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A little help with list building

by Ofthingsmanmade
14 replies
As I've browsed through the forums, I've noticed a common theme for nearly every successful venture: list building.

The only problem is, I'm not really sure how to do it. I have an idea, perhaps you guys could help me refine it.

I recently posted a thread discussing the possibility of writing an ebook for English teachers that offers lesson plans and other classroom materials. The amount of encouragement I got from my first post was incredible; I'm shocked by the willingness of this community to help out. Very awesome.

At any rate, I was thinking I could write a small portion of the book, maybe just one unit (10-15 lessons) and offer it for free in exchange for their email. This would prepare me for a successful launch after the completion of my project. (I still have a lot of research to do.)

I'm not very experienced creating sales funnels as I've only recently been reading about them, but I'm confident I can learn. So here are my questions:

The website that hosts the free offer-- what are some good ways to drive traffic to these kinds of sites? Write a lot of targeted content? Forum discussion? Other ideas?

And

What are some good options for list building software? I keep seeing "Getresponse" as a reliable option but found it has a monthly cost. Are there free options? If not, I'll just clench my fists and get Getresponse lol

Thanks for being awesome!

Jonathan Howard
#building #ebook marketing #list
  • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
    Banned
    Originally Posted by Ofthingsmanmade View Post

    I was thinking I could write a small portion of the book, maybe just one unit (10-15 lessons) and offer it for free in exchange for their email.
    It instinctively sounds a promising idea, to me.

    Originally Posted by Ofthingsmanmade View Post

    I keep seeing "Getresponse" as a reliable option but found it has a monthly cost. Are there free options?
    There are, but countless Warriors have had countless problems with them, and they're just not a good idea. Keep away. You'll see plenty of people - even here - recommending them, but they're people who haven't yet discovered the problems, and/or they've just been very lucky indeed.

    The thing to bear in mind is that generally they are actually monetized - just not in a way in which the list-owner pays a few $$ per month to use the service, so they can call themselves "free", in that sense. They tend to have other agendas of their own, and you end up paying in more than just monetary terms.

    Your list is your business's most valuable asset, in a sense - and you need to be very careful to whom you entrust its security and so on ... (GetResponse is first month free or $1, then $15 per month, I think - and it's worth it). This is why you'll probably want to avoid the free ones, Jonathan: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post7096755
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    • Profile picture of the author Ofthingsmanmade
      Originally Posted by Alexa Smith View Post

      It instinctively sounds a promising idea, to me.



      There are, but countless Warriors have had countless problems with them, and they're just not a good idea. Keep away. You'll see plenty of people - even here - recommending them, but they're people who haven't yet discovered the problems, and/or they've just been very lucky indeed.

      The thing to bear in mind is that generally they are actually monetized - just not in a way in which the list-owner pays a few $$ per month to use the service, so they can call themselves "free", in that sense. They tend to have other agendas of their own, and you end up paying more than just money.

      Your list is your business's most valuable asset, in a sense - and you need to be very careful to whom you entrust its security and so on ... (GetResponse is first month free or $1, then $15 per month, I think - and it's worth it). This is why you'll probably want to avoid the free ones, Jonathan: http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...ml#post7096755
      Thanks! That certainly answers that question. Once I get everything ready, I'll look into trying getresponse.

      If you're specifically looking at targeting teachers, then
      find out where they hang out online, e.g. forums etc.

      Then go where they are and use your signature file to
      drive traffic to your site and free offer.

      By the way, are you aware of an Internet Marketer by
      the name of Lee McIntyre? He's a very successful UK-
      based Internet Marketer, and got his start years ago
      providing lesson plans to teachers.

      Maybe reverse engineer what he did in that market
      years ago and adapt it to your needs.
      I've always been curious about driving traffic through forums. I've never really gave it an honest chance until now. I've actually seen numerous warriors visiting my blog through this forum. Pretty neat.
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  • Profile picture of the author Shaun OReilly
    If you're specifically looking at targeting teachers, then
    find out where they hang out online, e.g. forums etc.

    Then go where they are and use your signature file to
    drive traffic to your site and free offer.

    By the way, are you aware of an Internet Marketer by
    the name of Lee McIntyre? He's a very successful UK-
    based Internet Marketer, and got his start years ago
    providing lesson plans to teachers.

    Maybe reverse engineer what he did in that market
    years ago and adapt it to your needs.

    Good luck.

    Dedicated to mutual success,

    Shaun
    Signature

    .

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    • Profile picture of the author Ofthingsmanmade
      By the way, are you aware of an Internet Marketer by
      the name of Lee McIntyre? He's a very successful UK-
      based Internet Marketer, and got his start years ago
      providing lesson plans to teachers.
      I'll have to look this guy up.
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  • Profile picture of the author Victor Edson
    Your idea is spot on with list building.

    Since your product isn't finished yet, you can focus on creating a pre launch sequence to sell your product when it does release.

    It'd go something along the lines of giving away your product, and writing a few emails to build trust and provide some extra content(7-10 emails is enough)

    Then, stay in contact biweekly or monthly giving out some additional content.

    Then, before your product launches, plan out 2 weeks to start drawing attention to it's release. Offer another optin page for people who are interested in purchasing your product(to increase your sales).

    Consider running an affiliate contest and giving away prizes to the top producers.

    ..just a few tips..
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    • Profile picture of the author Ofthingsmanmade
      Originally Posted by Victor Edson View Post

      Your idea is spot on with list building.

      Since your product isn't finished yet, you can focus on creating a pre launch sequence to sell your product when it does release.

      It'd go something along the lines of giving away your product, and writing a few emails to build trust and provide some extra content(7-10 emails is enough)

      Then, stay in contact biweekly or monthly giving out some additional content.

      Then, before your product launches, plan out 2 weeks to start drawing attention to it's release. Offer another optin page for people who are interested in purchasing your product(to increase your sales).

      Consider running an affiliate contest and giving away prizes to the top producers.

      ..just a few tips..
      Excellent timeline. That really puts things into perspective. I love the idea of the affiliate contest. I planned to reach out to affiliates once I've made some progress on the product.

      Question: would it be best to make this offer through a service like Wordpress or Blogger since its so easy to add additional content? I could use something like Google sites to create a final sales page for the full release?
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  • Profile picture of the author HansDavid
    You seem to be in the right track. I just want to re-stress the importance of using a paid autoresponder. Believe me, it is worth it. The subscription rate is very cheap for a starter package but can make a whole lot of difference.

    And about building your site, maybe this is only me since I have been working a lot with WP, I still think it is the best platform to host your site. Very easy and user friendly and there are lots of free plugins for customizations.
    Signature
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    • Profile picture of the author Ofthingsmanmade
      Originally Posted by HansDavid View Post

      You seem to be in the right track. I just want to re-stress the importance of using a paid autoresponder. Believe me, it is worth it. The subscription rate is very cheap for a starter package but can make a whole lot of difference.

      And about building your site, maybe this is only me since I have been working a lot with WP, I still think it is the best platform to host your site. Very easy and user friendly and there are lots of free plugins for customizations.
      I'll look into giving WP a try. I've always used Blogger myself.

      I like your idea and love to see when it is finished.

      In terms of free autoresponder; I had wasted lots of my valuable time on them and i had to start over many times, due to they have gone out of business or coverted to paid ones.

      Autoresponder is very crucial in the success of any online business. And settle up with Getresponse after a lot of searching. This is a very good service and I was also very happy till my list grows upto 1000 members but as it started growing beyond it became very costly for me. I again start searching and now I was looking for such a service which is cost effective but with standard quality. I also find others like Aweber, Constant Constact, MailChimp. But all these autoresponders have the same plan i.e. if your list will grow your price will increase.

      Then suddenly I found Trafficwave and it was the same I was looking for. A fixed price $17.95 per month autoresponder service with 99.9% delivery rate. You will not get any increment in the price even if you have 10000s of subscribers in your list. Read more here
      I'll definitely post my progress! At any rate, I'll probably start with Getresponse as you have. That's awesome that you have managed to grow such a large list.
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      • Profile picture of the author Haroon Ballim
        Hi

        Creating your own list is definetly the way to go.

        Don't just look for places that teachers hang out . Teachers hang out all over the place as they have different interests . Look more narrowly at what you are trying to sell and target forums in that niche .

        Check the type of adverts that the forum is displaying as a rough guideline . I say rough guideline as some advertisers will advertise anywhere they can .

        Read a number of posts , that will give you a clearer idea of the members visiting that forum and often what their needs are . If it fits with what you are targeting in your free ebook than consider paying for an advertising slot . Remember if forums are selling you adverts based on impressions always make sure that your slot is above the fold.

        Thanks
        Haroon
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        Generate Market Fervour For Your Product when you Offer This
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        • Profile picture of the author Ofthingsmanmade
          Originally Posted by Haroon Ballim View Post

          Hi

          Creating your own list is definetly the way to go.

          Don't just look for places that teachers hang out . Teachers hang out all over the place as they have different interests . Look more narrowly at what you are trying to sell and target forums in that niche .

          Check the type of adverts that the forum is displaying as a rough guideline . I say rough guideline as some advertisers will advertise anywhere they can .

          Read a number of posts , that will give you a clearer idea of the members visiting that forum and often what their needs are . If it fits with what you are targeting in your free ebook than consider paying for an advertising slot . Remember if forums are selling you adverts based on impressions always make sure that your slot is above the fold.

          Thanks
          Haroon
          Thanks, Haroon.

          I'm currently in the process of browsing the web searching for possible markets for my product. When you say, "above the fold," do you mean a very visible slot on the sight? That bit confuses me a tad.
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          • Profile picture of the author Haroon Ballim
            Originally Posted by Ofthingsmanmade View Post

            When you say, "above the fold," do you mean a very visible slot on the sight? That bit confuses me a tad.
            Above the Fold refers to an area on the page where visitors do not need to scroll down to see . So if your advert is on a page where when someone visits that particular page they will only see your ad if they scroll down than one would say your ad is below the fold.

            Regards
            Haroon
            Signature
            Generate Market Fervour For Your Product when you Offer This
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            • Profile picture of the author Ofthingsmanmade
              Originally Posted by Haroon Ballim View Post

              Above the Fold refers to an area on the page where visitors do not need to scroll down to see . So if your advert is on a page where when someone visits that particular page they will only see your if they scroll down than one would say your ad is below the fold.

              Regards
              Haroon
              Oh, ok. That makes sense. The more you know, right? Thanks!
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  • Profile picture of the author hustlinsmoke
    I know they like to slap me around when I talk free but listwire.com, if you go free service then make sure its double opt in ect, think you can transfer to some if there double optin later.

    I have did that before offered a chapter for a sign up then offered them the full product. Worked well for me. But I don't do ebooks by themselves really anymore. I do more complete programs now.

    Good luck to you and wish you all the best. List wire is a good service and will always be free, he has another service that is cheap Gary Ambrose and its emailaces

    I use get response, but did use list wire for a very long time and didn't see but a couple of percent off of the clickrate.
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    • Profile picture of the author Ofthingsmanmade
      Originally Posted by hustlinsmoke View Post

      I know they like to slap me around when I talk free but listwire.com, if you go free service then make sure its double opt in ect, think you can transfer to some if there double optin later.

      I have did that before offered a chapter for a sign up then offered them the full product. Worked well for me. But I don't do ebooks by themselves really anymore. I do more complete programs now.

      Good luck to you and wish you all the best. List wire is a good service and will always be free, he has another service that is cheap Gary Ambrose and its emailaces

      I use get response, but did use list wire for a very long time and didn't see but a couple of percent off of the clickrate.
      Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.
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