Truth About Having a Big List!!!

by Msands
24 replies
Short and simple:

Sometimes it does good to hear from others about the truth about eMail Marketing (having a big list):

If you have somewhat of a list going for yourself would you mind sharing with the other Warriors (and myself of course) if is really as profitable as people say it is...and...how you do it?
#big #list #truth
  • Profile picture of the author Ross Vegas
    I both have an manage very large lists somewhere in 100k+ range collectively in IM.

    The big thing to note. It's not profitable at all unless you monetize it with followup emails, great bonus offers, or even offers right after signup.

    Big lists help, but it's also about what you're saying and who's paying attention. Don't worry about scaring off subscribers because it will happen. People unsub for all kinds of reasons and you just have to keep pushing forward with what you believe in, and where you want your business to go.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5205946].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Venturetothetop
      It's not the size of the list that matter, but the quality of the list.

      I know people who have huge lists, but because they never interacted or had a strategy for those lists, they end up pretty useless.

      Having lots of visitors to a site doesn't mean anything if those visitors are not there for the right reasons. It's conversions that are the true metric.

      It's the same with lists. Big lists cost money to maintain, so unless you have good conversions, they may end up being pretty useless to you.

      Concentrate on making active lists, not simply big lists.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5205991].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Ross Bowring
      Originally Posted by Ross Vegas View Post

      Big lists help, but it's also about what you're saying and who's paying attention. Don't worry about scaring off subscribers because it will happen. People unsub for all kinds of reasons and you just have to keep pushing forward with what you believe in, and where you want your business to go.
      Wise words.

      --- Ross
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5208761].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author lstoops
    I don't have a huge list, but I wanted to comment that I don't think it matters how big your list is. It's more about quality than quantity. I started off on the wrong foot and was doing a bunch of ad swaps and just trying to build a big list when I realized that I'm not really caring about my subscribers and their best interest.

    Once I changed my outlook and realized (duh) these are people looking for something then things changed around for me. So now I don't care about a big list...I only care that I'm helping someone reach their goal!!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5205974].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author MrOfferz
      Originally Posted by lstoops View Post

      I don't have a huge list, but I wanted to comment that I don't think it matters how big your list is. It's more about quality than quantity. I started off on the wrong foot and was doing a bunch of ad swaps and just trying to build a big list when I realized that I'm not really caring about my subscribers and their best interest.

      Once I changed my outlook and realized (duh) these are people looking for something then things changed around for me. So now I don't care about a big list...I only care that I'm helping someone reach their goal!!
      Awesome post
      Signature

      Great Offers, All The Time, Just Ask......
      Currently Looking For Affiliates for Solid Converting Life Insurance, Finance, Lending, Credit/Debit Card, Stop Smoking, Weight Loss & Other Self-Help Offers Ready

      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5224185].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author BlackRob
    I could not agree more with you Ross, I am an advocator that to build a big list you must offer them quality not quantity.

    Whatever you do, never just purely sell products to your list, as that will annoy them and they will certainly unsubscribe quicker. However, you will get unsubs anyway, as some people just wish too.

    Just build your list steadily, and offer great value, and the money will come eventually.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5206000].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author oneplusone
    Lists are more about quality than quantity.

    If you've got a list of a few thousand buyers in one of the evergreen niches, you can live like a king for years.

    You just need to add a few hundred buyers occasionally to keep the conversion rate intact when you promote anything.

    One of the quickest ways to get a responsive list which produces loads of orders, is to get other people's buyers onto your subscriber list.

    There are many small business owners (especially of physical products) who've got no idea how valuable their customer list is.

    All you've got to do, is offer these people a little money and ask them to e-mail their customer list promoting your squeeze page, so their buyers end up on your subscriber list.

    Bingo ... you've got a few hundred or a few thousand people on your subscriber list, which contains proven buyers.
    Signature
    'If you hear a voice within you say "you cannot paint," then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.' Vincent Van Gogh.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5206064].message }}
  • {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5206122].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Msands
    I really appreciate the comments and feedback...
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5207017].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author amarketing
    In addition to what everyone else has said, it is also a great idea to differentiate between the buyers and non-buyers on the list.

    You are going to have people join your list who are never going to buy a thing. No matter how much you market to them, build your credibility to them, and no matter how good of a deal you offer to them...they just will not buy from you. These people may not even shop online at all. This can be especially true if you get subscribers by giving away something free (however, that's no reason not to say giving away something free is a bad method.)

    When you market to your list, make sure to organize the contacts who buy and keep them separate from the ones who will not buy. Eventually, you can get to the point that you will create different offers for the subscribers who have bought and who have not.

    Doing this will also help you to better analyze how well the methods work that you use to build your list. You may find some methods get you more buying subscribers than do other methods.
    Signature
    10 ORIGINAL PLR ARTICLES!
    HEALTH * FITNESS * DIET
    Each Article is 300+ to 500+ (MOSTLY 500+) WORDS
    **** -----> Only Selling This Pack to 4 PEOPLE <----- ****
    Only $80 PER PACK ...That's $8 an article! PM Me Before They're GONE!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5207342].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Willie Crawford
    It's not the size of the list but how well you engage them. You need
    an ongoing conversation with you subscribers, talking about things
    that they care about, and showing that you really are in their
    corner.

    Focus on building a list of buyers... people who want what you are
    selling, can afford it, and are willing to pay for it.

    Willie
    Signature

    Here's A Ready-Made High Ticket Product To Make Your Own.
    Click To Go BIG!

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5208576].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Dominis Marketing
      Originally Posted by Willie Crawford View Post

      It's not the size of the list but how well you engage them. You need
      an ongoing conversation with you subscribers, talking about things
      that they care about, and showing that you really are in their
      corner.

      Focus on building a list of buyers... people who want what you are
      selling, can afford it, and are willing to pay for it.

      Willie
      Great point Willie!

      And to do what Willie said, that is "get a list of buyers" you
      can:

      1. swap download pages (put your freebies on other marketer's download
      page and do the same for them).

      2. Launch a loss leader - this is a high value product for cheap $3 to $9.

      3. Offer 100% commission of your loss leader product to affiliates.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5208592].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author celente
      Originally Posted by Willie Crawford View Post

      It's not the size of the list but how well you engage them. You need
      an ongoing conversation with you subscribers, talking about things
      that they care about, and showing that you really are in their
      corner.

      Focus on building a list of buyers... people who want what you are
      selling, can afford it, and are willing to pay for it.

      Willie
      its a good point willie brings to the table.

      You might have a list of freebie seekers, but what do you think they want more of. FREEBIE's

      We make more from our lists of buyers than our freebie seekers. Now, you can make money from freebie seekers if you gain their trust, but its much easier with a proven list of buyers as they sort of have their credit card out ready to buy, but as long as what you are offering is good.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5208959].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author JCorp
    a great list is like a wonderful wife; show it love, take care of its needs, offer valuable information, treat it with respect, and they'll grow in numbers and loyalty.....

    but that's not to say if you treat your wife this way you can have more wives...at least in some cultures.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5208655].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author clarentino
    I would suggest giving something away for free such as valuable information, pdf, and tools. Once you have gained trust (probably would take several emails), then you can start promoting offers to them. But it also depends on how targeted is your list. You need to provide the right offer to the right list.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5208995].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author RobKonrad
      Originally Posted by clarentino View Post

      I would suggest giving something away for free such as valuable information, pdf, and tools. Once you have gained trust (probably would take several emails), then you can start promoting offers to them. But it also depends on how targeted is your list. You need to provide the right offer to the right list.
      You might argue that this is wrong in many ways (I am NOT saying it necessarily is):

      - you wanna build a buyers list, not a freebie seekers list
      - if you provide "just" information over many emails, you're not "educating buyers"...

      but again - people might have other opinions.

      What's for sure - you can have a list for 10 and make more from that than from a list of 1'000'000. It's all about the quality, the product (low vs high-ticket).... and many other things

      Cheers,
      Rob
      Signature
      ================================================== ===
      This blog is awesome: http://www.robkonrad.com/blog. Read it.
      ================================================== ===
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5224251].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author golf69
    Done properly, building a list and emailing them is very profitable. Remember the money is in the list.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5209094].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Suthan M
    One of the reasons Groupon became a billion dollar company so fast was becouse of their email list.

    The RULE is engagement, engagement, and engagement. You cant go any wrong than that.
    Signature

    Whats the latest movie you watched? Anything good?

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5209841].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author RySpencer
    I have a fairly large list myself. I harness the full use of auto responders to gain the trust of my users.

    When a user signs up they are signing up from a free product. I then send them another free product along the same niche the week after, then the week after that.
    I also encourage them to email me back with any questions they have. (Make sure you know the product and system you are giving away for free).

    I have fluctuated from small list to huge list then trimmed it out from there (have subscribers opt to new lists that sell different niches). I have been very successful with this technique.

    The key is paying attention to your subscribers and knowing what they want.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5223867].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Russel Mogul
    JV and network with those who already have big lists. Or hit up the biz opp section on SRDs and mail the freshest hottest buyers, don't forget to seed that son of gun too.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5224287].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author theultimate1
      Originally Posted by Russel Mogul View Post

      JV and network with those who already have big lists. Or hit up the biz opp section on SRDs and mail the freshest hottest buyers, don't forget to seed that son of gun too.
      What are SRDs?

      Thanks
      Signature
      If Content Is Your King, Then This GhostRider.. err.. GhostWriter Is Your Knight!
      My Sample Articles
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5225726].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author MatthewNeer
    Absolutely!

    What most people dont know is that the dude who are KILLING IT online, usually have really big lists. These are the guys you see on leaderboards.

    As for myself, I dont have a "gigantic" list yet, but every time I broadcast, I am able to generate a few hundred dollars. And that is only growing each and every month as I add hundreds of new subscribers.

    So yes, its the real deal AND, if you treat your list with lots of value, like I do mine, then you will be able to reap some serious rewards.
    Signature
    Three (3) Income Streams DFY
    New FREE Website Builds Your List
    And Earns From 3 Income Streams
    http://ListLeverage.com
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5225132].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Osman_M
    Like everyone has mentioned, its all about the relationship that you have with your list. I know a few folks who a list of 500. Now to some people thats nothing and they can pull those subscribers with one solo ad. But these guys don't realize you need to build a relationship with your subscribers.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5225214].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author nicheblogger75
    My list just broke 5,000, and it makes me anywhere from $4-$5k per month. A lot of that comes from a really high converting one time offer that subscribers see right after sign up. I also send out an email every day and those result in some good sales. Now, some would say that's too many emails, but it works for me. As far as size, the $1 per month per lead is holding true for me.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5225215].message }}

Trending Topics