's really good. This is a funny story IMO.

    This is in the perspective of the buyers but I would relate this more on Dating.

    you walk on the bar and see a very hot chick, you made a small talk and after a few minutes you asked her number. then she gave it you part ways.

    after 3 days you phoned her asking to go out with you. She agreed

    a day after you phoned her again and asked her to go over your apartment and she agreed.

    The girl wouldn't have agreed if you asked her to go to your apartment (or maybe she would but the chances are very low)
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    • Profile picture of the author ContentPro22
      Originally Posted by Marked09 View Post

      I would buy on the spot, if it's really good. This is a funny story IMO.

      This is in the perspective of the buyers but I would relate this more on Dating.

      you walk on the bar and see a very hot chick, you made a small talk and after a few minutes you asked her number. then she gave it you part ways.

      after 3 days you phoned her asking to go out with you. She agreed

      a day after you phoned her again and asked her to go over your apartment and she agreed.

      The girl wouldn't have agreed if you asked her to go to your apartment (or maybe she would but the chances are very low)
      Wasn't what I was shooting for but nice perspective!

      You're right in the sense that human psychology is predictable no matter industry/field/area it's in.
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    • Profile picture of the author chooseyourself
      Originally Posted by Marked09 View Post

      The girl wouldn't have agreed if you asked her to go to your apartment (or maybe she would but the chances are very low)
      Marked, I'm with you, I would probably buy right away I'm an information junkie so I have no problem buying a course (as long as the price is reasonable) right away, I'm a sucker for fantastic sales copy.

      You'll get the occasional outlier I believe, but I've made the mistake of not tracking them and then it didn't matter, I made money but I didn't know who it came from, so I coudn't target them (rookie mistake).

      Your best bet is always figuring out what works and scaling it up IMO. As long as your method is ethical and is filled with oodles of value people will happily pay you, with a smile on their face as well.

      Thanks for adding to the discussion, take it easy friend.
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  • Profile picture of the author chooseyourself
    Originally Posted by ContentPro22 View Post

    Let's say that you're out shopping one day, and a street vendor walks up to you and says "Hey. Try on this shirt. It's the BEST shirt in the world. It's made from the best fabric. It will last you a lifetime. And the best part? It's FREE! But...I'll need your name and email FIRST".

    If you're like most people, you'll GLADLY take the offer, right? I mean, it's FREE, and offers tremendous value.

    Three days later you receive an email from the street vendor, "Hey. Did you like the shirt? Yeah? If so, I've got a a special offer for you: I'm currently selling the world's BEST pants. And guess what? They're only $9.95! Offer expires fast so stop on in to claim your pair".

    At this point, you're thinking, "What the heck...why not? The shirt was AMAZING, so the pants are probably equally as impressive" And so you purchase them. This, my friends, is "real-life" email marketing at its finest.

    Had the street vendor attempted to SELL you the shirt in the beginning, you probably would have politely said "No Thank" and continued walking. But the street vendor was smart- he knew that if he could get you to realize the value of his brand by enticing you with a free product, that you'd be hooked.
    I think you're right, but you really have to know when to give that "right hook" after a couple of jabs as Gary Vaynerchuck often says.

    I believe that if your free stuff is better than stuff that people have paid for, then you will stick out like a sore thumb and people will feel compelled to buy from you instead of the guy that only drops link after link with good products mind you but not enough of a bonus to using his/her link.

    Always overdeliver and you'll reap the benefits. Give away bonuses until you gain enough trust that people know that what you promote is ridiculously good and you've either purchased it yourself or done enough research on it that you know it's a winner.

    Thanks for posting this, I've seen so much link dropping (and have been guilty of it myself as a newbie lol) on facebook groups and other similar groups.

    Thanks for posting this ContentPro22, it will save newbies from a lot of headaches!
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  • Profile picture of the author ChrisBa
    Originally Posted by ContentPro22 View Post

    Let's say that you're out shopping one day, and a street vendor walks up to you and says "Hey. Try on this shirt. It's the BEST shirt in the world. It's made from the best fabric. It will last you a lifetime. And the best part? It's FREE! But...I'll need your name and email FIRST".

    If you're like most people, you'll GLADLY take the offer, right? I mean, it's FREE, and offers tremendous value.

    Three days later you receive an email from the street vendor, "Hey. Did you like the shirt? Yeah? If so, I've got a a special offer for you: I'm currently selling the world's BEST pants. And guess what? They're only $9.95! Offer expires fast so stop on in to claim your pair".

    At this point, you're thinking, "What the heck...why not? The shirt was AMAZING, so the pants are probably equally as impressive" And so you purchase them. This, my friends, is "real-life" email marketing at its finest.

    Had the street vendor attempted to SELL you the shirt in the beginning, you probably would have politely said "No Thank" and continued walking. But the street vendor was smart- he knew that if he could get you to realize the value of his brand by enticing you with a free product, that you'd be hooked.

    The Same Principles Apply in Email Marketing

    Why would you ever expect a "cold" customer (one who has no previous affiliation with your brand, product, service, etc.) to buy something from you straight off the bat? That's not the way it works. Using a landing page, you'll want to first "entice" the lead to subscribe to your emailing list by giving away a free product (like an eBooks, free trial, whatever). At this point, assuming that what you're offering was exceptional value, they will be much more comfortable purchasing from you.

    I know I often sound like a broken record but I can't stress enough about how important it is to build an email list BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE. Before you launch a product, before you decide to promote affiliate products, before any of that...you need to have a targeted email list set up.

    If you're trying to make the most of your time, money, and effort online, email lists are the way to go. They offer the most "bang for your buck". The sooner you realize that, the closer you'll be to making a lot of money online.

    Good luck everyone.
    The other part of this that most people don't mention is by building a list you will also help built trust from your visitors and connect with them more
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    • Profile picture of the author Marked09
      Originally Posted by ChrisBa View Post

      The other part of this that most people don't mention is by building a list you will also help built trust from your visitors and connect with them more
      You forgot that some of your subscribers will have to buy multiple times when you sell them something.
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  • Profile picture of the author deebee23
    Good advice but this method does not work with every niche especially eccommerce type websites.

    Originally Posted by ContentPro22 View Post

    Let's say that you're out shopping one day, and a street vendor walks up to you and says "Hey. Try on this shirt. It's the BEST shirt in the world. It's made from the best fabric. It will last you a lifetime. And the best part? It's FREE! But...I'll need your name and email FIRST".

    If you're like most people, you'll GLADLY take the offer, right? I mean, it's FREE, and offers tremendous value.

    Three days later you receive an email from the street vendor, "Hey. Did you like the shirt? Yeah? If so, I've got a a special offer for you: I'm currently selling the world's BEST pants. And guess what? They're only $9.95! Offer expires fast so stop on in to claim your pair".

    At this point, you're thinking, "What the heck...why not? The shirt was AMAZING, so the pants are probably equally as impressive" And so you purchase them. This, my friends, is "real-life" email marketing at its finest.

    Had the street vendor attempted to SELL you the shirt in the beginning, you probably would have politely said "No Thank" and continued walking. But the street vendor was smart- he knew that if he could get you to realize the value of his brand by enticing you with a free product, that you'd be hooked.

    The Same Principles Apply in Email Marketing

    Why would you ever expect a "cold" customer (one who has no previous affiliation with your brand, product, service, etc.) to buy something from you straight off the bat? That's not the way it works. Using a landing page, you'll want to first "entice" the lead to subscribe to your emailing list by giving away a free product (like an eBooks, free trial, whatever). At this point, assuming that what you're offering was exceptional value, they will be much more comfortable purchasing from you.

    I know I often sound like a broken record but I can't stress enough about how important it is to build an email list BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE. Before you launch a product, before you decide to promote affiliate products, before any of that...you need to have a targeted email list set up.

    If you're trying to make the most of your time, money, and effort online, email lists are the way to go. They offer the most "bang for your buck". The sooner you realize that, the closer you'll be to making a lot of money online.

    Good luck everyone.
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  • Profile picture of the author gcbmark20
    YES.......that is true but not in all cases.

    I have lists that are BUYER lists right off the bat!

    I offer a very low risk, HIGH value offer to those
    I know are already looking to invest in that particular
    product/service or program etc.

    Then you know that these people are just that - BUYERS!

    I know marketers who ONLY build BUYERS lists and don't
    even bother to build a prospects list.

    So yeah there are many factors involved here like:

    1. Targeting - how targeted are your lists?

    2. Follow up - Does your follow up do a particularly good
    job of turning even the most jaded of subscribers into customers?

    3. QUALITY - Are you building HIGH volumes of low quality
    lists or LOW volumes of HIGH quality leads and subscribers
    into your business?

    I don't think it's just a case of do 1 thing and all is well!

    You have to TEST and get your feet wet first and then make REAL
    decisions based on your findings.

    Good post and I'm not mocking it at all just adding from my own
    findings.

    Well done, good job!
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  • Profile picture of the author YourBizAid
    Banned
    Sending traffic to a page or product without building a list from the traffic is like leaving 90% of your profits on the table...
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  • Profile picture of the author discrat
    Originally Posted by ContentPro22 View Post


    I know I often sound like a broken record but I can't stress enough about how important it is to build an email list BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE. Before you launch a product, before you decide to promote affiliate products, before any of that...you need to have a targeted email list set up.

    If you're trying to make the most of your time, money, and effort online, email lists are the way to go. They offer the most "bang for your buck". The sooner you realize that, the closer you'll be to making a lot of money online.

    Good luck everyone.
    I kind of disagree just a little bit. You should have at least 5 follow ups constructed before you start building any list. And come to a decision what Products you are going to offer these new Subs.

    This ensures that your Plan is in place and Emails are immediately sent out to your new Subs. You do not want to have all these Subs join your List and then sit there twiddling their thumbs waiting for an email from you. This will cause your List to go stagnant

    Have it already set up and ready to go



    - Robert Andrew
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