Here’s a question I get quite a bit. It’s a question I had when I started out. I’m willing to bet that you’ve had this question, too, at one point or another.
“I know I need a mailing list of my own but I don’t know where to start.”
Sometimes getting started is the hardest part. I’ve boiled the process down to five steps you can take, beginning today.
The first step is to choose your audience
It doesn’t help to build a mailing list of people who are interested in playing golf unless you’re selling golf-related products.
If you’re in the internet marketing, make money online or business opportunity market you want to choose that audience.
If you’re selling health products you want to choose an audience of people who are interested in health products.
If you want to chose a more narrow niche feel free to do that.
For example, weight loss is part of health and is a vibrant and profitable niche. Rather than go for everyone interested in health it would be much better to focus on the weight loss aspect of health if you are marketing a weight loss product.
This seems obvious but many people miss this step, so take time to think it through.
The second step is to have something to give
You need a premium, a gift. Some people call this an “ethical bribe” (which seems a contradiction of terms to me) or a “subscriber magnet”.
You just need something to give them to entice them to join your mailing list.
This needs to be something of high value if possible.
If you notice, almost all sites that you visit that ask for your name and email address will offer you an instant gratification premium. This is something you can have right now.
You need that.
Here are a couple of key questions to think about when you try to determine what to give to your list.
- What does your audience want?
- What is their #1 problem?
- What causes them pain?
- What are they searching for when using Google?
- What do they need that they can’t find now?
Knowing these things about your target market before you begin marketing can make all the difference.
If you can’t answer these questions it is possible you need to do a bit more research into your niche before investing time and money. This is your business after all, and doing it well will matter.
If you’re doing list-building in a niche that you’re passionate about, you have an advantage because your needs are very likely to be their needs too.
Here are some common needs that apply to most niches.
- To save time
- To save money
- To make money
- To preserve or enhance health
- The best place to advertise
- Someone to do the work for them
- Someone to listen to them and help
The third thing you need is something to say
If you had a list of 50,000 people right now, what would you say to them?
You might say, “Please buy something from me!” That’s OK. But you have to give before you can expect to receive in marketing online.
This is why you see so many marketers giving away courses they could otherwise sell. They want to build trust for future recommendations. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s usually a win-win.
What would you say to them?
- Would you make recommendations?
- Would you ask them to buy?
- Would you ask their opinion?
These things and more are the basis of your follow up email system.
Stephen Covey says to begin with the end in mind. This is very wise.
So follow his advise and before you say, “Hey, join my mailing list” know your goal for that list.
Have something to give and something to say.
The fourth thing you need is a site that captures leads
Sometimes this is the hardest part for people to get started.
It’s called a squeeze page or lead capture page. You’ve heard those terms before.
Here are two quick ways to get a squeeze page going.
1. Use a WordPress theme like Optimize Press or Socrates. Both of these make creating squeeze pages as easy as choosing a template and filling in some information.
2. There are services online that will build a lead capture page for you today? These are $20 and $30 per month things where you can go in and create squeeze pages that look great and capture the information. The one I have used and recommend is Marketing Makeover Generator.
Shameless plug – did you know that we build and host squeeze pages for Follow Up Selling Systems members? Check it out here.
Now, get ready to launch.
Where to you get your first subscriber?
Start with your address book.
Once you have your squeeze page in place, your list ready and messages ready to go out, send the people in your address book a little note.
Say, “Hey, I wanted to let you know that I have a free gift for you. I also have information that I think you will find valuable if you’re interested in this.”
You might be surprised at what you get.
You can use article marketing. If you’re doing article marketing now, change the resource box in your articles from where they point now to your squeeze page. It’s much better than sending people directly to an affiliate offer.
This way you’re building your list.
You can post on forums. You can go to the Warrior Forum, Tony Blake’s or The How To Forum. Give helpful answers.
You can put “free gift for visiting this site” in your email signature line. Add a line to each email that goes out. It can say, “Get a free gift and useful information at this site.”
There is social media. The people who are involved in social media love free stuff. Now you’re in a position to give them free stuff. Tweet about it.
Set up your own blog. It’s easy to do and a great way to capture this information. Point them to your squeeze page. Give them the gift. They can download it immediately. Then they’re on your list.
The main point is this – if you are affiliate marketing point ALL of your traffic efforts to your squeeze page and you will ultimately make more sales than by sending people to the typical affiliate offer page.
And you will build your own list as well!
While I can’t guarantee that I have seen it happen again and again.
I appreciate your time and hope this helps you jump-start your own list building efforts. I look forward to being in touch with you again soon.
About Charlie Page
Hi Charlie:
This is a great post however I it doesn’t answer my question as I understand it. I am an author and want to contact people in this niche. How do I find people in this niche? To buy a list you get everyone? Thank you for your time.
Buying a list to get everyone can’t be done. The Internet is much too large and such lists are not really for sale. Be very careful about buying “lists” as in most cases you end up spamming by accident.
To contact people in your niche you either need to find people who already have lists and work with them so they can send your message. This is the essence of ezine advertising.
Another route is to search for top sites and contact them using the information on their sites.
Also, you can advertise using methods like pay per click or on Facebook and reach highly targeted groups.
Since I don’t know exactly what you want to accomplish I can’t be more specific here.
Thanks,
Charlie
thanks Charlie,
I enjoyed the information alot. I too am building my list for the first time. buying solo ads has helped create list fast. I do some twitter tweets but nothing has come from it. I’ll keep trying.
Thanks Charlie. I have posted this article on Facebook. Very informative and easily understood. I look forward to reading a lot more.
Thank you Charlie for awesome post and tips!
If you start from zero and don’t have much money, I recommend joining giveaways as a contributor, and when you have a small list, you can start ad swapping and continue as a giveaway contributor too.
My best,
Tim
Hi Charlie
Hope you are well. Charlie I have a list of about 700 and I only get about .5 to 1.3 % opening, and funny enough these are for “something for free” . I don’t understand why people are on a list presumably for information on how to make money online and don’t access this great info. I bet youv’e got an answer!
Kindest Regards
Tony Mitchell
I’m not sure if I have an answer but I do have an observation. Many marketers train their list to only want freebies by giving away too much free too soon. I’m writing an article on this in fact for my Email Marketing Quick Course so be sure to check that out. I hope you will find it helpful.
Charlie
Tank you Charlie to send List Building for Newbie’s it is wary veil exsplained each Srategy I love it!
This will help me out a lot. I always get stuck on this and can’t really focus. Thank you so much Charlie.
Thank you. You might like an article I have about focus. You can read it by clicking here.
Charlie
Hi Charlie. Thanks for the good oil. You always come up the the info.
Mark M
Another top-notch article! Thank you!
Joyce
Instead to explain why your article is useful and good and helpful I am just saying CHARLEY YOU ARE GREAT!
Thank you. That made my day!
Hi Charlie,
I shared this on my Facebook profile!
Hi Charlie,
I enjoyed the article very much. I have started my list and thank you
very much for all the help that you have given me through your emails.
My website is getting me some good leads. Again thank you!
Great post Charlie. Thank you for this valuable information on list building.
Hi Charlie, Thanks for the informative article. What you have described here, is EXACTLY what I’m doing to build my list. I had a Squeeze Page built for me for around $400.00 for a special project of mine, but it’s just too expencive to build them in bulk at that price. Thanks for recomending Marketing Makeover Generator, I will check them out in the next day or two. Now to change the subject a bit, I have a question for you:) When will the NEW D.O.E be ready? Can you give an aprox date?
Look forward to your reply
All the best
Leigh Grant
I can’t give you a hard date but can say that I’m working on it almost exclusively now that I’m back and we are very very close.
Charlie
Thanks for responding to my question Charlie.
Leigh Grant
Hi Charlie
As always Thank you for the Great information you provide. Ive been along time follower, and these days Ive shortened my list and shiney object syndrome wayyyy down, but your at the top, I will be signing up for the DOE here shortly, i know the value it can provie, right now Ive got my note book and have begun outlining my steps for success this year, and yes that includes the DOE its only taken my ten years and a whole lot of money to get this figured out,but i look at it as an education and the experience has taught how to pick and choose what I feel are the right people and right information to run with. btw, my first step is setting up my blog. anyway thanks again for all you do.
Mt Davis
Charlie,
Short, helpful, sincere: typical! Thanks again for your ongoing example of “how to do it” for many.
Have a great weekend and all the best to you as you continue to advance in your updating, etc!
Lee
I’ve only recently started building my mailing list and you’re quite right Charlie, knowing where to start is a bit daunting. Your advice above about having something to give, and what do you tell them once you’ve got some sign-ups, is I think central to establishing any list and then keeping them on your side..
Glad you liked it. Business often really is more about what you give than what you get. Zig Ziglar was right – “you can get everything you want by helping others get what they want”. Hope I quoted that right!
Hi Charlie,
I like the way you simplify things…it’s so easy to get overwhelmed, you know info overload. You help me see clearly things I can do to get ahead in this game!
Hi Charlie,
I was referred to your DOE by another internet marketer.
Your advice is calm, and simple something that is needed especially with all the hype.
Thank you
PS: I will be joining up for your membership site, plus I’ll be following annything else you got to say because your the “MAN”.
Hi Charlie,
Well another great video and good ideas, on getting started on building your list. This has been a hard subject for me, just getting started. Thanks very much for your info. I love your blog, thanks for all the great content.
Thanks,
Michael
Hey Charlie,
More sound, yet simple and concise ideas to help us focus on the things we need to concentrate of doing.
Thanks
Salim
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
Awesome