36 replies
How do you effectively build a list from scratch?
#list #question
  • Profile picture of the author RyanLima
    There are thousands of methods...

    Personally, I BUY targeted traffic and send them through a sales funnel.

    Each is different depending on the niche

    Hereare a few ways if your list building using Free Methods.

    Youtube ( video marketing ) **
    Blogging
    Article Distribution
    Squiddo

    Paid Methods:

    Purchase ads on other website in your niche that get lots of traffic.
    Google Adwords
    Bing Ads
    Facebook Adds **
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  • Profile picture of the author paulsbiz
    Sell products, even cheap ones. A buyer list will be worth far more to you than any 'freebee' list you build.
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  • Profile picture of the author KevinChapman
    Find a profitable niche
    Build a site with unique, interesting articles and an opt in form
    Send traffic to that site using social media/forums/pay per click
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  • Profile picture of the author drewfioravanti
    There are any number of ways to build a list. The first thing I would do is decide what business model I want to use. Then, I build a funnel backwards from there.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rod Cortez
    Originally Posted by deebee23 View Post

    How do you effectively build a list from scratch?
    As Ryan already mentioned, there are thousands of way to do this. A lot of it will have to do with your business plan, market research, your budget, etc.

    Some people will do keyword research within a specific niche, then put up a squeeze page, buy traffic, find a bunch of programs to promote (and/or create their own line of products / services) and test out their conversions until they have an optimal opt-in rate and overall ROI.

    But's that just one way out of many.

    There's a Warrior here who creates cool, free, usable pieces of software, lists them on a bunch of different websites, and he gets a ton of traffic that way that he sends to a variety of different kinds of websites.

    What makes it difficult to answer your question is that it's very broad. Any experienced list builder in this forum could answer your question with a lot of specifics on how to do this, but it would be a very loooong answer.

    A former Warrior built her entire business using free publicity (press releases, appearing on radio stations and TV, etc.) and she would send people to her website which had some articles, but also a large opt-in form.

    You want to give people a reason to join your list and one way of doing that is to find out what your target market's needs, wants, hopes, and dreams are........

    RoD
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  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
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    Originally Posted by deebee23 View Post

    How do you effectively build a list from scratch?
    Reading through Salegurus' list of threads above will, collectively, probably give you more and better information than you'd get by buying a few WSO's on this subject.

    May I suggest this one thread as your "starting-point"? http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post6123982

    Aso worth knowing: stay away from "free autoresponders" for all the reasons explained here: http://www.warriorforum.com/internet...ml#post4171256

    And here: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post8019653
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  • Profile picture of the author marc7
    Hey deebee23!

    Building a list from scratch can seem like a hard process, but it's not. All you need is a system to follow and a autoresponder like aweber, which is what I use. You can sign up for an account at aweber.com.

    The system you need is a sales funnel. At the end of the message I have linked to an illustration I created that shows the system I'm talking about.

    You can either sale a product and build your list or take the route of creating a free product to give away.

    Here is a tip. Some may tell you that you do not need to build a list off of giving away a free product because you will only attract freebie seekers. Do not listen to that jargon. The only thing you have to do is figure out how to convert the freebie seekers in to buyers.

    I commend you on getting started right away with building your list!

    Here is the illustration (excuse my handwriting LOL). It's uploaded on tinypic.com => Build Your List & Make Money at The Same Time

    Hope this helps!


    Marc Bell
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  • Profile picture of the author Evocess
    I think Salesguru share some links that will help you gather information about list building.
    Just don't forget to use email marketing
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  • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
    I would recommend avoiding building it using the squeeze page with free give away and solo ad method so many people on here try because like 99% of people who do it you'll end up with a pretty unresponsive list who never opens, clicks or buys.

    Build it around a blog or paid product. Get traffic from a variety of sources and make sure people are opting in because they liked your content and want more rather tan just to get something free, you'll end up with a much more responsive list that way.
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  • Profile picture of the author Kenster
    Learn a traffic source. If you can generate traffic cheap enough, you can build a list quickly and profitably.

    Which traffic source...

    It doesn't really matter...I know players who have huge lists built from all the primary traffic sources so stick with one of those and just get good at it.

    Nothing is easy when you start but the rewards are great for those who push through the challenges!
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    • Profile picture of the author TerranceCharles
      One of the quickest ways is to buy one using a TRUSTED Co-Registration service. Very hard to find, but they're out there. The only disadvantage is that it is risky. Some autoresponder services like Getresponse actually offer Co-Registration if money is not the issue, and as long as you have a good funnel in place, you can double or even triple your money on the back-end.

      However, the most common and effective ways are Solo Ads and Adswaps. Adswaps are just the free version of Solo Ads and will build your list quickly and get you some sales too. The only downfall is draining your list with too many emails and reducing your response over time, unless you do only a few a week. On the other hand, the point of a Paid Solo Ad is to double or triple your money. If you know how your squeeze page and back-end OTO and email follow-ups convert, solo ads will be one of the most responsive methods to use

      One of the best ways I leverage Solo Ads is finding a BIG ticket affiliate product that has been proven to convert, pays instantly to my paypal account and have a recurring payment plan to create residual income. I use this affiliate product as my OTO directly after someone subscribe. Making 2 - 3 sales of a $197 - $497 product is better than trying to make 30 - 50 sales of a $7 product And, that's just the OTO after they subscribe, setup the back-end follow-up emails correctly and you'll pull in sales way after the solo ad ends.
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      • Profile picture of the author researchpro
        I would have to disagree with most on this subject. Most of the ways I've read do not work or even apply to a "from scratch" launch. not these days anyway. I"ve tried them, and you'll have grandkids before you have a list.
        YOu have to be very creative, and find a loop hole in the system. Or have a gigantic super valuable give away, that you would have to be crazy to give away- and then give it away anyway.
        But even that is very hard because nobody will believe you, because you have no trust built, because you have no list.
        So, you have to first become and expert marketer, to make your great offer, believable and make people trust you enough to accept your free gift.
        Then if you can do all of that, you can buy ads to give your great product away for free.
        good luck. imo building a list is the MOST difficult, because there is no easy way. YOu have to be a great marketer and then throw money at it, and be a super cool person to give great stuff away that you would have to be crazy to give away.
        john
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        • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
          Originally Posted by researchpro View Post

          I would have to disagree with most on this subject. Most of the ways I've read do not work or even apply to a "from scratch" launch. not these days anyway. I"ve tried them, and you'll have grandkids before you have a list.
          YOu have to be very creative, and find a loop hole in the system. Or have a gigantic super valuable give away, that you would have to be crazy to give away- and then give it away anyway.
          But even that is very hard because nobody will believe you, because you have no trust built, because you have no list.
          So, you have to first become and expert marketer, to make your great offer, believable and make people trust you enough to accept your free gift.
          Then if you can do all of that, you can buy ads to give your great product away for free.
          good luck. imo building a list is the MOST difficult, because there is no easy way. YOu have to be a great marketer and then throw money at it, and be a super cool person to give great stuff away that you would have to be crazy to give away.
          john
          Oh so you thought it would be easy and you could just make super fast cash by giving away half arsed freebies and next to no value? :rolleyes:

          It's not nearly as difficult as you're making it though.

          If you have a blog / service / product / whatever that people like and they want to hear more from you they will opt in and open your emails and read them and then buy from you if you've shown you can be trusted and know what you're talking about.

          The throwing together a squeeze page, crap freebie and then chucking junk traffic like solo ads method that so many people are hell bent on doing isn't too great however. Might have been where you went wrong?
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          • Profile picture of the author researchpro
            I appreciate the elaboration such as "crap freebie" Half arsed" . My product actually Sells for $200, cash money I got reciepts. IT's a real value product that I have decided to give away. And my site has been a full blown, multi page, video enhanced, with store, web site that's been up for quite a while.
            Nothing "thrown" together here at all.
            But none of that makes any difference if people do not come to the site or open the product to see the quality. It's that one little step that keeps getting in the way - traffic. Can't build a list without it - so far anyway.
            I would like to see somebody start from scratch, and build a list period. 2013 is different than 2008-2009 etc. I just spent 35 bucks of clicks and got 1 sign up, that didn't even bother to get the coupon code for the free product. Just joined the list, without the product. Done with that.
            I"ve tried video, and display (but not search traffic, too exspensive cpc).
            If you can't give away a $200 product then, it's not easy.
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  • Profile picture of the author Julius Minor
    Originally Posted by deebee23 View Post

    How do you effectively build a list from scratch?
    What's your "niche"?
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  • Profile picture of the author Randall Magwood
    1) PPC
    2) Solo ads
    3) Forum advertising
    4) Article marketing
    5) Social marketing
    6) SEO
    7) Blogging

    Those 7 should help you get the ball rolling. Make sure you set up a squeeze page and get a good autoresponder also.
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  • Profile picture of the author dbrwn
    One of the ways to build a list is through forum marketing and placing a link to the squeeze page in yur signature file. Of course you could also do some other things such as article marketing ans such to build the list.
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  • Profile picture of the author ThorBorwick
    Originally Posted by deebee23 View Post

    How do you effectively build a list from scratch?
    To build a list isn`t very hard. The worst part is to engage your subscribers,so that they don`t unsubscribe and that your e-mails convert in to sales...But your question was how to build a list...

    If I was gonna build a list from scratch my personally choices would be a good mix of paid and free methods:

    1. Soloads. It really depends what niche you are in but soloads are a great paid way of building your list. It is really important that you read the reviews and that you really consider what seller you want to use.

    2.Youtube.Do the keywordresearch and do on/off page SEO. You can do the offpage SEO yourself (embeding on web 2.0,social bookmarking,backlinking),but if you want to save time,just use fiverr. Views/likes/subscribers/comments (you can also buy that on fiverr) is also a huge ranking factor.

    3.Forums. Find nicherelated forums and start answering people. Be helpful,always provide quality content. Write "how to " guides. People will slowly look at you as an authority person on the forum,and click your link in the signature box as crazy. Forummarketing is all about consistensy.

    4. Twitter. The key here is to get as many targeted followers as possible. There is a great tool called tweetadder.

    5.Adswaps. When you have a lot of subscribers on your list you can start with adswaps. Same as #1. Read the reviews and consider the guy you want to swap with.

    Good luck

    Thor Borwick
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  • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
    Can't build a list without it - so far anyway.
    I would like to see somebody start from scratch, and build a list period. 2013 is different than 2008-2009 etc. I just spent 35 bucks of clicks and got 1 sign up, that didn't even bother to get the coupon code for the free product. Just joined the list, without the product. Done with that.
    I"ve tried video, and display (but not search traffic, too exspensive cpc).
    If you can't give away a $200 product then, it's not easy.
    Well I'm starting lists from scratch all the time in various niches so it's possible. It's no different starting now than it ever was. If you have content / products / services that people want they will join your lists either through necessity because they get added when they buy or because they like your stuff and want to hear more about it.

    If you're trying to hard sell a $200 product to cold traffic who know nothing about you, don't have any relationship or trust with you and aren't even sure what you're offering or why they should buy it that might be where your issue is.
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    • Profile picture of the author researchpro
      No, I was actually trying to give it away, it ordinarily sold for $197. I tried to offer it at 3 price point tests' 1/2 price, then 88% off, then free. Those 3 attempts were all through my display ads. It made no difference either way.
      I think part of the problem is my niche has expensive keywords, so that limits the paid marketing I can do. In most other niches, you can get clicks much cheaper than 3-10 bucks each. So if you have a niche that you can buy clicks for a buck, then you have it made, that would be easy. Even kern has said if he had to buy clicks much over 2 bucks he couldn't build a niche list.
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      • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
        Originally Posted by researchpro View Post

        No, I was actually trying to give it away, it ordinarily sold for $197. I tried to offer it at 3 price point tests' 1/2 price, then 88% off, then free. Those 3 attempts were all through my display ads. It made no difference either way.

        I think part of the problem is my niche has expensive keywords, so that limits the paid marketing I can do. In most other niches, you can get clicks much cheaper than 3-10 bucks each. So if you have a niche that you can buy clicks for a buck, then you have it made, that would be easy. Even kern has said if he had to buy clicks much over 2 bucks he couldn't build a niche list.
        If you can't even give away a $200 product for free that I'm guessing that nobody really wants or needs this product in the first place.

        You seem to be focusing on PPC ads?? That's one of just a few ways to build a list, try other methods such as content marketing, article syndication, guest blogging, solo ads, banner ads, forum posting, blog commenting etc etc etc.
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        • Profile picture of the author researchpro
          Originally Posted by RockingLastsForever View Post

          If you can't even give away a $200 product for free that I'm guessing that nobody really wants or needs this product in the first place.

          You seem to be focusing on PPC ads?? That's one of just a few ways to build a list, try other methods such as content marketing, article syndication, guest blogging, solo ads, banner ads, forum posting, blog commenting etc etc etc.
          you could be right. In my niche "stock trading" it seems like only 2 types of products sell. stock picks and stock trading courses. mine was a course.
          Also building a trust factor is hard on 1st impressions for young companies. And with out trust, cant sell anything.
          thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author GlenH
    Originally Posted by deebee23 View Post

    How do you effectively build a list from scratch?
    Not this question again

    There are hundreds of threads on here about how to do that.
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    • Profile picture of the author researchpro
      Originally Posted by GlenH View Post

      Not this question again

      There are hundreds of threads on here about how to do that.
      And yet people keep asking how to do it.. why is that?

      Because those ways don't work anymore, obviously.

      Buying traffic is the m.o. these days I think. But even that is very hard, which my last 3 attempts just proved.
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  • Profile picture of the author researchpro
    today I'm trying a video ad. I shortened it up to less than 2 minutes and went directly to the free offer. we'll see how this one workds
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  • Profile picture of the author Spree Ads
    Banned
    First question should be asked is what is your niche.
    As each niche has different styles to get up low quality and high quality subscribers.
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    • Profile picture of the author deebee23
      Originally Posted by Roi O View Post

      First question should be asked is what is your niche.
      As each niche has different styles to get up low quality and high quality subscribers.
      I want to start a wordpress blog about the nfl that will be my niche.
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      [

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  • Profile picture of the author Osman_M
    Your niche will determine how you go about building your list. What is your niche?
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    • Profile picture of the author deebee23
      Originally Posted by Osman_M View Post

      Your niche will determine how you go about building your list. What is your niche?
      I WANT TO BLOG ABOUT THE NFL THAT'S WHAT I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT
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      [

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  • Profile picture of the author rlcf
    Pick a niche your interested in, buy a PLR ebook in that niche, or write your own. Create a high converting squeeze page, sign up for an Aweber account and implement correct coding. Send traffic to your squeeze page with some of methods listed above and BOOM. Your building a list.

    Daniel
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    • Profile picture of the author Stuart Walker
      Originally Posted by researchpro View Post

      you could be right. In my niche "stock trading" it seems like only 2 types of products sell. stock picks and stock trading courses. mine was a course.
      Also building a trust factor is hard on 1st impressions for young companies. And with out trust, cant sell anything.
      thanks
      Build trust though a blog / content marketing. Show people you know what you are talking about and are worth listening to.

      Originally Posted by Daniel Carnett View Post

      Pick a niche your interested in, buy a PLR ebook in that niche, or write your own. Create a high converting squeeze page, sign up for an Aweber account and implement correct coding. Send traffic to your squeeze page with some of methods listed above and BOOM. Your building a list.

      Daniel
      :rolleyes:

      This is what 99% of people who try to build a list do and they fail to make a success of it. No relationship, no opens, no clicks, no sales.

      Building a list is one thing but make it work is another completely.
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  • Profile picture of the author dimjim77
    there are several ways to build your, but you said nfl? i don't know about this market or if you want a list to sell stuff and make money or you just want a list to send out your ezine either way you should have a blog or build a blog around your niche, then you should have an opt in form to capture your readers so everytime that you do a new blog post you can notify via e mail or everytime that you want something to promote in your list(related to your niche). then you should have some traffic there are 2 ways free and paid then you choose you can do both but if you want to have a website without promoting anything the just blogging and eventually you go high in the google and get some free traffic. another good way is the safe swaps but you should already have a list(even small list).
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  • Profile picture of the author researchpro
    Update; one of my test ads did produce a sale, out of like 5 clicks I think.
    It was a cold sale, so my question is. Do you think I should maintain that ad as a cold sale offer (big discount from product normal price). Or should I stop trying to test cold sale ads and just work on free sign up offers?
    the only reason I wanted offer a purchase deal, is so it could pay for the ads to keep going.
    what thinks thow?
    john
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  • Profile picture of the author researchpro
    a side note. the amount of the sale was about double the cost of the ads that ran that 1/4 of a day.
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