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should i focus hard on making a list?

by Eviltomato
32 replies
I keep hearing that your bread and butter is in the list.

I that why you see so many sites offering free stuff in exchange for an email?

I just dont get it. I have never opened a single offer i have gotten through email... so i assume that most people are like me. You see an ad in the email and its an instant delete.

So in researching list software... i see professional companies, and i see people offering ebooks for 30bucks on their squeeze pages. Can anybody recommend a good product that doesnt break the bank? Will need list management as well as the forum to insert into the page.

thanks!
#focus #hard #list #making
  • Profile picture of the author ryanman
    No, you shouldn't focus hard on making a list first, you should rather focus on your marketing strategy. How you will market to that list first. Having a list would be useless unless you already have a proper plan in place.
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    • Profile picture of the author Anna Kowalski
      Building a list is super important to your sustainable, long-term success.

      In fact, don't think of "a" list, but think of multiple lists. You will have lists in each niche, then within that niche you may a list of buyers, and a list of prospects, and then a list of "members" or whatever you want it to be.

      But the KEY is capturing their contact information so that you can continue to communicate with that subscriber long after they have left your squeeze page and received your free giveaway item.

      That just makes good sense
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    • Profile picture of the author greenmile
      Just because you wouldn't do something doesn't mean that your potential market won't. It can be a big mistake to assume that everyone behaves the same way that you do. Many people make good money sending offers to their list because there are people that click through to those and buy.
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    • Profile picture of the author Abby Haukongo
      Hi Eviltomato,

      Yes you are right the money is really in the list. But not just in the list...it is in the relationship with the list. You don''t just go out there, set up a squeeze page and start driving traffic to it.

      First think of what value you want to offer. It is important that you offer value, both in the product you offer and in the emails you send out.

      Before you think of creating a squeeze page you have to consider whether you will be able to provide value to this list. The reason why you don't open up those emails is because you know that they are hypey, right? You don''t want to be hypey. You want to be real and honest.

      This is what I would do if I was you.

      1. I'd find a good product to offer as a free gift. Not just any nonsense out there. There are many good free products on the Warrior Forum. Just spend time to find them. Go to the WSO section and find free WSO's that have more than 20 replies. Normally people skip free WSO's. So, for it to have 20 replies means that there must be value there.

      2. Download these products and filter them through. Keep the ones that you think are offering value and rewrite them in your own words or re-create an audio. Remember when you re-create this info you must keep in mind the following. Would I pay for this?

      3. After creating your own product you now know exactly what is in the product and you can easily talk about it. That's when you create a squeeze page and an autoresponder. I'm not gonna go into the basics of creating a squeeze page or setting up your autoresponder. There are many good quides out there.

      4. When writing your emails you need to connect with your potential customer. See them as family members. You would offer real value to your family members right?

      5. Now you find a quality product that complements your free giveaway, which you can offer in the backend.

      6. Only after you have all these things in place do you start driving traffic to it.

      7. And that my friend is the name of the game.

      Abby
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Myers
    i assume that most people are like me.
    Mistake. Really, really big one.

    Unlearn that prejudice, or you'll make things much harder than they need to be.


    Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author Eviltomato
    Im just starting out. would like to make some squeeze pages for a few different niches offering some free ebooks to each. Get the lists... then email them guides, information, and tips. Eventually i will try to find out from them what the are looking for.. then i will target a little better for what they want. Eventually i will integrate affiliate links to various products into my advice.

    Sound like a good start?
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    • Profile picture of the author makingiants
      Originally Posted by Eviltomato View Post

      Im just starting out. would like to make some squeeze pages for a few different niches offering some free ebooks to each. Get the lists... then email them guides, information, and tips. Eventually i will try to find out from them what the are looking for.. then i will target a little better for what they want. Eventually i will integrate affiliate links to various products into my advice.

      Sound like a good start?
      Here's a question: do you know what they want, or are you
      just assuming that you already know? If you have a blog in
      that niche that's drawing traffic, offer your freebie as a bribe
      to reel them in further. Then market to them. Realize that
      people tend to buy more from those they know, like and trust..

      Hope this helps,
      Vince aka makingiants
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  • Profile picture of the author Flores
    I would say yes if you are focusing in on one niche, and no of you are a serial niche changer like someone who makes these profit websites and then flips them. The money is in the list only if your list consists of people who are interested in the same type of thing. You could keep several different lists, but then it may be hard to keep them all happy. It really depends on your game plan Angry Tomato Man
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  • Profile picture of the author damasgate
    I think building a list (While) building a marketing strategy would be a very idea to do.

    If it's anything I regret is not spending the time to put an opt-in page on my sites earlier on in the game. I would have had a few hundred more subscribers.
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  • Profile picture of the author emrom
    But what really do you have after you build a list. A group of emails of people that wanted what you had to offer....and put in their email. I don't always want to give out my email...but I put it in to get the free info. So to me there is no difference between building a list and buying a leads that have opt-in. Both of us only give you our email to get the freeby....but maybe I will like something else you send me....you never can telll...he doesn't open any emails and I look at all of them...even in the spam folder....just in case I miss something I might want!
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  • Profile picture of the author Rod Cortez
    Originally Posted by Eviltomato View Post

    I keep hearing that your bread and butter is in the list.

    I that why you see so many sites offering free stuff in exchange for an email?
    For some yes, for others no, it depends on their business model and overall strategy.

    I just dont get it. I have never opened a single offer i have gotten through email... so i assume that most people are like me. You see an ad in the email and its an instant delete.
    Marketing 101, never assume, test first and gather data before coming to conclusions. Even if your assumption was true, that most people don't open offers in e-mails, that still doesn't take away the fact that millions of entrepreneurs and companies build lists which helps increase their bottom line.

    Building a list, in it's simpliest form, is simply having a database or network of people, that you can send messages to. So you can send people on your list content, multiple offers, and then further segment those lists if you want. You can use today's technology to see which offers sell better, what topics and/or subject headings get more people to read your e-mails, etc.

    It's a very powerful way to make money. Mobile advertising is just another example on how some marketers are building their lists.

    So in researching list software... i see professional companies, and i see people offering ebooks for 30bucks on their squeeze pages. Can anybody recommend a good product that doesnt break the bank? Will need list management as well as the forum to insert into the page.

    thanks!
    Based on what you've posted I think you need to learn more about the marketing basics before starting into looking into autoresponder companies or any 3rd party list software.

    RoD
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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    Originally Posted by Eviltomato View Post

    I have never opened a single offer i have gotten through email...
    How do you know they're "offers"?

    I have subscriber-lists in 8 different niches, with high open-rates (when I measure them, anyway). But my subscribers don't expect me to be sending many "offers", and I don't. Just as part of the email, in about one email in three that I send out. All the rest is just providing them with the valuable content they want and expect from me. I gradually establish a relationship with them based on increasing credibility and trust. That's why, when I do send a link to an "offer", so many of them are willing to try it on the strength of my recommendation.

    Originally Posted by Eviltomato View Post

    so i assume that most people are like me.
    Fortunately or unfortunately not.

    But also, it may to some extent be true that the lists you're on, and the emails you're receiving yourself that make you say that, are those of some fairly clueless marketers who are just among the majority "passing through" and won't still be in business in a year's time anyway?

    Originally Posted by Eviltomato View Post

    So in researching list software... i see professional companies, and i see people offering ebooks for 30bucks on their squeeze pages.
    A "squeeze page" is a page with a prominently incentivized opt-in and no other content. Anything you've seen with a price on it isn't a "squeeze page". It might be a "sales page with an opt-in". That's something entirely different.

    Originally Posted by Eviltomato View Post

    Can anybody recommend a good product that doesnt break the bank? Will need list management as well as the forum to insert into the page.
    I can only agree with RoD, just above: based on what you've posted I think you need to learn more about the marketing basics before starting into looking into autoresponder companies or any 3rd party list software.

    But you're asking a good question, here: and when you get going, if you're aiming at making sales as an affiliate or as a vendor, you probably should focus hard on list-building; yes.
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  • Profile picture of the author Muhsin Aziz
    Yes I strongly believe you should build your own list.

    I have explored all kinds of methods to run an online business
    and most of the advice I received all comes down to building a list.

    So I have stopped wasting my time searching for the next big thing
    and just focus on simple list building.

    Cheers!
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  • Profile picture of the author dshrader300
    I am using Chris Farrell's Membership site for training. He does show you step for step hot do everything from making a squeeze page to driving traffic and its reasonable far as pricing goes
    Sorry I can't give a lot of advice if you click below you can see my first squeeze page and
    free ebook offer
    Thanks for reading Douglas
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  • Profile picture of the author allby
    Building a list may be a little hard but it helps you to make more sales in the future. I would definitely go for a list.
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  • Profile picture of the author morninjoi
    i want you to see that the essence of im mostly is marketing. Before the internet became popular most of what we are doing today was called mail order and they had lists. You need your list to sell to when you have an offer-not everyone will delete their mail.
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  • Profile picture of the author gasman
    You are very right. Most people are like you in that, they don't open most of these type of emails. However, the "bread and butter" is in the numbers. If you are only sending an email out to 30 people you can't expect much in return. The bigger the list the better. Also you need to develop trust with your list. This way when they see an email from you they will want to read it. From there it's all about good copy writing and good products to market.
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  • Profile picture of the author morninjoi
    aaa list is as vital now as it was before the internet got popular. During the mail order era, the list was key to sales. I encourage you to see your list in that light.
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  • Profile picture of the author paul nicholls
    if you come across a video that you really love and it has helped you in your own business, hobby etc and the guy that created the video says

    "hey, im currently giving away a few more videos for free, so if you liked the first one you will like these too"

    then all you have to do to get the videos is subscribe

    are you saying that you will then not open his email?

    so why opt in in the first place?

    its called marketing and providing value. If you can provide great upfront free value then your going to attract lots of people that want what your giving away for free

    paul
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  • Profile picture of the author HelpingYouBeAnExpert
    Originally Posted by Eviltomato View Post


    I that so i assume that most people are like me.

    thanks!

    There is your problem that most people make they assume that people are like them, let me tell you they are not. By the way that is why most marketers don't do split testing they think they know what people want.

    Here's what took me tons of time and tons of money to learn if you learn this you will become successful. The secret is that I'm totally irrelevant and what I want doesn't matter. What they want is relavent and what they think matters. Once I learned this secret (and it's not easy) I started getting some results.

    Hope this helps. Good luck 2 u.
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    • Profile picture of the author frankshapiro
      Originally Posted by HelpingYouBeAnExpert View Post

      There is your problem that most people make they assume that people are like them, let me tell you they are not. By the way that is why most marketers don't do split testing they think they know what people want.

      Here's what took me tons of time and tons of money to learn if you learn this you will become successful. The secret is that I'm totally irrelevant and what I want doesn't matter. What they want is relavent and what they think matters. Once I learned this secret (and it's not easy) I started getting some results.

      Hope this helps. Good luck 2 u.
      +1 for this.

      In this industry you don't ever want to assume that most people are just like you.

      I wasted so much time and money on this assumption when I was first starting out... don't do the same! Test, test, test. The numbers have the answer.
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  • Profile picture of the author garyv
    You should definitely test building a list. A profitable list is an internet marketer's cash cow. BUT - not all lists are profitable, so do your own testing. And don't be afraid of losing a little money in your pursuit of a profitable list combination.
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  • Profile picture of the author szury
    lists are always good but it's not what you should focus all your time on.
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  • Profile picture of the author sumith
    I had been sucked in same loop of building list without building a strategy.. Not a good idea at all.. You will go bonkers with what to do next. I suggest you make a good strategy first. if you want I can help. PM me /email me at sumithnahar@gmail.com with specific questions and I will get in touch with you.
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  • Profile picture of the author genuine86
    Building a list is an area which I have ignored. But after being blasted by email promotions everyday, and often buying, I see the importance of having a responsive list.
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  • Profile picture of the author Noel Cunningham
    Def go for building a list but also study email marketing - that's where the money's at..

    You could have a huge list but if you don't market to them right then you won't see much for your efforts. Take your time and absorb all the points the guys made above and take it one step at a time.
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    • Profile picture of the author PattC
      I agree that you need a list to market to, but I agree with other posters that a marketing strategy is essential.

      I appreciate this discussion, because marketing to my list is a problem for me. I am promoting the Chris Farrell Membership and I have 10 people on my list who are receiving a free ebook, and 64 weekly issues of Success Grenade Newsletter. Since there are many links to join the membership in both products, I've been advised to just let people decide for themselves if they want to join, and click one of the links.

      Six months later, no one has clicked to join, and seems like they just want to enjoy the freebies.I have sent out broadcasts, but not very many people even open them, because they think they are spam.

      What are your thoughts on how to promote the Membership?
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  • Profile picture of the author paul nicholls
    patt c

    your best to start creating you own list around something that YOU have created otherwise you wont get anywhere

    what ever you do, do one thing and keep at it untill you see some results

    10 people is nothing, you need lots more traffic

    personally i would create some free gifts yourself and then offer those, that way they will be unique to you rather than give out what hundreds of others are giving out as well

    paul
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  • Profile picture of the author gojiberryman
    Originally Posted by Eviltomato View Post

    I keep hearing that your bread and butter is in the list.

    I that why you see so many sites offering free stuff in exchange for an email?

    I just dont get it. I have never opened a single offer i have gotten through email... so i assume that most people are like me. You see an ad in the email and its an instant delete.

    So in researching list software... i see professional companies, and i see people offering ebooks for 30bucks on their squeeze pages. Can anybody recommend a good product that doesnt break the bank? Will need list management as well as the forum to insert into the page.

    thanks!
    Yes my friend, you should absolutely focus on building your list because that is where the money really is. In my opinion you would not want to waste your time with anything else other than building that baby to the thousands. In the end there will be a great reward. I would advise you to sign up for Richard legg's newsletter to learn how to build a great newsletter. You can google him.
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