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Hmm. Is This A Good IM Strategy?

by JRJWrites
14 replies
Here's what I'm doing now in IM - ALL of it:

1. I'm regularly updating my blog (that means every day) with fresh content that needs some of the most common needs of my niche.

2. I'm creating eBook tutorials related to my niche that one day I hope to turn into a master e-Course and sell.

3. I'm search engine optimizing my content with long-tail keywords and LSI keywords that I know people are looking for.

4. I'm building super high-quality backlinks from relevant websites to my own ethically via guest posting and content syndication.

5. I'm building my social profiles so that nearly 70% of my traffic is from SMM alone. The rest comes from referral traffic (those backlinks I talked about) and direct.

But here is where my efforts are REALLY concentrated:

1. Building my list. I currently offer an incentive and am getting 3-4 subscriptions per day.

Basically, that's ALL I'm trying to do right now. Forget affiliate products. The first place I want my readers to go when they get to my blog is my e-mail subscription form - that is all I'm trying to accomplish with my traffic.

After they get on my list, I give 'em value, value, value. And then some more free value. After a couple weeks, I'll start promoting a few affiliate products (and my own too, soon) - but I'll still give them value.

Should I be doing something else? I'm desperate to add another egg into my traffic basket - any suggestions? I'm doing very well with SMM, but that only goes so far.

Is this a good business strategy? Concentrate on the list - and almost only the list - and then building my blog, my e-mail marketing campaign, and my products tailored to fit my list's needs.

I've heard over and over that "the money is in the list" and all the big-shot bloggers say that they wished to have begun their list sooner.

I don't want to make that mistake.

Good idea?

Regards,
JR John

P.S. I'll start monetizing my blog, too, after I've got a decent amount of content on it, I'll promote affiliate products (only the best ones!) and my own. I only want to do that after I have a good readership and lots of free value already up there. Good? Bad?
#good #hmm #strategy
  • Profile picture of the author SocialMedia Monk
    What you are doing is quite impressive.

    I personally don't have patience for it and would usually look for quick recipes, many of which are shared on the forum. I am right now studying ways to use facebook and linkedin to Build quick lists.

    Not sure what long-tail keywords you are using and whether those keywords are targeting the ones who are ready to buy [but I am assuming that you are]. I know at early stage they may not be ready to buy from you, but not nurturing their buying urge, you may end up attracting wrong audiences; those who are digging the net for free information and never have the intention to buy [I admit I am one of those, only few have ever managed to sell me information products]

    So in short, you will grow a long low-conversion list. That's why I feel if your ultimate goal is to sell, your audience need to be expecting it.

    If you keep providing value and then surprise them with a sales pitch, they may question your intention and expertise. But if you somehow let them know you have a product to sell while providing those free values, then this transparency will be rewarding.

    There are ways to work around it, like turning a want to a need, but taking them through that journey is quite tricky and not so easy.
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    • Profile picture of the author JRJWrites
      Originally Posted by SocialMedia Monk View Post

      I am right now studying ways to use facebook and linkedin to Build quick lists.
      Tell me what you find.

      Not sure what long-tail keywords you are using and whether those keywords are targeting the ones who are ready to buy [but I am assuming that you are]. I know at early stage they may not be ready to buy from you, but not nurturing their buying urge, you may end up attracting wrong audiences; those who are digging the net for free information and never have the intention to buy [I admit I am one of those, only few have ever managed to sell me information products]

      Originally Posted by SocialMedia Monk View Post

      So in short, you will grow a long low-conversion list. That's why I feel if your ultimate goal is to sell, your audience need to be expecting it.
      Understood - I guess that's gonna be the tricky part, right? Letting them know that I will be promoting products AND giving free value.
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      • Profile picture of the author SocialMedia Monk
        Originally Posted by jrjohn View Post

        Tell me what you find.

        Not sure what long-tail keywords you are using and whether those keywords are targeting the ones who are ready to buy [but I am assuming that you are]. I know at early stage they may not be ready to buy from you, but not nurturing their buying urge, you may end up attracting wrong audiences; those who are digging the net for free information and never have the intention to buy [I admit I am one of those, only few have ever managed to sell me information products]



        Understood - I guess that's gonna be the tricky part, right? Letting them know that I will be promoting products AND giving free value.
        yep it's a bit tricky. But as Coby suggested, you can give a hint under p.s. or signature. My thinking is just choose your title carefully. For instance are you a marketer giving a free advice or a marketing consultant? see the difference...I wouldn't think a marketer giving a free advice is planning on selling to me [or I would question their intentions].....but a 'marketing consultant'...I read his freebie knowing there's a sales pitch and i am getting a free sample of what they are selling...so everytime I read them, I ask myself..can this consultant help me? Shall I use his service...

        About the quick SM to List conversion, I've already been able to crack it but I still need to master it to my liking before sharing it as a product or anything. Trying to see how to increase the conversion [right now I am at 2000 a week] and instead of just having them on the list, close the sale as well..mainly has to do with improving the copywrite skills..but well
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  • Profile picture of the author Jassen
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    • Profile picture of the author JRJWrites
      Originally Posted by Jassen View Post

      You're following the exact growth plan that I use -- pretty much to the T. The strategy you just laid out makes me five figures every month -- month in, month out.
      If I'm doing something you are, I must be doing at least something right.

      Originally Posted by Jassen View Post

      Don't forget to monetize your list early, preferably with your own products.
      Awesome, thanks for the advice! Well, I now know where my efforts are going to be concentrated for the rest of the day. :rolleyes:

      Originally Posted by Jassen View Post

      I built a decent list from freebies for well over six months when I started what is now my primary info product business, but when I offered them my first product, it didn't go over too well, because they were soooo used to just getting everything for free from me.
      I've actually had a similar experience with clients from my writing business.

      Originally Posted by Jassen View Post

      If nothing else, create something small, and start selling it. Just a short 10-20 page PDF and sell it for $20-$50. Or an audio. Or a video. Whatever, doesn't matter, just something.
      I've got a brilliant idea for a product already that a former client gave me. It's also something that can stem into 3-4 different products, following the same type of layout.

      I'll get started on that PDF today.

      Regards (and thanks!),
      JR John
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  • Profile picture of the author Coby
    Have you considered document sharing sites?

    Use those blog posts you are creating and turn them into a PDF and submit them to places like Scribd.com and DocStoc.com

    Also, don't wait so long to promote products to your list. They will be the most responsive during the first 2 weeks. Keep giving them value but just pop in the occasional affiliate link in your emails and blog posts. It can be a simple "P.S." link, but you need to get them used to seeing stuff for sale. This will keep them from abandoning ship the first time you try to sale them something.

    I used a very similar strategy to get the ball rolling in my business a few years ago. When I find myself in "slow times" I often fall back to this strategy to get the momentum going again.

    Good luck!

    Cheers,
    Coby
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  • Profile picture of the author Stefan Shields
    You seem to be doing everything exactly right, how everybody should be doing it.

    It is the exact formula needed for success along with time and if we all just kept at this then we would be sure to make it one day.
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    • Profile picture of the author JRJWrites
      Originally Posted by Stefan Shields View Post

      You seem to be doing everything exactly right, how everybody should be doing it.

      It is the exact formula needed for success along with time and if we all just kept at this then we would be sure to make it one day.
      Really?

      Wow! That's awesome - I'm finally doing something right in IM.

      Thanks for all the encouragement, folks!
      JR John
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      • Profile picture of the author Stefan Shields
        Originally Posted by jrjohn View Post

        Really?

        Wow! That's awesome - I'm finally doing something right in IM.

        Thanks for all the encouragement, folks!
        JR John
        Yes, that is the list of things that you essentially need to stick to and you will almost certainly make it sooner or later.

        The problem most people have is that they get tired of waiting and working on the same thing so they start with something else and lose all the progress they have made.
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        • Profile picture of the author nik0
          Banned
          The strategy on itself sounds good but it doesn't work for most people.

          Simply cause most people aren't born writers.

          Providing value is one thing, packing the value in a way that makes it pleasant/enjoyable to read is a whole different thing.

          Neil Patel is a great writer with many unique angles, he's one of a kind, and I keep returning to his blog while his blog also contains things that I read before about already but somehow he inspires me every time with his posts.

          A skill that very few master.

          I suck at writing, I tried it a bit but I don't get a single comment on my blog posts, disappointing, perhaps a little, but the most important thing is that I realize that I suck at writing and socializing with an online following so I can do two things, take a different path, or outsource the whole social engagement thing.
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          • Profile picture of the author JRJWrites
            Originally Posted by nik0 View Post

            Simply cause most people aren't born writers.
            I agree - but you don't have to be "born" a writer to develop your writing to an extent where it works for your IM and shows results.

            Me - I've worked long and hard at my own writing, and I do believe the results show (to a certain extent).

            Plus, I offer writing services, so it's kinda my job.

            Thanks for your input!

            Regards,
            JR John
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            • Profile picture of the author nik0
              Banned
              Originally Posted by jrjohn View Post

              I agree - but you don't have to be "born" a writer to develop your writing to an extent where it works for your IM and shows results.

              Me - I've worked long and hard at my own writing, and I do believe the results show (to a certain extent).

              Plus, I offer writing services, so it's kinda my job.

              Thanks for your input!

              Regards,
              JR John
              Your site returns a PAGE NOT FOUND.

              I have an ecommerce site where I need the descriptions and titles to be rewritten $1/100 words, hit me up if interested.

              Lol just found your rates, not interesting I suppose

              I send you a PM for something else though.
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              • Profile picture of the author JRJWrites
                Originally Posted by nik0 View Post

                Your site returns a PAGE NOT FOUND.
                Oops - fixed! Got your PM too, btw.
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  • Profile picture of the author smb111
    Hey JR,
    I went to your site and subscribed to your list, loving the free Twitter guide, thanks.
    Here's the odd thing - I just checked my email, and you had gone into the spam folder, I moved your email out of spam. When I went back to my inbox there was another email from your auto responder telling me I had unsubscribed from your list! I hadn't actually opened the welcome email yet, so I hadn't clicked on the unsubscribe link.
    Don't know what auto responder service you are using, but maybe if your email goes to spam it then automatically unsubscribes people (only explanation I can think of), you may want to look into it, as your possibly losing lots of subscribers who didn't actually unsubscribe.
    Just a heads up, Cheers Suzy
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    • Profile picture of the author JRJWrites
      Originally Posted by smb111 View Post

      Hey JR,
      I went to your site and subscribed to your list, loving the free Twitter guide, thanks.
      Here's the odd thing - I just checked my email, and you had gone into the spam folder, I moved your email out of spam. When I went back to my inbox there was another email from your auto responder telling me I had unsubscribed from your list! I hadn't actually opened the welcome email yet, so I hadn't clicked on the unsubscribe link.
      Don't know what auto responder service you are using, but maybe if your email goes to spam it then automatically unsubscribes people (only explanation I can think of), you may want to look into it, as your possibly losing lots of subscribers who didn't actually unsubscribe.
      Just a heads up, Cheers Suzy

      Hi Suzy,

      Yep, I got an e-mail when you subscribed . Funny thing what happened to you.

      Today I also had someone else cancel their subscription. I thought they did it genuinely. So far, of the 19 who have subscribed, only 17 are still on my list. I haven't promoted aff offers, so there shouldn't be such a high unsub rate...

      Thanks for the heads up - I'll look into it.

      Regards,
      JR John
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